Painterly dented metal breastplate beside a wilted laurel wreath on weathered wood.

Original artwork, not a still

Henri IV

Hang yourself, brave Crillon; we fought at Arques and you were not there.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker addresses Crillon as brave, then tells him to despair because he missed the fighting at Arques. The violent opening reads as exaggerated reproach for being absent from a notable occasion. Praise and provocation sit together, making the regret of missing out the point.

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