William Shakespeare - King Richard the Third

William Shakespeare

King Richard the Third

✓ VISIT OUR WEBSITE:

LyFreedom.com

Dramatis Personae

KING EDWARD THE FOURTH

Sons to the king

EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES afterwards KING EDWARD V

RICHARD, DUKE OF YORK

Brothers to the king

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOSTER, afterwards KING RICHARD III

A YOUNG SON OF CLARENCE

HENRY, EARL OF RICHMOND, afterwards KING HENRY VII

CARDINAL BOURCHIER, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

THOMAS ROTHERHAM, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK

JOHN MORTON, BISHOP OF ELY

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

DUKE OF NORFOLK

EARL OF SURREY, his son

EARL RIVERS, brother to King Edward's Queen

MARQUIS OF DORSET and LORD GREY, her sons

EARL OF OXFORD

LORD HASTINGS

LORD STANLEY

LORD LOVEL

SIR THOMAS VAUGHAN

SIR RICHARD RATCLIFF

SIR WILLIAM CATESBY

SIR JAMES TYRREL

SIR JAMES BLOUNT

SIR WALTER HERBERT

SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY, Lieutenant of the Tower

CHRISTOPHER URSWICK, a priest

Another Priest

LORD MAYOR OF LONDON

SHERIFF OF WILTSHIRE

ELIZABETH, Queen to King Edward IV

MARGARET, widow to King Henry VI

DUCHESS OF YORK, mother to King Edward IV, Clarence, and Gloster

LADY ANNE, widow to Edward, Prince of Wales, son to King

Henry VI; afterwards married to the Duke of Gloster

A YOUNG DAUGHTER OF CLARENCE

Lords, and other Attendants; two Gentlemen, a Pursuivant, Scrivener, Citizens, Murderers, Messengers, Ghosts, Soldiers, &c.

SCENE: England

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 houseIn 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 changed to merry meetings,Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.Grim-visaged war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front;And now, instead of mounting barded steedsTo fright the souls of fearful adversaries,He capers nimbly in a lady's chamberTo the lascivious pleasing of a lute.But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks,Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majestyTo strut before a wanton ambling nymph;I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,Deformed, unfinish'd, sent before my timeInto this breathing world, scarce half made up,And that so lamely and unfashionableThat 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 sunAnd 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 villainAnd 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 kingIn deadly hate the one against the other:And if King Edward be as true and justAs 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: hereClarence comes.

Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY

Brother, good day; what means this armed guard

That waits upon your grace?

CLARENCE

His majesty

Tendering my person's safety, hath appointedThis conduct to convey me to the 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 intentThat you shall be new-christen'd 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 GHis 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 theseHave moved his highness to commit me now.

GLOUCESTER

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 sheThat tempers him to this extremity.Was it not she and that good man of worship,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

But the queen's kindred and night-walking heraldsThat trudge betwixt the king and Mistress Shore.Heard ye not what an humble suppliantLord hastings was to her for his 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'erworn widow and herself,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 chargeThat no man shall have private conference,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 kingIs wise and virtuous, and his noble queenWell 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

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

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.

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 brotherhoodTouches 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

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

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 thanksThat 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.