This chapter opens with a soliloquy by the king's son. The king tells his son that he is proud of the victory he has just won, but that it has made him forget that he can also be killed by a sharp sword. He tells the king that he and his son are not the same person, and that he will not let the king kill him. He also tells him that his mother has been involved in illegal activities with the east and that she has brought a great deal of trouble to the city. He asks the king to punish her severely and banish her son from the city, but the king refuses to do so. He orders the execution of his mother.