| ACT IV SCENE I | Before the Castle. | |
| [
Enter, on one side, QUEEN ELIZABETH, DUCHESS OF
YORK, and DORSET; on the other, ANNE, Duchess of
Gloucester, leading Lady Margaret Plantagenet,
CLARENCE's young Daughter
] |
| DUCHESS OF YORK | Who meets us here? my niece Plantagenet |
| Led in the hand of her kind aunt of Gloucester? |
| Now, for my life, she's wandering to the Tower, |
| On pure heart's love to greet the tender princes. |
| Daughter, well met. | 5 |
| LADY ANNE | God give your graces both |
| A happy and a joyful time of day! |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH | As much to you, good sister! Whither away? |
| LADY ANNE | No farther than the Tower; and, as I guess, |
| Upon the like devotion as yourselves, | 10 |
| To gratulate the gentle princes there. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH | Kind sister, thanks: we'll enter all together. |
[Enter BRAKENBURY] |
| And, in good time, here the lieutenant comes. |
| Master lieutenant, pray you, by your leave, |
| How doth the prince, and my young son of York? | 15 |
| BRAKENBURY | Right well, dear madam. By your patience, |
| I may not suffer you to visit them; |
| The king hath straitly charged the contrary. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH | The king! why, who's that? |
| BRAKENBURY | I cry you mercy: I mean the lord protector. | 20 |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH | The Lord protect him from that kingly title! |
| Hath he set bounds betwixt their love and me? |
| I am their mother; who should keep me from them? |
| DUCHESS OF YORK | I am their fathers mother; I will see them. |
| LADY ANNE | Their aunt I am in law, in love their mother: | 25 |
| Then bring me to their sights; I'll bear thy blame |
| And take thy office from thee, on my peril. |
| BRAKENBURY | No, madam, no; I may not leave it so: |
| I am bound by oath, and therefore pardon me. |
| [Exit] |
| [Enter LORD STANLEY] |
| LORD STANLEY | Let me but meet you, ladies, one hour hence, | 30 |
| And I'll salute your grace of York as mother, |
| And reverend looker on, of two fair queens. |
[To LADY ANNE] |
| Come, madam, you must straight to Westminster, |
| There to be crowned Richard's royal queen. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH | O, cut my lace in sunder, that my pent heart | 35 |
| May have some scope to beat, or else I swoon |
| With this dead-killing news! |
| LADY ANNE | Despiteful tidings! O unpleasing news! |
| DORSET | Be of good cheer: mother, how fares your grace? |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH | O Dorset, speak not to me, get thee hence! | 40 |
| Death and destruction dog thee at the heels; |
| Thy mother's name is ominous to children. |
| If thou wilt outstrip death, go cross the seas, |
| And live with Richmond, from the reach of hell |
| Go, hie thee, hie thee from this slaughter-house, | 45 |
| Lest thou increase the number of the dead; |
| And make me die the thrall of Margaret's curse, |
| Nor mother, wife, nor England's counted queen. |
| LORD STANLEY | Full of wise care is this your counsel, madam. |
| Take all the swift advantage of the hours; | 50 |
| You shall have letters from me to my son |
| To meet you on the way, and welcome you. |
| Be not ta'en tardy by unwise delay. |
| DUCHESS OF YORK | O ill-dispersing wind of misery! |
| O my accursed womb, the bed of death! | 55 |
| A cockatrice hast thou hatch'd to the world, |
| Whose unavoided eye is murderous. |
| LORD STANLEY | Come, madam, come; I in all haste was sent. |
| LADY ANNE | And I in all unwillingness will go. |
| I would to God that the inclusive verge | 60 |
| Of golden metal that must round my brow |
| Were red-hot steel, to sear me to the brain! |
| Anointed let me be with deadly venom, |
| And die, ere men can say, God save the queen! |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH | Go, go, poor soul, I envy not thy glory | 65 |
| To feed my humour, wish thyself no harm. |
| LADY ANNE | No! why? When he that is my husband now |
| Came to me, as I follow'd Henry's corse, |
| When scarce the blood was well wash'd from his hands |
| Which issued from my other angel husband | 70 |
| And that dead saint which then I weeping follow'd; |
| O, when, I say, I look'd on Richard's face, |
| This was my wish: 'Be thou,' quoth I, ' accursed, |
| For making me, so young, so old a widow! |
| And, when thou wed'st, let sorrow haunt thy bed; | 75 |
| And be thy wife--if any be so mad-- |
| As miserable by the life of thee |
| As thou hast made me by my dear lord's death! |
| Lo, ere I can repeat this curse again, |
| Even in so short a space, my woman's heart | 80 |
| Grossly grew captive to his honey words |
| And proved the subject of my own soul's curse, |
| Which ever since hath kept my eyes from rest; |
| For never yet one hour in his bed |
| Have I enjoy'd the golden dew of sleep, | 85 |
| But have been waked by his timorous dreams. |
| Besides, he hates me for my father Warwick; |
| And will, no doubt, shortly be rid of me. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH | Poor heart, adieu! I pity thy complaining. |
| LADY ANNE | No more than from my soul I mourn for yours. | 90 |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH | Farewell, thou woful welcomer of glory! |
| LADY ANNE | Adieu, poor soul, that takest thy leave of it! |
| DUCHESS OF YORK | [To DORSET] |
| Go thou to Richmond, and good fortune guide thee! |
[To LADY ANNE] |
| Go thou to Richard, and good angels guard thee! | 95 |
[To QUEEN ELIZABETH] |
| Go thou to sanctuary, and good thoughts possess thee! |
| I to my grave, where peace and rest lie with me! |
| Eighty odd years of sorrow have I seen, |
| And each hour's joy wrecked with a week of teen. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH | Stay, yet look back with me unto the Tower. | 100 |
| Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes |
| Whom envy hath immured within your walls! |
| Rough cradle for such little pretty ones! |
| Rude ragged nurse, old sullen playfellow |
| For tender princes, use my babies well! | 105 |
| So foolish sorrow bids your stones farewell. |
| [Exeunt] |
Richard III: Plot Summary