Richard III
Act II, Scene 1
London. The palace.
- Flourish. Enter the King Edward sick, the
- Queen Elizabeth, Lord Marquess Dorset,
- Rivers, Hastings, Catesby, Buckingham, Grey,
- and others.
King Edward
1 - 8- Why, so: now have I done a good day’s work.
- You peers, continue this united league.
- I every day expect an embassage
- From my Redeemer to redeem me hence;
- And more in peace my soul shall part to heaven,
- Since I have made my friends at peace on earth.
- Hastings and Rivers, take each other’s hand,
- Dissemble not your hatred, swear your love.
Rivers
9 - 10- By heaven, my soul is purg’d from grudging hate,
- And with my hand I seal my true heart’s love.
Hastings
11- So thrive I, as I truly swear the like!
King Edward
12 - 15- Take heed you dally not before your king,
- Lest He that is the supreme King of kings
- Confound your hidden falsehood and award
- Either of you to be the other’s end.
Hastings
16- So prosper I, as I swear perfect love!
Rivers
17- And I, as I love Hastings with my heart!
King Edward
18 - 22- Madam, yourself is not exempt from this;
- Nor you, son Dorset; Buckingham, nor you;
- You have been factious one against the other.
- Wife, love Lord Hastings, let him kiss your hand,
- And what you do, do it unfeignedly.
Queen Elizabeth
23 - 24- There, Hastings, I will never more remember
- Our former hatred, so thrive I and mine!
King Edward
25- Dorset, embrace him; Hastings, love Lord Marquess.
Marquess of Dorset
26 - 27- This interchange of love, I here protest,
- Upon my part shall be inviolable.
Hastings
28- And so swear I.
- They embrace.
King Edward
29 - 31- Now, princely Buckingham, seal thou this league
- With thy embracements to my wive’s allies,
- And make me happy in your unity.
Duke of Buckingham
32 - 41- When ever Buckingham doth turn his hate
- Upon your Grace
- To the Queen.
- But with all duteous love
- Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me
- With hate in those where I expect most love!
- When I have most need to employ a friend,
- And most assured that he is a friend,
- Deep, hollow, treacherous, and full of guile
- Be he unto me! This do I beg of God,
- When I am cold in love to you or yours.
- They embrace.
King Edward
42 - 45- A pleasing cordial, princely Buckingham,
- Is this thy vow unto my sickly heart.
- There wanteth now our brother Gloucester here
- To make the blessed period of this peace.
Duke of Buckingham
46 - 47- And in good time,
- Here comes Sir Richard Ratcliffe and the Duke.
- Enter Ratcliffe and Gloucester.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
48 - 49- Good morrow to my sovereign king and queen,
- And, princely peers, a happy time of day!
King Edward
50 - 53- Happy indeed, as we have spent the day.
- Gloucester, we have done deeds of charity,
- Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate,
- Between these swelling wrong-incensed peers.
Costume design for Queen Elizabeth
Charles Hamilton Smith, Emma Hamilton Smith, 19th century
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
54 - 74- A blessed labor, my most sovereign lord.
- Among this princely heap, if any here
- By false intelligence or wrong surmise
- Hold me a foe—
- If I unwittingly, or in my rage,
- Have aught committed that is hardly borne
- By any in this presence, I desire
- To reconcile me to his friendly peace.
- ’Tis death to me to be at enmity;
- I hate it, and desire all good men’s love.
- First, madam, I entreat true peace of you,
- Which I will purchase with my duteous service;
- Of you, my noble cousin Buckingham,
- If ever any grudge were lodg’d between us;
- Of you, and you, Lord Rivers, and of Dorset,
- That all without desert have frown’d on me;
- Dukes, earls, lords, gentlemen—indeed of all.
- I do not know that Englishman alive
- With whom my soul is any jot at odds
- More than the infant that is born tonight.
- I thank my God for my humility.
Queen Elizabeth
75 - 78- A holy day shall this be kept hereafter.
- I would to God all strifes were well compounded.
- My sovereign lord, I do beseech your Highness
- To take our brother Clarence to your grace.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
79 - 82- Why, madam, have I off’red love for this,
- To be so flouted in this royal presence?
- Who knows not that the gentle Duke is dead?
- They all start.
- You do him injury to scorn his corse.
King Edward
83- Who knows not he is dead? Who knows he is?
Queen Elizabeth
84- All-seeing heaven, what a world is this!
Duke of Buckingham
85- Look I so pale, Lord Dorset, as the rest?
Marquess of Dorset
86 - 87- Ay, my good lord, and no man in the presence
- But his red color hath forsook his cheeks.
King Edward
88- Is Clarence dead? The order was revers’d.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
89 - 96- But he, poor man, by your first order died,
- And that a winged Mercury did bear;
- Some tardy cripple bare the countermand,
- That came too lag to see him buried.
- God grant that some, less noble and less loyal,
- Nearer in bloody thoughts, but not in blood,
- Deserve not worse than wretched Clarence did,
- And yet go current from suspicion!
- Enter Stanley, Earl of Derby.
Stanley
97- A boon, my sovereign, for my service done!
- Kneels.
King Edward
98- I prithee peace, my soul is full of sorrow.
Stanley
99- I will not rise, unless your Highness hear me.
King Edward
100- Then say at once what is it thou requests.
Stanley
101 - 103- The forfeit, sovereign, of my servant’s life,
- Who slew today a riotous gentleman
- Lately attendant on the Duke of Norfolk.
Coat of Arms of the Duke of Buckingham
Rs-nourse, circa 1480
King Edward
104 - 135- Have I a tongue to doom my brother’s death,
- And shall that tongue give pardon to a slave?
- My brother kill’d no man, his fault was thought,
- And yet his punishment was bitter death.
- Who sued to me for him? Who (in my wrath)
- Kneel’d at my feet and bid me be advis’d?
- Who spoke of brotherhood? Who spoke of love?
- Who told me how the poor soul did forsake
- The mighty Warwick and did fight for me?
- Who told me, in the field at Tewksbury,
- When Oxford had me down, he rescued me,
- And said, “Dear brother, live, and be a king”?
- Who told me, when we both lay in the field
- Frozen (almost) to death, how he did lap me
- Even in his own garments, and did give himself
- (All thin and naked) to the numb cold night?
- All this from my remembrance brutish wrath
- Sinfully pluck’d, and not a man of you
- Had so much grace to put it in my mind.
- But when your carters or your waiting vassals
- Have done a drunken slaughter, and defac’d
- The precious image of our dear Redeemer,
- You straight are on your knees for pardon, pardon,
- And I (unjustly too) must grant it you.
- Stanley rises.
- But for my brother not a man would speak,
- Nor I (ungracious) speak unto myself
- For him, poor soul. The proudest of you all
- Have been beholding to him in his life;
- Yet none of you would once beg for his life.
- O God! I fear thy justice will take hold
- On me and you, and mine and yours, for this.
- Come, Hastings, help me to my closet. Ah, poor Clarence!
- Exeunt some with King and Queen.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
136 - 141- This is the fruits of rashness! Mark’d you not
- How that the guilty kindred of the Queen
- Look’d pale when they did hear of Clarence’ death?
- O, they did urge it still unto the King!
- God will revenge it. Come, lords, will you go
- To comfort Edward with our company.
Duke of Buckingham
142- We wait upon your Grace.
- Exeunt.