At his palace, the King waits impatiently for Becket to meet with him for the first time since becoming archbishop. The King, the Queen, and the Queen Mother quarrel about Becket’s influence over the King and about their discordant family life. Instead of Becket, a monk arrives and gives the King a letter from Becket along with the royal seal. The King realizes that in returning the seal, Becket is signaling that he will no longer play along with him. Alone, angry, and sad, the King laments: “I loved you and you didn’t love me” (69).

Dressed as a commoner, the King approaches Folliot in his cathedral. He says that he wants to make his confession but that he wants to confess not a sin but a mistake. The mistake is naming Becket archbishop of Canterbury. Using threats, the King asks Folliot to cooperate in a scheme to get rid of Becket.

At his residence, Becket receives three monks, including the young monk who plotted to murder the King in Act II. The other two monks tell Becket that the young monk has been stubborn and prideful. Alone with him, Becket learns that he still thinks of himself as bearing “the full weight of England’s shame” (76) on his shoulders.