How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #10
MESSENGER
My liege, her ear
Is stopped with dust. The first of April died
Your noble mother. And as I hear, my lord,
The Lady Constance in a frenzy died
Three days before. But this from rumor's tongue
I idly heard. If true or false, I know not. (4.2.122-127)
Here, a messenger (conveniently named "Messenger") delivers the news that both Constance and Eleanor are dead. Up until this point, these two powerful women have driven a lot of the action in the play—each pushing for her own son to be king. What's super interesting about Eleanor's death is that once she's gone, her son John seems to turn into a weak-willed wimp who can't seem to make a good decision about how to defend his crown and kingdom. Same goes for Arthur, who makes the bad decision to jump from the castle walls when his mom isn't around to tell him what to do. Basically, moms are really important figures (even though Shakespeare gets rid of them halfway through the play).