Becket

King Louis informs Becket that to maintain political peace with King Henry, he will need to banish Becket from his realm. Becket says that he wanted to return to England anyway: “I am a shepherd who has remained too long away from his flock” (96). When Louis points out that this will mean certain martyrdom, Becket replies that the alternative—roaming the continent in search of asylum—would be just as unsafe. If he is to lose his life, Becket would rather it happen while he is carrying out his duty as bishop. Louis says that he will try to persuade Henry to make his peace with Becket.

A peace summit between the King and Becket is held on a windswept plain in France. The King bitterly regrets Becket’s turn against him. Becket explains that when the King made him archbishop, he discovered a sense of moral duty that he never felt before; he stands by the excommunications as a means of protecting his priests. The King offers Becket his peace—“I will help you defend your God […] in memory of the companion you once were to me” (103)—and invites him to return to England. Then, torn by conflicting emotions, he rides away crying that “I should never have seen you again! It hurts too much” (104).