Anonymous Page #5

is once again greatly appreciated.

He butchered you! Not only in front

of court but the entire city as well!

We must arrest

this Shakespeare and...

No, Robert.

If he really is as popular

as you say,

we would only anger the mob.

We cannot maintain authority

if we are laughingstocks!

Our authority comes

from Elizabeth and from God.

You must think

more deeply, Robert.

You must compensate

for your malformations.

You must compensate with

the gifts God did give you.

With cunning. With ruthlessness.

It's from

King James of Scotland.

James is aware of the queen's

affections for Essex

and of the rumors of his birth,

and he is justly concerned.

You will write to James.

You will tell him that I am gravely ill,

but that all is in hand.

And then tell him,

Essex will not return

from Ireland alive.

God does indeed require

our help in this matter.

This is how kings are made,

my son.

So it was with Elizabeth,

so it shall ever be.

James will expect you to do the same

for him and he will reward you for it.

But we must

do one thing more.

Like Essex,

Edward must be removed.

Edward?

You must bribe someone.

His fencing master, perhaps.

Promise him a fortune

if he kills him.

I am with child.

Are you certain?

Two cycles have

passed, my lord.

And I wish to marry him.

Marry him?

Your Grace, he is already married.

I can do what I want.

Can you?

Most of the Catholic princes

of Europe seek to topple you

and end your Protestant reign.

All that stop them are the Channel

and the hope they marry you

and end your realm by other means.

I love him!

Would you risk your throne

for him? Hm?

Would you risk England for him?

We must do as we have done before.

You must go on progress,

somewhere isolated, accompanied

by only those whom you most trust.

After the birth, I shall find a suitable

house for the child to be reared in.

And Edward?

He must never know.

What have you done?

I am praying.

She will not see me!

I've gone to her, she will not

receive me, and now she's gone!

She is on progress.

Where?

Where did she go?

What did you say to her?

She does not ask my advice

on matters of the heart.

If she did, she would not

have chosen you.

You must've known

she would go elsewhere.

You're neither the first

nor the last of her lovers!

Go back to my daughter, Edward.

She will accept you

with open arms.

Behave as your great title

demands you behave.

Tend to your estates,

your investments.

And make me a grandson.

An heir.

It's difficult to write, is it not?

After something like Hamlet?

It eats at you.

At your soul.

Why do you think Will

hasn't been arrested?

He murders a caricature

of old William Cecil himself,

and still whores it all the way

to Westminster and back.

Ahem. Perhaps they haven't noticed.

I made sure they did.

You informed on one of your own?

To the Tower?

Watch who you judge, Ben.

We do what we have to to survive

and survive well in this life. All of us.

And Will is definitely

not one of us.

You know he's illiterate,

don't you?

Oh, he can read well enough.

How else could he learn his lines?

But the man never actually

learned to form his letters.

So who did write Hamlet?

A nobleman.

Yes, but which?

You know, don't you, Ben?

Careful, Kit.

You sound like one of your plays.

Ben! Tell me.

We can go to him together.

Guarantee his anonymity.

For a price.

You reported on me as well,

didn't you, Kit?

Last year. For Every Man.

That's why I was arrested.

Wasn't it?

I had nothing to do with that.

Ben. I'll just go to Will.

And he'll tell me because he has

so much more to lose than you.

And you'll profit nothing from it.

Nothing.

Rebels have stripped

the northern borders.

Then we must march south

and take Cahir Castle.

My lord,

it is a well-defended fortress.

Holy Mary, mother of God.

A thousand men, maybe more.

We cannot attack such a force.

So, what would you have me do?

Spend the entire spring encamped?

I am sent to Ireland to end

this infernal rebellion, not to idle...

Robert!

Must have been a cutpurse.

Nowhere is bloody safe

any more, I'll tell you that.

What's happened?

Dead body.

Now my tooth hurts.

The stench. He's done.

- It's that playwright.

- Kit Marlowe.

It's not right.

No, it's not.

What's going on, Beaulieu?

Stop it!

Beaulieu! Aah!

Francesco.

He tried to kill me.

The mighty Sampson!

What a beast!

Have you seen his claws?

I need more money.

You already make more

than any playwright Bankside.

I want to build my own theater.

One that properly, um, fits the scale of my work.

A theater? For your work?

I've found someone

who will make me a coat of arms,

and change the Stratford lists.

Impossible.

Eight shillings on six dogs!

I'll take that bet.

Eight shillings on the bear.

That's a terrible bet, Ben!

Make do with what you've got, Will.

I won't be your beggar.

Oh, no. This isn't a request, Ben.

I'll have more money.

Or what? You'll slit my throat,

like you did Kit's?

I know he went to you last night

and was planning to expose you

if you didn't agree to his terms.

You're mad.

So terrifying!

Be careful, Will.

Kill me off, you won't have any good

plays to act in after this is done.

I'll have my guineas, Ben.

One way or another,

I will have my guineas.

Unleash the dogs!

Go on, bear!

Thank you. Drink up, Francesco.

Another one where that came from.

Francesco?

Two this time.

- When shall I return?

- In a fortnight.

Over there.

Just pull in there.

- Listen.

- Yes, master.

When you cut my roses,

- be gentle.

- Yes, master.

Yes, master.

My lord.

So you are the famous

William Shakespeare

whose labors I have so enjoyed.

I am at your service, sir.

I need more money.

I beg your pardon?

My lord, my expenses

have enlarged.

Aggrandized.

Since all this began.

Aggrandized?

Yeah, aggrandized. And, um,

if your lordship does not agree

to an increase in my fee,

then I shall be forced

to make certain facts public.

Hey. Have you any idea

to whom you are speaking?

I am addressing

the writer of Hamlet.

And of Juliet and her Romeo.

Am I not?

Out. Get out.

As you wish.

My lord.

Wait.

How much?

Four hundred pounds.

A year.

No, pay him.

Come.

Is this wise?

They have already tried

to kill you once.

Wisdom,

Francesco, is a quality I have

unfortunately never possessed.

Edward? You know I will

have to leave court soon.

She will be furious

if she finds out about this.

She abandoned me.

She still loves you.

No, she doesn't.

You don't know,

do you?

The queen,

she had your child.

My Lady of Oxford, welcome home.

I cannot be certain, Your Majesty,

when the relationship began.

But sometime soon after

your return to court.

You are sure?

They have not

been very discreet.

There is more, Your Majesty.

The lady is pregnant.

Arrest them.

Arrest them both.

What is the meaning of this?

Edward!

Unhand me! Bessie!

Edward!

Bessie!

Edward!

Whoa.

Your whore gave birth last week.

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