The Tragedy of Richard the Third: ACT I , SCENE I. London. A street.

The Tragedy of Richard the Third: ACT I


	Introduction

	ACT I

		SCENE I. London. A street.

		SCENE II. The same. Another street.

		SCENE III. The palace.

		SCENE IV. London. The Tower.

	ACT II

	ACT III

	ACT IV

	ACT V

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SCENE I. London. A street.

Enter 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.
5     Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;
      Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;
      Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,
      Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
      Grim-visaged war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front;
10    And now, instead of mounting barded 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 shaped for sportive tricks,
15    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,
20    Deformed, 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,
25    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,
30    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
35    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'
40    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

45    His majesty
      Tendering my person's safety, hath appointed
      This conduct to convey me to the Tower.

GLOUCESTER

Upon what cause?

CLARENCE

Because my name is George.

GLOUCESTER

50    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 shall be new-christen'd in the Tower.
      But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know?

CLARENCE

55    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
60    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
      Have moved his highness to commit me now.

GLOUCESTER

65    Why, this it is, when men are ruled 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,
70    Anthony Woodville, her brother there,
      That made him send Lord Hastings to the Tower,
      From whence this present day he is deliver'd?
      We are not safe, Clarence; we are not safe.

CLARENCE

      By heaven, I think there's no man is secure
75    But the queen's kindred and night-walking heralds
      That trudge betwixt the king and Mistress Shore.
      Heard ye not what an humble suppliant
      Lord hastings was to her for his delivery?

GLOUCESTER

      Humbly complaining to her deity
80    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'erworn widow and herself,
85    Since that our brother dubb'd them gentlewomen.
      Are mighty gossips in this monarchy.

BRAKENBURY

      I beseech your graces both to pardon me;
      His majesty hath straitly given in charge
      That no man shall have private conference,
90    Of what degree soever, with his 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
95    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 gentle-folks:
      How say you sir? Can you deny all this?

BRAKENBURY

100 With this, my lord, myself have nought to do.

GLOUCESTER

      Naught to do with mistress Shore! I tell thee, fellow,
      He that doth naught with her, excepting one,
      Were best he do it secretly, alone.

BRAKENBURY

What one, my lord?

GLOUCESTER

105 Her husband, knave: wouldst thou betray me?

BRAKENBURY

I 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.
110   Brother, farewell: I will unto the king;
      And whatsoever 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
115   Touches me deeper than you can imagine.

CLARENCE

I know it pleaseth neither of us well.

GLOUCESTER

Well, your imprisonment shall not be long;
Meantime, have patience.

CLARENCE

I must perforce. Farewell.

Exeunt CLARENCE, BRAKENBURY, and Guard

GLOUCESTER

120   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-deliver'd Hastings?

Enter HASTINGS

HASTINGS

125 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:
130   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

135 More pity that the eagle should be mew'd,
While 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,
140   And his physicians fear him mightily.

GLOUCESTER

      Now, by Saint Paul, this news is bad indeed.
      O, he hath kept an evil diet long,
      And overmuch consumed his royal person:
      'Tis very grievous to be thought upon.
145   What, 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 post-horse up to heaven.
150   I'll in, to urge his hatred more to Clarence,
      With lies well steel'd with weighty arguments;
      And, if I fall not in my deep intent,
      Clarence hath not another day to live:
      Which done, God take King Edward to his mercy,
155   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:
160   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:
165   When they are gone, then must I count my gains.

Exit

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