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    King Richard III
    King Richard III
    King Richard III
    Ebook249 pages1 hour

    King Richard III

    By William Shakespeare

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    About this ebook

    Final play in Shakespeare's masterly dramatization of the struggle for power between the Houses of York and Lancaster. Richard is a stunning archvillain who schemes, seduces, betrays and murders his way to the throne, yet is capable of eliciting sympathy for his plight at the end.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStart Publishing LLC
    Release dateApr 1, 2013
    ISBN9781625589897
    Author

    William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist in the English language. Shakespeare is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon.”  

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    Reviews for King Richard III

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    • 4/5
      Romeo and Juliet- Manga Classics – by William Shakespeare, by Stacy King, Crystal S. Chan (Adaptation), Julien Choy (Art), Akanovas (Lettering), Jeannie Lee (Lettering)There is no need to go into the synopsis or plot of one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays. We all know the basics of this story by now. Many have read the play in school or have seen a stage or movie adaptation at one point. So, I think it is safe to skip the analysis. For me, Manga is something I flat out ignored for years because I presumed without ever giving it a fair chance that it would not be something I’d enjoy. Then I discovered it was often geared towards teens or young adults, which was yet another strike against it. But, by sheer accident, I discovered Manga covered a lot of areas, and was much more complex than I’d given it credit for. Having gotten to an age where I’ve dipped my toes in many different genres, and sub-genres, I find that the ‘I’ve outgrown this’ or ‘aged out of’ attitude closes off many unexplored avenues and because I like to think I’m open minded, I’ve begun to reconsider areas I’ve previously closed off. As a result, I’m having a lot of fun learning about Manga, Graphic Novels, and Comics. Much to my surprise, I’ve found a nice selection of classic stories, in Manga/Graphic Novel format. After recently reading a memoir by Olivia Hussey, the actress who portrayed Juliet in the famous Zeffirelli 1968 film, this play was on my mind quite a lot. So, when I noticed this Manga version on Netgalley, it grabbed my attention immediately. For anyone who may be thinking the dialogue is 'updated' with more modern dialect, you’d be wrong. This is the same script you’d find in the original play- except there are no stage directions. Instead, those are replaced by images, which works out much better than I’d have imagined. The artwork is spectacular, as is the adaptation. Obviously, a great deal of thought went into how to present this classic in Manga form, and I’d say it came off beautifully. Granted, I’m still a novice at this, but I was pleased with the presentation. I did have a few technical issues, since this one is not in Kindle/ MOBI format. I had to use Adobe Edition, which is a pain, and the scrolling was terrible, especially since, of course it’s back to front. Several times my screen jumped to the end of the book and caused a great deal of frustration.Shakespeare is still difficult to read and adjusting to this format made it an even bigger challenge. It took me a good long while to get through it. (If anyone has a suggestion on how to make this less daunting- please feel free to offer me some suggestions.) However, despite the heaviness of the drama, and the extra effort it required to read the book, I was impressed, and enjoyed reading this classic with the well-drawn illustrations and art work which certainly enriched and enhanced my experience.Despite the disdain of melodrama- I liked all the angst between Romeo and Juliet- but not that sad ending! It still makes a great cautionary tale- even after all these years. 4 stars
    • 4/5
      Richard, you hero, you villain. I am not sure how I feel about this play, I might have done a bad reading of it originally. But I am enraptured with Richard III any way. He did great things for the poor, he murdered children. He was the last King to die on the battlefield, he wasn't a legitimate King anyway. Sly, cunning, vicious and ambitious, Richard III is coming close to taking Macbeth away as my favourite Shakespeare.
    • 3/5
      Shakespeare's take on Richard III. Very dark historical play, but just a play. Mostly inaccurate historically though.Very long play, S's 2nd longest just behind Hamlet.
    • 5/5
      So how geeky is it to have his'n'hers copies of Richard III? Don't answer that. We saw the Brooklyn Academy of Music production with Kevin Spacey last year and both wanted to read it through again first. The play, by the way, was fun -- a big spectacle, kind of like the circus for grownups without the animal cruelty. But with plenty of scenery chewing. Anyway, the play is bad ass. But you all knew that.
    • 5/5
      It wasn't by design, but I managed to save a great play for my final Shakespare (because apocrypha be damned.) Richard III was one definitely one of my favorites.... great story, great dialog and great pacing, what more could you ask for in a play?The play tells the story of the nefarious Richard's rise to the throne and ultimate demise. He's an evil mastermind behind the deaths of kings and princes, and even those who supported his aims fall to his sword. This isn't one of Shakespare's subtler works, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      I've just seen the wonderful Kevin Spacey / Sam Mendes production which opened at the Old Vic this year and is on a world tour. An amazing production and a superlative performance by Spacey.
    • 3/5
      This was the most stagey of any Shakespeare play I've ever read--or at least the most stagey I remember. Richard comes out at the start and announces his evil intentions. Later, characters whisper asides to the audience while lying to their interlocutors on stage. And at the end, ghosts.

      It was interesting, but the over-the-top villainry of Richard somehow left me a little cold. A small thing along the way that bugged me was the ease with which Richard won over female characters who hated and excoriated him. A little sweet talk, and they acquiesce. What?! Please. Way to give women a bad name, Bill!
    • 4/5
      Am I the only person who thinks Richard is kind of sympathetic? Seriously, *every* other person in the play is a moron. I've never been comfortable with Nietzsche's whole 'the weak gang up to ruin the world by undermining the strong' nonsense, but as an analysis of this book? Pretty good. Look, everyone in this play is morally repulsive. The difference between them and RIII is that the king's much smarter. He moves the pieces around the board pretty well. And for that he's the greatest villain the world has ever seen? I don't get it.

      As for this edition (most recent Arden), it's got a very well-written introduction that provides a lot of background information; maybe too much background information. I would have liked a bit more interpretation. Same thing with the annotation, which was very heavy on the manuscript-variations but a bit light on historical information. But thankfully no fatuous 'thematic' interpretation stuff at all.
    • 4/5
      Richard, Duke of Gloucester, plots to kill brothers and nephews on his way to the throne of England.I had a tough time organizing my thoughts after reading this play. Richard is such a rich character. He plots and schemes, but he has some fantastic lines and he's very charismatic. I had a tough time following all the Henry's and Edward's and such, more so than Shakespeare's audience would have, I'm sure. The plotting portion was much more interesting to me than his inevitable downfall, but I think that's at least in part because of how it reads rather than how it would play out on stage. The lines "sword fight and ____ dies," for example, are so quick that I hardly took it in before it was over. I'm not sure that I would read it again, but I'd definitely watch a film version and read up on my English history to learn more about the historical Richard.
    • 4/5
      Great drama, a somewhat... um... flexible attitude to history, and scarcely a character alive by the end. There are the famous lines ("Now is the winter of our discontent"; "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!") and some that really ought to be more famous ("fair Saint George,/ Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons!"). Very entertaining.
    • 4/5
      Following the deaths of Edward IV and Edward V in 1483, Richard III becomes monarch of England. It is quite a bit into the play before we are introduced to Richard III, but when we are, we see him as a tyrant. What a vivid picture of his wickedness Shakespeare paints! One can't help but wonder if the people of England didn't sing, "Ding, dong, the king is dead, the wicked king is dead" when he died a couple of years after assuming the throne. I really think I'd love to see this one performed live. I may have to settle for a movie version, but I really think that live would be preferable.
    • 5/5
      I think that almost everyone knows Shakespeare's verson of the story of the monstrous King Richard III, how he plotted the murder of anyone who stood in the way of his gaining the crown of England. This was certainly not my first encounter with Shakespeare. I've read his work several times before. However, I seem to have missed the history plays, until now.I'm embarrassed to admit, that this is also the first time that I've felt the magic of Shakespeare. It's the first time I've been held in the thrall of the power of his words.I've always enjoyed his work, but I never understood what all the fuss was about. Now I get it.
    • 3/5
      I never thought I would enjoy this as much as I did, and the Ian McKellen adaptation of this just makes it even better.
    • 2/5
      Not a big fan of Shakespeare's history plays. See some of the film and stage adaptations of this play...they're more entertaining.
    • 3/5
      My first Shakespeare history: I've been avoiding them for years. I care too much about keeping everything straight: the four characters named Richard, the handful of Edwards, the nobility calling each other by their titles sometimes, their Christian names other times. And then titles will change. And I care about the events and the lineages and I manage to get all wound up and muddled and frustrated.Of course it's better if you just read it as a play. And for that, it still has a profoundly different tone than the tragedies or the comedies. There's a lot of vitriol here. Not a lot of subtlety. Strong female characters. A LOT of characters. Children.It wasn't my favorite. It wasn't my least favorite. It was more of another notch in my complete-works-of-the-Bard-read stick.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this play, and it was only enhanced by the audio version bringing it to life. It was an interesting follow-up to Tey's A Daughter of Time, which presents a very different picture of Richard and his character and motivations. I remember having tickets I couldn't use to McKellen's Richard years ago and I'm sorry I've never seen this play on stage.
    • 3/5
      Like most, I imagine, I was forced to read this in high school (freshman year, specifically). I was no fan of Shakespeare at the time, though I've since come around somewhat. While I've not read it since, I've no real desire to. They're just a couple of horny teenagers thinking they're experiencing true love and all that. For that reason, this work does not entertain me as one might want. However, I do appreciate what it's lent to our culture, and specifically to derivative works. Without this book, we would not have West Side Story, which I do happen to be fond of.
    • 4/5
      4.25 StarsA fanciful retelling of Romeo and Juliet in Manga format. Emotive artwork and much of the dialogue is in true Shakespeare form. A nice addition to the Manga Classics series. Keep up the good work! For classics and adaptation fans.Net Galley Feedback
    • 3/5
      I would've given a star for the crazy plot. But then again, that's what makes this unforgettable. The story's crazy. Also, Shakespeare's as smooth as usual, especially in the language of love. I can see why this has become a classic.
    • 4/5
      Ah, my favorite classic.
    • 5/5
      great classic
    • 3/5
      Beautiful language, classic Shakespeare.
    • 5/5
      This review is for the Frankly Annotated First Folio Edition, with annotations by Demitra Papadinis.The layout of the book is fantastic, making it easy to keep your place in the play when checking on the notes. The notes themselves are fantastic, going in depth and not leaving out the dirty jokes. A thoroughly enjoyable and educational edition!
    • 3/5
      Publiekslieveling, maar ik vond het niet altijd overtuigend, soms zelfs stroef. Bevat uiteraard weergaloze passages. Vertaling van Komrij.1595, bekend verhaal, midden XV?, maar wel afstand van moralistische behandeling,exuberante po?zie, evolutie van romantische komedie naar tragedie, maar heel vlot alsof het door Shakespeare zelf niet serieus werd bevonden. Twee stijlen: hoogdraven-mani?ristisch en rijper en sober. Thema is de roekeloze hartstocht; daarom een noodlottragedie: ondergang buiten hun wil om (bij de andere tragedies komt de ondergang door een tekort aan krachten of een gebrek).Huis van Montague tegen het huis van Capulet in Verona. Julia is 14 jaar.Boodschap van de prins tegen geweld I,1 (?Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace?, p 1012); omschrijving liefde I,1 (?Love is a smoke rais?d with the fume of sighs:/Beining purg?d, a fire sparkling in lovers? eyes;/Being vex?d, a sea nourish?d with lovers? tears:/What is it else? A madness most discreet,/A choking gall and a preserving sweet.?, 1013)Hoogtepunt: de dialoog Romeo-Julia II,2 en III,5Vlottere taal dan de vorige, maar toch ook stroeve delen; opvallend korte, komische entractes.
    • 4/5
      Shakespeare may have embellished the historical truth a bit when he wrote Richard III, but he certainly knew a good story when he saw it. The War of the Roses between Lancaster and York from 1455-1485 following over 100 hundred years of warfare with France ripped the country apart and led to cruel murders on both sides. Many vied for the throne or to be an inch closer to it, and blind ambition was the order of the day from women and men alike. One of the horrifying outcomes was the famous ‘Princes in the tower’, with Richard III imprisoning his older brother Edward IV’s children to take the throne after Edward had died, and then disposing of them. Shakespeare wrote the play a little over a hundred years later, around the year 1592, and the quality is impressive given its over 400 years old today. He painted Richard a bit blacker than he actually was, most notably making him the killer of middle brother George (Duke of Clarence), when it was actually Edward who had him drowned in a barrel of wine. In this story the will to power is concentrated into the character of Richard, who gains the throne but only after having done so many evil deeds that he is hated and isolated. His ambition starts with “Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York” at the outset of the play, and ends with him tormented with a guilty conscience and then killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 after screaming “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!”, thus ushering in Henry VII as the first Tudor king. The tragic irony is that Richard has brought about his own destruction by destroying others.Quotes; just this one on man’s inhumanity:Richard: Lady, you know no rules of charity, which renders good for bad, blessings for curses.Anne: Villain, thou know’st nor law of God nor man. No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity.Richard: But I know none, and therefore am no beast.
    • 4/5
      Richard III, the tragedy about the Yorkist Götterdämmerung, is Shakespeare's second longest play. Laurence Olivier's 1955 film version clocks in at 161 minutes. Ian McKellen's 1995 film abridges Shakespeare's play too much, at 104 minutes. Richard III is anything but boring: Shakespeare piles murder upon murder at the feet of Richard III, some of which he clearly wasn't remotely responsible for. What is important to remember, though, is that Richard III kills for dynastic and political reasons. While Shakespeare highlights Richard's envy and discontent, the murders are politically necessary to open Richard's path to power. The tragedy not only requires the murders, each murder triggers the next until it is Richard's turn to die.Shakespeare endowed Richard with a wicked charm, memorable physical disabilities and a singular connection to the audience that lets one both roots for and against this evil man. Richard's dominance and centrality in the play is also its weakness: the other actors' light only shines for a few lines at a time. The other actors' roles never develop beyond types (grieving mother, opportunists, ...). The performance rests almost completely upon the central actor's misshapen shoulders and the absence of a medieval get-away car.
    • 4/5
      Settling back in my chair to think about what I’ve read . . .Remember when, in Patton, George C. Scott exclaims, “Rommel, you magnificent bastard. I read your book!”?It’s possible to imagine an unnamed candidate exclaiming in admiration after election to presidential office, “Shakespeare, you magnificent bastard. I did it like Richard III!” (Or possibly he’d say, “like Richard Three”).What might I mean?To begin with, Shakespeare has made this Richard III fellow so grotesquely grotesque that it’s hard to think how one might endure a play about him, and not a short play either. He hardly needed grotesqueness of body too. He is a pillar of grotesquerie. And it doesn’t help that he suffers from Asinine Distemper Syndrome.<SPOILER NOTICE: The discussion that follows is partially a synopsis. Several events in the play are revealed.>The action opens with Richard acquainting us with his newest plan: “I am determined to prove a villain.” In this he does not lie. It’s barely possible for his interest to be captured by any other ambition, whether he is capering in this play or in Shakespeare’s telling of the reign of King Henry VI. We immediately learn that he has laid plots to set his brother Clarence “in deadly hate” against his other brother who is, for the moment, king. Well, who’d have guessed? Every reader of the Henry VI saga, I’d say. Facing the predictability of it all, one is tempted to cry, “A hearse, a hearse! What boredom, bring a hearse!”Nonetheless, Richard surprises with how successfully he manipulates others to his ends when he is so minded. Having previously killed Lady Anne’s husband plus her father-in-law (Henry VI), he manufactures from these actions a romantic advantage. What though I killed her husband and her father?The readiest way to make the wench amendsIs to become her husbandIt takes some convincing but somehow the noble “wench” softens toward his intent and becomes his wife. Next an encounter with Margaret, Henry VI’s widow, who as a jewel of antagonistic behavior is almost a clone of Richard’s soul. Here Richard accomplishes something deft. While Margaret’s spite is obdurate—she resembles Richard greatly in capacity for distemper—Richard scores bonus points with the nobles witnessing their exchange. They go away impressed at his “virtuous and Christian-like” and prayerful manner. No matter that Richard has won their good opinion by feigning Christian conduct. Appositely, the Editor’s note here cites Milton’s Eikonoklastes: “The deepest policy of a tyrant hath ever been to counterfeit religious.” The reader can only shake his head.Later, in a scene similar to the wooing of his by now deceased first wife, Richard, having killed Queen Elizabeth’s two young sons, bids her intercede to persuade her daughter to marry him. When she complains, saying her sons are “Too deep and dead, poor infants, in their graves,” he rebuts “Harp not on that string, madam; that is past.”Swell guy. Still, the unapologetic Richard sways her. To her protest “Yet thou didst kill my children,” he replies: But in your daughter’s womb I bury them:Where in the nest of spicery, they will breedSelves of themselves, to your recomfiture.Crass modern translation: “Yeah, your sons are ****ing dead. You’ll feel better by setting it up so I can **** your daughter too.” So Elizabeth agrees. Give her credit. Richard had to pursue his goal patiently for 174 lines (believe me, that’s a lot of lines) before she gave consent.Just after Elizabeth leaves to bring Daughter the unexpected news, Richard brands her a “Relentless fool.” Nothing so arouses his contempt as giving in to what he wants. Nothing arouses his ire more than opposing what he wants. Richard, how in good conscience do you do the things you do? He kindly explains:For conscience is a word that cowards use,Devis’d at first to keep the strong in awe:Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law.One feels sure even Socrates would fail to convince him otherwise.Settling back in my chair to think about what I’ve read . . . Well, perhaps you now imagine an unnamed candidate too. And that’s why you should read Richard III.
    • 5/5
      This updated Folger's edition is very readable, yet still contains all of the explanatory picture from the previous editions.I sometimes was able to read several pages without referencing the footnotes on the left page. I also thought the suggested books for further reading were helpful, as they highlight major themes of this classic.
    • 2/5
      I don't get the hype. I find Romeo to be completely annoying and the story is just frustrating. Worse is trying to see modern film adaptations of the same story, where life-or-death lost messages is impossible. I don't see the point in reading this story except to promote cultural literacy (in which case, a plot summary would suffice).
    • 4/5
      The play, set in Verona, begins with a street brawl between Montagues and Capulets who are sworn enemies. The Prince of Verona intervenes and declares that further breach of the peace will be punishable by death. Later, Count Paris talks to Capulet about marrying his daughter, but Capulet is wary of the request because Juliet is only thirteen. Capulet asks Paris to wait another two years and invites him to attend a planned Capulet ball. Lady Capulet and Juliet's nurse try to persuade Juliet to accept Paris's courtship.

      Meanwhile, Benvolio talks with his cousin Romeo, Lord Montague's son, about Romeo's recent depression. Benvolio discovers that it stems from unrequited infatuation for a girl named Rosaline, one of Capulet's nieces. Persuaded by Benvolio and Mercutio, Romeo attends the ball at the Capulet house. However, Romeo instead meets and falls in love with Juliet. After the ball, in what is now called the "balcony scene", Romeo sneaks into the Capulet courtyard and overhears Juliet on her balcony vowing her love to him in spite of her family's hatred of the Montagues. Romeo makes himself known to her and they agree to be married. With the help of Friar Laurence, who hopes to reconcile the two families through their children's union, they are secretly married the next day.

      Juliet's cousin Tybalt, incensed that Romeo had sneaked into the Capulet ball, challenges him to a duel. Romeo, now considering Tybalt his kinsman, refuses to fight. Mercutio is offended by Tybalt's insolence, as well as Romeo's "vile submission," and accepts the duel on Romeo's behalf. Mercutio is fatally wounded when Romeo attempts to break up the fight. Grief-stricken and wracked with guilt, Romeo confronts and slays Tybalt.

      Montague argues that Romeo has justly executed Tybalt for the murder of Mercutio. The Prince, now having lost a kinsman in the warring families' feud, exiles Romeo from Verona and declares that if Romeo returns, "that hour is his last." Romeo secretly spends the night in Juliet's chamber, where they consummate their marriage. Capulet, misinterpreting Juliet's grief, agrees to marry her to Count Paris and threatens to disown her when she refuses to become Paris's "joyful bride." When she then pleads for the marriage to be delayed, her mother rejects her.

      Juliet visits Friar Laurence for help, and he offers her a drug that will put her into a death-like coma for "two and forty hours." The Friar promises to send a messenger to inform Romeo of the plan, so that he can rejoin her when she awakens. On the night before the wedding, she takes the drug and, when discovered apparently dead, she is laid in the family crypt.

      The messenger, however, does not reach Romeo and, instead, he learns of Juliet's apparent death from his servant Balthasar. Heartbroken, Romeo buys poison from an apothecary and goes to the Capulet crypt. He encounters Paris who has come to mourn Juliet privately. Believing Romeo to be a vandal, Paris confronts him and, in the ensuing battle, Romeo kills Paris. Still believing Juliet to be dead, he drinks the poison. Juliet then awakens and, finding Romeo dead, stabs herself with his dagger. The feuding families and the Prince meet at the tomb to find all three dead. Friar Laurence recounts the story of the two "star-cross'd lovers". The families are reconciled by their children's deaths and agree to end their violent feud. The play ends with the Prince's elegy for the lovers: "For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

    Book preview

    King Richard III - William Shakespeare

    ACT I

    ACT I. SCENE I. London. A street

    Enter RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, solus

    GLOUCESTER: Now is the winter of our discontent

    Made glorious summer by this sun of York;

    And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house

    In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

    Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;

    Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;

    Our stern alarums chang’d to merry meetings,

    Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.

    Grim—visag’d war hath smooth’d his wrinkled front,

    And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds

    To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,

    He capers nimbly in a lady’s chamber

    To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.

    But I—that am not shap’d for sportive tricks,

    Nor made to court an amorous looking—glass—

    I—that am rudely stamp’d, and want love’s majesty

    To strut before a wanton ambling nymph—

    I—that am curtail’d of this fair proportion,

    Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,

    Deform’d, unfinish’d, sent before my time

    Into this breathing world scarce half made up,

    And that so lamely and unfashionable

    That dogs bark at me as I halt by them—

    Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,

    Have no delight to pass away the time,

    Unless to spy my shadow in the sun

    And descant on mine own deformity.

    And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover

    To entertain these fair well—spoken days,

    I am determined to prove a villain

    And hate the idle pleasures of these days.

    Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,

    By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams,

    To set my brother Clarence and the King

    In deadly hate the one against the other;

    And if King Edward be as true and just

    As I am subtle, false, and treacherous,

    This day should Clarence closely be mew’d up—

    About a prophecy which says that G

    Of Edward’s heirs the murderer shall be.

    Dive, thoughts, down to my soul. Here Clarence comes.

    Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY

    Brother, good day. What means this armed guard

    That waits upon your Grace?

    CLARENCE: His Majesty,

    Tend’ring my person’s safety, hath appointed

    This conduct to convey me to th’ Tower.

    GLOUCESTER: Upon what cause?

    CLARENCE: Because my name is George.

    GLOUCESTER: Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours:

    He should, for that, commit your godfathers.

    O, belike his Majesty hath some intent

    That you should be new—christ’ned in the Tower.

    But what’s the matter, Clarence? May I know?

    CLARENCE: Yea, Richard, when I know; for I protest

    As yet I do not; but, as I can learn,

    He hearkens after prophecies and dreams,

    And from the cross—row plucks the letter G,

    And says a wizard told him that by G

    His issue disinherited should be;

    And, for my name of George begins with G,

    It follows in his thought that I am he.

    These, as I learn, and such like toys as these

    Hath mov’d his Highness to commit me now.

    GLOUCESTER: Why, this it is when men are rul’d by women:

    ‘Tis not the King that sends you to the Tower;

    My Lady Grey his wife, Clarence, ‘tis she

    That tempers him to this extremity.

    Was it not she and that good man of worship,

    Antony Woodville, her brother there,

    That made him send Lord Hastings to the Tower,

    From whence this present day he is delivered?

    We are not safe, Clarence; we are not safe.

    CLARENCE: By heaven, I think there is no man is secure

    But the Queen’s kindred, and night—walking heralds

    That trudge betwixt the King and Mistress Shore.

    Heard you not what an humble suppliant

    Lord Hastings was, for her delivery?

    GLOUCESTER: Humbly complaining to her deity

    Got my Lord Chamberlain his liberty.

    I’ll tell you what—I think it is our way,

    If we will keep in favour with the King,

    To be her men and wear her livery:

    The jealous o’er—worn widow, and herself,

    Since that our brother dubb’d them gentlewomen,

    Are mighty gossips in our monarchy.

    BRAKENBURY: I beseech your Graces both to pardon me:

    His Majesty hath straitly given in charge

    That no man shall have private conference,

    Of what degree soever, with your brother.

    GLOUCESTER: Even so; an’t please your worship, Brakenbury,

    You may partake of any thing we say:

    We speak no treason, man; we say the King

    Is wise and virtuous, and his noble queen

    Well struck in years, fair, and not jealous;

    We say that Shore’s wife hath a pretty foot,

    A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue;

    And that the Queen’s kindred are made gentlefolks.

    How say you, sir? Can you deny all this?

    BRAKENBURY: With this, my lord, myself have naught to do.

    GLOUCESTER: Naught to do with Mistress Shore! I tell thee,

    fellow,

    He that doth naught with her, excepting one,

    Were best to do it secretly alone.

    BRAKENBURY: What one, my lord?

    GLOUCESTER: Her husband, knave! Wouldst thou betray me?

    BRAKENBURY: I do beseech your Grace to pardon me, and

    withal

    Forbear your conference with the noble Duke.

    CLARENCE: We know thy charge, Brakenbury, and will

    obey.

    GLOUCESTER: We are the Queen’s abjects and must obey.

    Brother, farewell; I will unto the King;

    And whatsoe’er you will employ me in—

    Were it to call King Edward’s widow sister—

    I will perform it to enfranchise you.

    Meantime, this deep disgrace in brotherhood

    Touches me deeper than you can imagine.

    CLARENCE: I know it pleaseth neither of us well.

    GLOUCESTER: Well, your imprisonment shall not be long;

    I will deliver or else lie for you.

    Meantime, have patience.

    CLARENCE: I must perforce. Farewell.

    Exeunt CLARENCE, BRAKENBURY, and guard

    GLOUCESTER: Go tread the path that thou shalt ne’er return.

    Simple, plain Clarence, I do love thee so

    That I will shortly send thy soul to heaven,

    If heaven will take the present at our hands.

    But who comes here? The new—delivered Hastings?

    Enter LORD HASTINGS

    HASTINGS: Good time of day unto my gracious lord!

    GLOUCESTER: As much unto my good Lord Chamberlain!

    Well are you welcome to the open air.

    How hath your lordship brook’d imprisonment?

    HASTINGS: With patience, noble lord, as prisoners must;

    But I shall live, my lord, to give them thanks

    That were the cause of my imprisonment.

    GLOUCESTER: No doubt, no doubt; and so shall Clarence too;

    For they that were your enemies are his,

    And have prevail’d as much on him as you.

    HASTINGS: More pity that the eagles should be mew’d

    Whiles kites and buzzards prey at liberty.

    GLOUCESTER: What news abroad?

    HASTINGS: No news so bad abroad as this at home:

    The King is sickly, weak, and melancholy,

    And his physicians fear him mightily.

    GLOUCESTER: Now, by Saint John, that news is bad indeed.

    O, he hath kept an evil diet long

    And overmuch consum’d his royal person!

    ‘Tis very grievous to be thought upon.

    Where is he? In his bed?

    HASTINGS: He is.

    GLOUCESTER: Go you before, and I will follow you.

    Exit HASTINGS

    He cannot live, I hope, and must not die

    Till George be pack’d with posthorse up to heaven.

    I’ll in to urge his hatred more to Clarence

    With lies well steel’d with weighty arguments;

    And, if I fail not in my deep intent,

    Clarence hath not another day to live;

    Which done, God take King Edward to his mercy,

    And leave the world for me to bustle in!

    For then I’ll marry Warwick’s youngest daughter.

    What though I kill’d her husband and her father?

    The readiest way to make the wench amends

    Is to become her husband and her father;

    The which will I—not all so much for love

    As for another secret close intent

    By marrying her which I must reach unto.

    But yet I run before my horse to market.

    Clarence still breathes; Edward still lives and reigns;

    When they are gone, then must I count my gains. Exit

    ACT I. SCENE II. London. Another street

    Enter corpse of KING HENRY THE SIXTH, with halberds to guard it;

    LADY ANNE being the mourner, attended by TRESSEL and BERKELEY

    ANNE: Set down, set down your honourable load—

    If honour may be shrouded in a hearse;

    Whilst I awhile obsequiously lament

    Th’ untimely fall of virtuous Lancaster.

    Poor key—cold figure of a holy king!

    Pale ashes of the house of Lancaster!

    Thou bloodless remnant of that royal blood!

    Be it lawful that I invocate thy ghost

    To hear the lamentations of poor Anne,

    Wife to thy Edward, to thy slaughtered son,

    Stabb’d by the self—same hand that made these wounds.

    Lo, in these windows that let forth thy life

    I pour the helpless balm of my poor eyes.

    O, cursed be the hand that made these holes!

    Cursed the heart that had the heart to do it!

    Cursed the blood that let this blood from hence!

    More direful hap betide that hated wretch

    That makes us wretched by the death of thee

    Than I can wish to adders, spiders, toads,

    Or any creeping venom’d thing that lives!

    If ever he have child, abortive be it,

    Prodigious, and untimely brought to light,

    Whose ugly and unnatural aspect

    May fright the hopeful mother at the view,

    And that be heir to his unhappiness!

    If ever he have wife, let her be made

    More miserable by the death of him

    Than I am made by my young lord and thee!

    Come, now towards Chertsey with your holy load,

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