King Richard The Third

1 Enter Richard, Duke of Gloucester, alone.
2 RICHARD.
3 Now is the winter of our discontent
4 Made glorious summer by this son of York;
5 And all the clouds that loured upon our house
6 In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
7 Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths,
8 Our bruised arms hung up for monuments,
9 Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,
10 Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
11 Grim-visaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled front;
12 And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds
13 To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,
14 He capers nimbly in a lady’s chamber
15 To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.
16 But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks,
17 Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;
18 I, that am rudely stamped, and want love’s majesty
19 To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
20 I, that am curtailed of this fair proportion,
21 Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
22 Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time
23 Into this breathing world scarce half made up,
24 And that so lamely and unfashionable
25 That dogs bark at me as I halt by them—
26 Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,
27 Have no delight to pass away the time,
28 Unless to spy my shadow in the sun,
29 And descant on mine own deformity.
30 And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover
31 To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
32 I am determined to prove a villain,
33 And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
34 Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,
35 By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams,
36 To set my brother Clarence and the King
37 In deadly hate the one against the other;
38 And if King Edward be as true and just
39 As I am subtle, false, and treacherous,
40 This day should Clarence closely be mewed up
41 About a prophecy which says that “G”
42 Of Edward’s heirs the murderer shall be.
43 Dive, thoughts, down to my soul. Here Clarence comes.
44 Enter Clarence, guarded and Brakenbury.
45 Brother, good day. What means this armed guard
46 That waits upon your Grace?
47 CLARENCE.
48 His Majesty,
49 Tend’ring my person’s safety, hath appointed
50 This conduct to convey me to the Tower.
51 RICHARD.
52 Upon what cause?
53 CLARENCE.
54 Because my name is George.
55 RICHARD.
56 Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours.
57 He should, for that, commit your godfathers.
58 O, belike his Majesty hath some intent
59 That you should be new-christened in the Tower.
60 But what’s the matter, Clarence? May I know?
61 CLARENCE.
62 Yea, Richard, when I know, for I protest
63 As yet I do not. But, as I can learn,
64 He hearkens after prophecies and dreams,
65 And from the cross-row plucks the letter G,
66 And says a wizard told him that by “G”
67 His issue disinherited should be.
68 And for my name of George begins with G,
69 It follows in his thought that I am he.
70 These, as I learn, and such like toys as these,
71 Hath moved his Highness to commit me now.
72 RICHARD.
73 Why, this it is when men are ruled by women.
74 ’Tis not the King that sends you to the Tower;
75 My Lady Grey his wife, Clarence, ’tis she
76 That tempers him to this extremity.
77 Was it not she and that good man of worship,
78 Antony Woodville, her brother there,
79 That made him send Lord Hastings to the Tower,
80 From whence this present day he is delivered?
81 We are not safe, Clarence; we are not safe.
82 CLARENCE.
83 By heaven, I think there is no man secure
84 But the Queen’s kindred, and night-walking heralds
85 That trudge betwixt the King and Mistress Shore.
86 Heard you not what an humble suppliant
87 Lord Hastings was to her for his delivery?
88 RICHARD.
89 Humbly complaining to her deity
90 Got my Lord Chamberlain his liberty.
91 I’ll tell you what: I think it is our way,
92 If we will keep in favour with the King,
93 To be her men and wear her livery.
94 The jealous o’er-worn widow and herself,
95 Since that our brother dubbed them gentlewomen,
96 Are mighty gossips in our monarchy.
97 BRAKENBURY.
98 I beseech your Graces both to pardon me.
99 His Majesty hath straitly given in charge
100 That no man shall have private conference,
101 Of what degree soever, with your brother.
102 RICHARD.
103 Even so; an please your worship, Brakenbury,
104 You may partake of anything we say.
105 We speak no treason, man. We say the King
106 Is wise and virtuous, and his noble Queen
107 Well struck in years, fair, and not jealous.
108 We say that Shore’s wife hath a pretty foot,
109 A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue;
110 And that the Queen’s kindred are made gentlefolks.
111 How say you, sir? Can you deny all this?
112 BRAKENBURY.
113 With this, my lord, myself have naught to do.
114 RICHARD.
115 Naught to do with Mistress Shore? I tell thee, fellow,
116 He that doth naught with her, excepting one,
117 Were best to do it secretly alone.
118 BRAKENBURY.
119 What one, my lord?
120 RICHARD.
121 Her husband, knave! Wouldst thou betray me?
122 BRAKENBURY.
123 I do beseech your Grace to pardon me, and withal
124 Forbear your conference with the noble Duke.
125 CLARENCE.
126 We know thy charge, Brakenbury, and will obey.
127 RICHARD.
128 We are the Queen’s abjects and must obey.
129 Brother, farewell. I will unto the King,
130 And whatsoe’er you will employ me in,
131 Were it to call King Edward’s widow “sister,”
132 I will perform it to enfranchise you.
133 Meantime, this deep disgrace in brotherhood
134 Touches me deeper than you can imagine.
135 CLARENCE.
136 I know it pleaseth neither of us well.
137 RICHARD.
138 Well, your imprisonment shall not be long.
139 I will deliver or else lie for you.
140 Meantime, have patience.
141 CLARENCE.
142 I must perforce. Farewell.
143 [_Exeunt Clarence, Brakenbury and guard._]
144 RICHARD.
145 Go tread the path that thou shalt ne’er return.
146 Simple, plain Clarence, I do love thee so
147 That I will shortly send thy soul to heaven,
148 If heaven will take the present at our hands.
149 But who comes here? The new-delivered Hastings?
150 Enter Lord Hastings.
151 HASTINGS.
152 Good time of day unto my gracious lord.
153 RICHARD.
154 As much unto my good Lord Chamberlain.
155 Well are you welcome to the open air.
156 How hath your lordship brooked imprisonment?
157 HASTINGS.
158 With patience, noble lord, as prisoners must;
159 But I shall live, my lord, to give them thanks
160 That were the cause of my imprisonment.
161 RICHARD.
162 No doubt, no doubt; and so shall Clarence too,
163 For they that were your enemies are his,
164 And have prevailed as much on him as you.
165 HASTINGS.
166 More pity that the eagles should be mewed,
167 Whiles kites and buzzards prey at liberty.
168 RICHARD.
169 What news abroad?
170 HASTINGS.
171 No news so bad abroad as this at home:
172 The King is sickly, weak, and melancholy,
173 And his physicians fear him mightily.
174 RICHARD.
175 Now, by Saint John, that news is bad indeed.
176 O, he hath kept an evil diet long,
177 And overmuch consumed his royal person.
178 ’Tis very grievous to be thought upon.
179 Where is he, in his bed?
180 HASTINGS.
181 He is.
182 RICHARD.
183 Go you before, and I will follow you.
184 [_Exit Hastings._]
185 He cannot live, I hope, and must not die
186 Till George be packed with post-horse up to heaven.
187 I’ll in to urge his hatred more to Clarence
188 With lies well steeled with weighty arguments;
189 And, if I fail not in my deep intent,
190 Clarence hath not another day to live;
191 Which done, God take King Edward to his mercy,
192 And leave the world for me to bustle in.
193 For then I’ll marry Warwick’s youngest daughter.
194 What though I killed her husband and her father?
195 The readiest way to make the wench amends
196 Is to become her husband and her father;
197 The which will I, not all so much for love
198 As for another secret close intent,
199 By marrying her which I must reach unto.
200 But yet I run before my horse to market.
201 Clarence still breathes; Edward still lives and reigns.
202 When they are gone, then must I count my gains.
203 [_Exit._]