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Liz Wykys
Jane Seymour is one of Anne Boleyn’s ladies-in-waiting. Her quiet humor and kindness catch Thomas Cromwell’s eye. She is a pale, quiet girl when he first sees her, and she seems immediately different to him from the other conniving people he usually encounters at court. He pities her when the story of her father, John Seymour, sleeping with his daughter-in-law makes the rounds, causing her great embarrassment. Though Jane’s family is surrounded in scandal and the court is filled with intrigue and deceit, Jane herself seems pure and untouched by it all—Cromwell is reminded of her when he sees white lilies. Anne seems to dislike Jane immensely and insults her frequently. Jane tells Cromwell that she prefers serving Queen Katherine, whom she served before she was brought to Anne, but Cromwell advises her to stay with Anne Boleyn since it will be better for her career. Jane seems to reciprocate Cromwell’s interest in her, and at the novel’s conclusion, Cromwell is making plans to go visit her at her home in Wolf Hall. Throughout the novel, Cromwell cautions other men against falling in love with the same women Henry is interested in. Ironically, this is exactly what he seems to be doing, since history shows that Henry’s next wife will be this very same Jane Seymour.
Jane Seymour Quotes in Wolf Hall
The Wolf Hall quotes below are all either spoken by Jane Seymour or refer to Jane Seymour. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 4: Chapter 2
Quotes
“Look,” she says. She holds up her sleeves. The bright blue with which she has edged them, that kingfisher flash, is cut from the silk in which he wrapped her present of needlework patterns. How do matters stand now at Wolf Hall, he asks, as tactfully as he can: how do you ask after a family, in the wake of incest? She says in her clear little voice, “Sir John is very well. But then Sir John is always very well. […] Why don’t you make some business in Wiltshire and ride down to inspect us? Oh, and if the king gets a new wife, she will need matrons to attend her, and my sister Liz is coming to court. […] I would rather go up-country to the queen, myself. […]”
“If I were your father…no…” he rephrases it, “if I were to advise you, it would be to serve Lady Anne.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Wolf Hall LitChart as a printable PDF.
Jane Seymour Quotes in Wolf Hall
The Wolf Hall quotes below are all either spoken by Jane Seymour or refer to Jane Seymour. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 4: Chapter 2
Quotes
“Look,” she says. She holds up her sleeves. The bright blue with which she has edged them, that kingfisher flash, is cut from the silk in which he wrapped her present of needlework patterns. How do matters stand now at Wolf Hall, he asks, as tactfully as he can: how do you ask after a family, in the wake of incest? She says in her clear little voice, “Sir John is very well. But then Sir John is always very well. […] Why don’t you make some business in Wiltshire and ride down to inspect us? Oh, and if the king gets a new wife, she will need matrons to attend her, and my sister Liz is coming to court. […] I would rather go up-country to the queen, myself. […]”
“If I were your father…no…” he rephrases it, “if I were to advise you, it would be to serve Lady Anne.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
