In Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 2, act 3, scene 1, the king has a soliloquy. It begins, "How many thousand of my poorest subjects / Are at this hour asleep! O sleep, O gentle sleep, . . ." At the end, he declares, "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." My Web searches cannot find the source of the *extremely* widespread MISquotation above. I'm guessing there's contamination from the party game of "Heavy, heavy hangs over thy head" (see http://childrenparty.com/partygames/printversion/forfeits.html and very differently http://www.mythicjourneys.org/mythkids_oct06_halloween_forfeits.html ), but that's all it is--a guess. Web searches on "heavy hangs" "uneasy lies" head wear crown yield nothing useful.
2007-05-26 04:36:11 · 4 answers · asked by georgetslc 7 in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
Yes, I *am* asking for the source of the MISquotation--if anybody knows a single source or group of sources. The source of the original quotation is known.
No, I am NOT asking what the quotation means.
2007-05-28 11:01:25 · update #1
not quite sure what your asking but this line is in the movie crybaby with johnny depp
2007-05-31 15:38:18 · answer #1 · answered by elyjbc 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can't find a quotable source for this, but I was always under the impression that this 'misquote' went back to the time of Charles II.
The original coronation crown was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell (who had Charles I beheaded). St Edward's crown, which weights in at approximately 4 lb 5 oz (2 kg) is thought to bow the head of the Sovereign during the long hours of the coronation ceremony. Bearing in mind the fate of the previous king, plus the weight of the crown, then heavy would have been the head of Charles II at his coronation!
Although traditionally it is used to crown the Sovereign during a coronation, it has now become somewhat symbolic. Queen Victoria and Edward VII chose not to be crowned in it because of its weight. Instead they chose to crowned with the lighter Imperial State Crown.
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2007-05-29 11:25:17 · answer #2 · answered by sincerely yours 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was William Shakespeare in his play: King Henry the Fourth, Part II (King Henry at III, i) It was originally, "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." Wish you the best
2016-05-18 02:26:10 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the poor have to worry how/if their children will eat the next day, the one who wears the crown does not.
2007-05-26 10:54:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋