Henry VIII | Act 5, Scene 3 | Summary

Summary

It is the day of the young princess's christening, and in the palace yard, the Porter and one of his men try to keep a crowd of people out. The crowd wants to see the christening. The Porter and his man yell at the crowd, and make fun of them. Chamberlain enters, shocked by the multitude, and yells at the Porter for being lazy, saying some people have gotten in. The Porter says there is only so much they can do against the enthusiasm of the crowd. Trumpets sound, indicating the procession from the christening.

Analysis

This scene shows the common people fascinated by every move members of the court make, and therefore can be seen as an extension of the scenes involving the first, second, and third gentlemen. The escalation from two gentlemen, to three gentlemen, to a whole crowd of enthusiastic observers echoes the escalation of the importance of the proceedings. The ceremony that follows will confer on the baby the name Elizabeth, which she will make famous as Elizabeth I.