Worcester

Play

Henry IV, Part 1

Summary

Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester, is Hotspur's calculating uncle and the true architect of the Percy rebellion against Henry IV. Where his nephew acts from impetuous honour, Worcester acts from cold political calculation; he conceals Henry IV's offer of pardon from Hotspur before Shrewsbury, knowing that his own guilt is too great to be forgiven and choosing to send his nephew to his death rather than surrender. He is captured after the battle and executed.

Notable Quotations

"It pleased your majesty to turn your looks / Of favour from myself and all our house." *(1H4, 1.3)*

"The king will always think him in our debt, / And think we think ourselves unsatisfied, / Till he hath found a time to pay us home." *(1H4, 1.3 — explaining why a rebellion must follow from usurpation)*

Cross-references

• Henry IV, Part 1 — the play
• Histories — the genre
• character_hotspur — Hotspur, his nephew whom he sacrifices
• character_king_henry_iv — King Henry IV, his adversary