TV show quotes
Upon hearing that Parliament has passed a "treason act" making failure to swear the Oath of Supremacy a crime punishable by death
Poor Fisher. He was a lion in my defense. Now he will die ashamed and alone in a prison cell.
[After Anne reveals her parnoia of Henry having an affair]
That's enough!
No, you told me that we would always be truthful with one another! You said it was the definition of love!
Then here's the truth. You must shut your eyes and endure [contemptuous] like your betters have done before you!
[angrily] How can you say that to me!? Don't you know I love you a thousand times more than Catherine ever did!?
[stands up, furious] AND DON'T YOU KNOW THAT I CAN DRAG YOU DOWN AS QUICKLY AS I RAISED YOU!? T'is lucky you have your bed already, madam, for if you did not, I would not give it to you a second time! [moves to leave, but stops] Francis won't accept the betrothal.
Why?
[angrily] Why do you think!? Because he, and the Pope, and the Emperor ARE ALL AGREED she is a bastard, and you are not my wife!
What a pleasure to have both you and your lovely wife to sup with, Your Grace.
So, tell me- you are suppressing some religious houses?
I am starting to, yes.
Und what else?
I am intending to abolish almost all the Holy Days of the Lord's service- and, during the harvest. (scoffs) These enforced holidays- they damage the country's economy, stop vital works! (the Cranmers nod in agreement) And, in fact, they also impoverish workers!
Und the priests?
As far as the clergy are concerned, we mean to issue a set of injunctions, requiring them to preach the Supremacy. There will also be an injunction requiring parents and employers to teach their children and servants the Lord's Prayer, Creed and the Ten Commandments in English, rather than Latin.
And all clerics will be put on notice to attack the superstitious cults surrounding images and relics. They will be told it will profit more upon their souls to bestow upon the poor and the needy, what they currently waste on relics.
(shrugs, nods) That's... very good, gentlemen. (Cranmer and Cromwell smile, pleased) But, allow me to chide you. I don't think that you are going far enough, or fast enough.
(glances at Cranmer, surprised)... Your wife is a great radical, Thomas.
She is - and, illegal. (he and Cromwell chuckle and toast) Two reasons to hide her.
(glances away, irritated) Being carried around in a box does not make you laugh.
(hastily) My dear, I am sorry about that-
I'm not your dear- I'm nobody's dear. I'm a woman, und I demand equal respect for my ideas! For me, the practices of the Catholic Church are evil! The way people are kept in total ignorance und made to feel guilty about their own bodies und their own thoughts- and even worse, the idea that the rich can buy a plot in Heaven for their souls!
(startled) Well, I agree with you! The Catholic Church is corrupted- it's irredeemable!
Then you should smash und destroy it- utterly, totally und without pity. That is my advice to you, Mr. Cromwell. (Cromwell stares at her, intrigued; she turns back to her husband and stands up, smirking) Now, you can put me back in my box.
[smiling after hearing the news of Katherine of Aragon's death] Now I am indeed Queen.
I was married before and, I must confess, I rather like the liberty of not being married again!
[laughes] I can understand that!
[talking to his father after Henry VIII is left fighting for his life in a jousting accident] You know, I cannot think whether it would be a bad thing, or a good thing if he died. For as Lord Protector, you would ipso facto be King of England.
I am also preparing for an emergency session of Parliament-
Bah! Kings had no need of Parliament in the old days!
(coldly, not looking up from his paperwork) These are not the old days, my Lord.
In a room where Henry lays out cold; the Boleyns are watching and waiting
George Boleyn{to his father}: You know, I cannot think whether it would be a bad thing, or a good thing, if he died. For as Lord Protector, you would be ipso facto King of England.
[Thomas Cromwell is interrogating Lady Margaret Sheldon regarding Queen Anne's infidelity, and has extracted a list of her supposed lovers, save one]
And!? [he slams his fist on a table] AND!?
[sobbing] I saw her hugging and kissing her brother!
[horror-struck and disgusted] Her brother!?
[At a later interrogation of Lady Rochford]
Do you believe this to be true?
I believe that is true, yes. [Cromwell walks over and looks her in the eye]
[skeptical] You believe that your husband committed incest with the queen!?
[Lady Rochford looks at Cromwell with a sly smile. Cromwell looks surprised, then returns the smile; the pair understand each other perfectly]
What of the others!?
Smeaton, Brereton, Norris and George Boleyn have been found guilty, and are to be executed tomorrow.
You know what Cromwell told me? He told me she'd had to do with over a hundred men. A hundred fucking men, Charles! [angrily] You know what? My daughter, Mary, owes God a great deal for escaping the hands of that poisoning whore! Oh she planned to have her poisoned, Charles, it's true. Just like she poisoned Catherine. We have proof. And her baby. Her baby was deformed; did you know that, Charles!? [horrified, Brandon shakes his head] So how could it have been mine!? Perhaps Elizabeth isn't even mine! That fucking bitch! [Henry breaks down in tears as Brandon tries to comfort him]
[In Thomas Wyatt's cell]
The Queen was tried yesterday at Westminster Hall. She pleaded not guilty to all charges against her, but the evidence being overwhelming...she was sentenced to death, either by burning or decapitation according to the King's pleasure.
[fighting back tears] And her accomplices? What of us?
Smeaton, Brereton, Norris and George Boleyn, all guilty as charged.
Thomas, what about me? Am I to be tried too?
No. We found no evidence against you. You're to be released...eventually. [Cromwell leaves the cell]
[tearfully] BUT I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO'S GUILTY!
Charles Brandon enters the jail cell of his nemesis, Thomas Boleyn
Am I...Am I to be tried?
No, you are to be released.
Thomas Boleyn smiles but tries to conceal his glee by covering his mouth with his hand
But...Your Majesty commands that since you no longer have his trust and affection; that you are to be stripped forthwith of all your official purses and titles. You will no longer serve under the Privy Council, you will relinquish the role of Lord Privy Seal and all its privileges. His Majesty also desires that you leave court and that you never show yourself in his presence again on pain of death.
So I am to keep my Earldom?
Charles is so outraged by such a nonchalant attitude that he throws aside the table, grabs Boleyn by his shirt and slams him against the wall
Did you watch your son die?! What about your daughter, will you watch her suffer? Will you watch her die?! Tell me, Boleyn, was it all worth it?!
Good Christian people, I have come here to die according to the law and thus yield myself to the will of the King, my Lord. And if ever in my life I did offend the King's grace, then surely with my death I do now atone. I pray and beseech you all to pray for the life of the King, my sovereign Lord and yours who is one of the best princes of the Earth, who has always treated me so well. Where for I submit to death a goodwill, humbly asking for pardon from all the world. If anyone should take up my case, I ask them only to judge it kindly. [her tearful attendants take off her cloak and jewelry; she gives them a weak smile]
(kneels before Anne) Madam... forgive me, for what I must do.
Gladly. And here is your purse. (hands him a pouch with payment for the beheading) Thus I take my leave of the world and of you.
(in tears at the back of the crowd) Bless you.
I heartily desire all of you to pray for me. [she kneels; the onlookers begin to kneel and pray for her, led by Archbishop Cranmer; eventually, even Charles Brandon, reluctantly, does so]
(glancing fearfully at the executioner) Jesus Christ receive my soul, oh Lord, God have pity on my soul. Jesus Christ receive my soul, oh Lord, God have pity on my soul. Jesus Christ receive my soul, Oh Lord God have pity on my soul. Jesus Christ receive my soul, oh Lord, God have pity on my soul, to Lord Christ I commend myself. To Christ I commend myself...
Boy! Fetch my sword! [Anne glances reflexively to the right. Behind her, the executioner swiftly draws his broadsword from beneath a burlap sack, and raises it to swing]
When I was five, my mother and I were taken across London, into the Tower. There was a rebellion against my father; the Cornish rebels were actually at the city walls! And inside, everything was panic, fear. We had no news of the royal army, or of my father. My mother tried to remain calm, but she was terrified. So was I. I was sure we were both going to be killed.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's The Tudors pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
