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The Prologue
The Three Queens (referred to only as First Queen, Second Queen, and Third Queen) are the wives of kings killed by the treacherous Creon, King of Thebes. When Creon doesn’t allow the queens to retrieve their husbands’ remains, they interrupt Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding to beg Theseus to help them. When Theseus appears hesitant to abandon his wedding, the queens solicit additional support from Hippolyta and Emilia. Theseus ultimately honors his chivalric duty by traveling to Thebes, defeating Creon, and enabling the queens to honor their husbands with funeral rites.
Three Queens Quotes in The Two Noble Kinsmen
The The Two Noble Kinsmen quotes below are all either spoken by Three Queens or refer to Three Queens. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, Scene 4 Quotes
Th’ impartial gods, who from the mounted heavens
View us their mortal herd, behold who err
And, in their time, chastise.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Act 1, Scene 5 Quotes
This world’s a city full of straying streets,
And death’s the market-place where each one meets.
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Three Queens Character Timeline in The Two Noble Kinsmen
The timeline below shows where the character Three Queens appears in The Two Noble Kinsmen. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 1
Just then, Three Queens dressed in black and wearing veils enter and kneel before Hippolyta’s sister, Emilia. The First...
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Theseus feels for the Three Queens and regrets making them kneel in light of their hardships. He recalls meeting the First...
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The First Queen begs Theseus to be merciful. The Second Queen praises Hippolyta for her strength and military...
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The Second Queen rises, and the Third Queen kneels to address Emilia. Emilia sees the Queen’s tear-streaked face...
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...the temple, but the First Queen begs him to think of her and the other Queens’ dead husbands, who were all good kings and didn’t deserve their fates. She explains that...
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Theseus tells the Queens that his wedding is more important than any war. The First Queen worries that Theseus...
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...only deepen her and Theseus’s desire. She urges him to strongly consider helping the Three Queens as soon as possible. The Queens beg Emilia to appeal to Theseus, as well. Emilia...
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The Queens praise Theseus, and the Second Queen proclaims that he’s “Equal with Mars.” Theseus humbly replies...
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Act 1, Scene 4
A cornet sounds, and a victorious Theseus enters accompanied by Lords and Soldiers. The Three Queens enter and fall to their knees before Theseus, praising him. Theseus explains that the gods...
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Act 1, Scene 5
The funeral procession for the Three Queens’ husbands is underway. Someone sings a mournful song about how grief appears more deadly than...
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