Even a worm will turn

Idiom

"Even a worm will turn" is an English language expression used to convey the message that even the meekest or most docile of creatures will retaliate or seek revenge if pushed too far.^[1] The phrase was first recorded in a 1546 collection of proverbs by John Heywood, in the form "Treade a worme on the tayle, and it must turne agayne."^[2] It was used in William Shakespeare's play Henry VI, Part 3.^[3]^[4] In the play, the phrase is uttered by Lord Clifford, killer of Rutland as,^[5]

To whom do lions cast their gentle looks?

Not to the beast that would usurp their den.
The smallest worm will turn being trodden on,

And doves will peck in safeguard of their brood.

References

^ Knowles, Elizabeth. "worm". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
^ Speake J (2015). The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. Oxford University Press. p. 353. ISBN 9780198734901.
^ Martin, Gary. "The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on". phrases.org.uk. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
^ The Mavens' Word of the Day. "worm has turned". Random House, Inc. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
^ "The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on". english-for-students.com. Retrieved 2009-05-24.

William Shakespeare's first historical tetralogy

Henry VI, Part 1
Henry VI, Part 2
Henry VI, Part 3
Richard III

Characters
and events

1 Henry VI	Henry VI Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester Duke of Exeter Lord Talbot Duke of Bedford Richard, Duke of York Bishop of Winchester Earl of Suffolk Duke of Somerset (conflation of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset and Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset) Earl of Warwick Earl of Salisbury John Talbot Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March (conflation of Sir Edmund Mortimer and Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March) Sir John Fastolf Charles the Dauphin Joan la Pucelle Margaret of Anjou Reignier, Duke of Anjou Duke of Alençon Bastard of Orléans Duke of Burgundy Jacques d'Arc Siege of Orléans Battle of Patay
2 Henry VI	Henry VI Queen Margaret Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester Richard, Duke of York Earl of Salisbury Earl of Warwick Cardinal of Winchester Duke of Suffolk Duke of Buckingham Jack Cade Duke of Somerset (conflation of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset and Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset) Duchess of Gloucester Edward Plantagenet Richard Plantagenet Lord Clifford Young Clifford Margery Jourdayne Lord Saye Lord Scales First Battle of St Albans Peasants' Revolt
3 Henry VI	Henry VI Queen Margaret Richard, Duke of York Earl of Warwick Edward IV Richard, Duke of Gloucester George, Duke of Clarence Edward, Prince of Wales Lord Clifford Lady Grey Montague Earl of Oxford Duke of Somerset (conflation of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset) Lord Hastings Sir William Stanley Earl of Northumberland Duke of Exeter Duke of Norfolk Earl of Westmorland Lord Rivers Edmund, Earl of Rutland Henry, Earl of Richmond Louis XI of France Bona of Savoy Prince Edward Earl of Pembroke Lord Stafford Lord Bourbon Battle of Towton Battle of Barnet Battle of Wakefield Second Battle of St Albans Battle of Tewkesbury
Richard III	Richard III Duke of Buckingham Queen Elizabeth Duchess of York Queen Margaret Lady Neville George, Duke of Clarence Edward IV Lord Hastings Lord Stanley, Earl of Derby Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond Sir William Catesby Sir Richard Ratcliffe Lord Rivers Marquis of Dorset Sir James Tyrrell Lord Richard Grey Prince Edward Richard, Duke of York Earl of Warwick Countess of Salisbury Duke of Norfolk Archbishop of Canterbury Archbishop of York Earl of Surrey Sir Thomas Vaughan Sir Christopher Robert Brackenbury Lord Lovel Ghost of Henry VI Ghost of Edward, Prince of Wales Lord Mayor of London Earl of Oxford Sir James Blunt Sir William Brandon Bishop of Ely Sheriff of Wiltshire Wars of the Roses Princes in the Tower Battle of Bosworth Field

On screen

Tetralogy	An Age of Kings (1960; TV) The Wars of the Roses (1965; TV) BBC Television Shakespeare (1983; TV) The Hollow Crown Henry VI, Part 1 Henry VI, Part 2 Richard III (2016; TV)
Richard III	The Life and Death of King Richard III (1912) Richard III (1955) "The Foretelling" (1983; TV) "King Richard III" (1994; TV) Richard III (1995) Looking for Richard (1996) Richard III (2007)