Richard III – Act 1 Scene 4

KEEPER IN THE TOWER

Why looks your Grace so heavily today?

Why do you look so sad today, your Grace?

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

O, I have passed a miserable night,

Oh, I’ve just had a miserable night,

So full of fearful dreams, of ugly sights,

So full of nightmares and of awful sights,

That, as I am a Christian faithful man,

That I, a decent and a faithful Christian,

I would not spend another such a night

Could not endure another night like that

Though ’twere to buy a world of happy days –

Even if every day from now were happy –

So full of dismal terror was the time.

It really was a terrifying time.

KEEPER IN THE TOWER

What was your dream, my lord? I pray you tell me.

What did you dream of then, my lord? Please tell me.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Methoughts that I had broken from the Tower

I thought that I had fled the Tower of London

And was embarked to cross to Burgundy,

And was upon a ship to Burgundy,

And in my company my brother Gloucester,

Accompanied by my own brother Richard,

Who from my cabin tempted me to walk

Who tempted me to walk out of my cabin

Upon the hatches. Thence we looked toward England,

Across the deck. Then we gazed back to England,

And cited up a thousand heavy times,

Reflecting on a thousand awful times

During the wars of York and Lancaster,

During the wars of York and Lancaster,

That had befall’n us. As we paced along

That we’d experienced. As we walked on

Upon the giddy footing of the hatches,

Precariously on the lurching deck,

Methought that Gloucester stumbled, and in falling

I thought that Richard stumbled; as he fell,

Struck me (that thought to stay him) overboard,

I grabbed him, but he hit me overboard

Into the tumbling billows of the main.

Into the crashing waves upon the sea.

O Lord, methought what pain it was to drown!

Oh Lord, I thought that drowning must be painful!

What dreadful noise of waters in my ears!

I’d hear the dreadful noise of tumbling water!

What sights of ugly death within my eyes!

My eyes would see the awful sight of death!

Methoughts I saw a thousand fearful wracks;

I thought I saw a thousand wretched shipwrecks;

A thousand men that fishes gnawed upon;

A thousand men half eaten by the fish;

Wedges of gold, great anchors, heaps of pearl,

Big chunks of gold, large anchors, heaps of pearls,

Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels,

Diamonds and jewels impossible to value,

All scatt’red in the bottom of the sea:

All scattered on the bottom of the sea.

Some lay in dead men’s skulls, and in the holes

Some lay in dead men’s skulls, and in the sockets

Where eyes did once inhabit, there were crept

Where once their eyes had been, there now appeared –

(As ’twere in scorn of eyes) reflecting gems,

As if to mock one’s eyes – glistening gemstones,

That wooed the slimy bottom of the deep,

That seemed like they’d seduced the slimy seabed

And mocked the dead bones that lay scatt’red by.

And mocked the dead bones scattered all around them.

KEEPER IN THE TOWER

Had you such leisure in the time of death

Did you have so much time as you were dying

To gaze upon these secrets of the deep?

To gaze upon these secrets of the deep?

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Methought I had, and often did I strive

I thought I did, and often I attempted

To yield the ghost; but still the envious flood

To die, but the begrudging water flooded

Stopped in my soul, and would not let it forth

My soul and wouldn’t let me get away

To find the empty, vast, and wand’ring air,

To reach the empty air above the surface,

But smothered it within my panting bulk,

But smothered me within my gasping body,

Who almost burst to belch it in the sea.

Which almost burst as I regurgitated.

KEEPER IN THE TOWER

Awaked you not in this sore agony?

Weren’t you awakened by this agony?

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

No, no, my dream was lengthened after life.

Oh no, my dream continued after death.

O then began the tempest to my soul!

And then began the torment of my soul!

I passed (methought) the melancholy flood,

I thought I crossed the fabled River Styx,

With that sour ferryman which poets write of,

Paddled by Charon, whom the poets write of,

Unto the kingdom of perpetual night.

To Hades, where it’s permanently night.

The first that there did greet my stranger soul

The first man there to greet this stranger was

Was my great father-in-law, renowned Warwick,

My father-in-law, the great Earl of Warwick,

Who spake aloud, “What scourge for perjury

Who spoke aloud, ‘What punishment for lying

Can this dark monarchy afford false Clarence?”

Can this vile king devise for cheating Clarence?’

And so he vanished. Then came wand’ring by

And then he vanished. Then came wandering by

A shadow like an angel, with bright hair

A ghost-like angel, whose bright shining hair

Dabbled in blood, and he shrieked out aloud,

Was daubed in blood, and he shrieked out aloud,

“Clarence is come – false, fleeting, perjured Clarence,

‘Clarence is here – the cheating, lying Clarence,

That stabbed me in the field by Tewksbury:

That stabbed me at the Battle of Tewksbury:

Seize on him, Furies, take him unto torment!”

Go grab him, Devils; take him to be tortured!’

With that (methoughts) a legion of foul fiends

And then I thought a foul army of demons

Environed me, and howled in mine ears

Surrounded me, and howled in my ears

Such hideous cries that with the very noise

Such hideous cries that by that noise alone

I, trembling, waked, and for a season after

I woke up, trembling, and for ages after

Could not believe but that I was in hell,

All I could think was I must be in hell,

Such terrible impression made my dream.

Because my nightmare made such vile impressions.

KEEPER IN THE TOWER

No marvel, lord, though it affrighted you;

I’m not surprised, my lord, that you were frightened;

I am afraid (methinks) to hear you tell it.

I think I’m frightened when I hear you tell it.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Ah, Keeper, Keeper, I have done these things

Ah, jailer, jailer, I have done those things

(That now give evidence against my soul)

The spirits in my dreams accuse me of,

For Edward’s sake, and see how he requites me!

For Edward’s sake, and look how he repays me!

O God! If my deep pray’rs cannot appease thee,

God, if my prayers are not enough to quell you,

But thou wilt be avenged on my misdeeds,

And you require revenge for what I’ve done,

Yet execute thy wrath in me alone!

Then cast your rage on me, and me alone!

O, spare my guiltless wife and my poor children!

Oh, spare my guiltless wife and my poor children!

Keeper, I prithee sit by me awhile.

Jailer, please sit beside me for a while.

My soul is heavy, and I fain would sleep.

I’m heavy-hearted, and I’d like to sleep.

KEEPER IN THE TOWER

I will, my lord. God give your Grace good rest!

I will, my lord. And may God let you sleep well!

SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY

Sorrow breaks seasons and reposing hours,

Sorrow disrupts the seasons and one’s sleep,

Makes the night morning and the noontide night:

Turns night to day and daytime into night:

Princes have but their titles for their glories,

All princes have their titles to be proud of,

An outward honour for an inward toil,

An outward honour for internal strife,

And for unfelt imaginations

And for the things they think, that we can’t see,

They often feel a world of restless cares;

They carry all the worries of the world;

So that between their titles and low name

The only gap between a tramp and king

There’s nothing differs but the outward fame.

Is fame the latter social rank will bring.

FIRST MURDERER

Ho, who’s here?

Hey, who’s there?

SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY

What wouldst thou, fellow? And how cam’st thou hither?

What are you doing, mate? How’d you get in here?

FIRST MURDERER

I would speak with Clarence, and I came hither on my legs.

I’d like to speak with Clarence, and I came here on my legs.

SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY

What, so brief?

What, that’s it?

SECOND MURDERER

’Tis better, sir, than to be tedious. Let him see our

It’s better than being boring, sir. Let him see our

commission, and talk no more.

warrant, and there will be nothing more to say.

[Brakenbury reads it.]

SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY

I am in this commanded to deliver

This warrant orders me to transfer over

The noble Duke of Clarence to your hands.

The noble Duke of Clarence unto you.

I will not reason what is meant hereby,

I will not pause to ask the reason why,

Because I will be guiltless from the meaning.

So I’m not guilty from what happens next.

There lies the Duke asleep, and there the keys.

The Duke lies sleeping there; here are the keys.

I’ll to the King and signify to him

I’ll go to see the King and let him know

That thus I have resigned to you my charge.

I’ve passed my obligations on to you.

FIRST MURDERER

You may, sir, ’tis a point of wisdom. Fare you well.

You may, sir, good idea. Goodbye.

SECOND MURDERER

What, shall I stab him as he sleeps?

So, shall I stab him while he’s sleeping?

FIRST MURDERER

No, he’ll say ’twas done cowardly when he wakes.

No, he’ll call us cowards when he wakes up.

SECOND MURDERER

Why, he shall never wake until the great Judgement Day.

You what? He will not wake up until Judgement Day.

FIRST MURDERER

Why, then he’ll say we stabbed him sleeping.

Well, he’ll say that we stabbed him whilst he was asleep.

SECOND MURDERER

The urging of that word “judgement” hath bred

Your use of the word ‘judgement’ has brought on

a kind of remorse in me.

a kind of remorsefulness in me.

FIRST MURDERER

What? Art thou afraid?

What? Are you afraid?

SECOND MURDERER

Not to kill him, having a warrant, but to be damned for

Not to kill him, because we have a warrant, but to be damned

killing him, from the which no warrant can defend me.

for killing him, for which no warrant can defend me.

FIRST MURDERER

I thought thou hadst been resolute.

I thought you were committed to this.

SECOND MURDERER

So I am – to let him live.

I am…to let him live.

FIRST MURDERER

I’ll back to the Duke of Gloucester and tell him so.

I’ll go back to the Duke of Gloucester to tell him.

SECOND MURDERER

Nay, I prithee stay a little. I hope this passionate

No, please, wait a moment. I hope this goodhearted

humour of mine will change. It was wont to hold me

mood of mine will pass. It typically only lasts in me

but while one tells twenty.

for about twenty seconds.

FIRST MURDERER

How dost thou feel thyself now?

How do you feel now?

SECOND MURDERER

Faith, some certain dregs of conscience are yet within me.

In truth, a little bit of conscience remains within me.

FIRST MURDERER

Remember our reward when the deed’s done.

Remember our reward when the deed is done.

SECOND MURDERER

’Zounds, he dies! I had forgot the reward.

By Christ’s wounds, he must die! I had forgotten the reward.

FIRST MURDERER

Where’s thy conscience now?

Where’s your conscience now?

SECOND MURDERER

O, in the Duke of Gloucester’s purse.

Oh, in the Duke of Gloucester’s wallet.

FIRST MURDERER

When he opens his purse to give us our reward,

When he opens his wallet to give us our money,

thy conscience flies out.

your conscience evaporates.

SECOND MURDERER

’Tis no matter, let it go. There’s few or none will entertain it.

I don’t care, it can go, for no one cares about my conscience.

FIRST MURDERER

What if it come to thee again?

But what if your conscience comes back to you?

SECOND MURDERER

I’ll not meddle with it, it makes a man a coward.

I’ll ignore it, for one’s conscience makes you cowardly.

A man cannot steal, but it accuseth him; a man cannot

A man can’t steal without a guilty conscience; a man can’t

swear, but it checks him; a man cannot lie

swear without his conscience intervening; a man can’t sleep

with his neighbour’s wife, but it detects him. ’Tis a

with his neighbour’s wife without it revealing his guilt. It’s an

blushing shame-faced spirit that mutinies in a man’s bosom.

emotion that makes you blush although you do not want to.

It fills a man full of obstacles. It made me once

Your conscience makes things difficult. It once made me

restore a purse of gold that (by chance) I found.

return a wallet full of cash I found by chance.

It beggars any man that keeps it. It is turned out

Anyone with a conscience becomes a beggar. It is kicked out

of towns and cities for a dangerous thing, and

of towns and cities for being too dangerous, and

every man that means to live well endeavours to

every man that wants to be prosperous will try to

trust to himself and live without it.

trust himself and live without a conscience.

FIRST MURDERER

’Zounds, ’tis even now at my elbow, persuading

By Christ’s wounds, my conscience is right here in my arm,

me not to kill the Duke.

urging me to not kill the Duke.

SECOND MURDERER

Take the devil in thy mind, and believe him not;

Well, take that conscience in your mind and don’t believe it,

he would insinuate with thee but to make thee sigh.

it wants to be cunning with you just to make you sad.

FIRST MURDERER

I am strong-framed, he cannot prevail with me.

I’m strong-willed, so my conscience can’t control me.

SECOND MURDERER

Spoke like a tall man that respects thy reputation.

You said that like a brave man who respects you.

Come, shall we fall to work?

Come on, shall we get to work?

FIRST MURDERER

Take him on the costard with the hilts of thy sword,

Let’s hit him on the head with the handle of your sword,

and then throw him into the malmsey-butt in the next room.

then throw him into the fortified wine barrel in the next room.

SECOND MURDERER

O excellent device! And make a sop of him.

Oh, good idea! He’ll soak up all the wine.

FIRST MURDERER

Soft, he wakes.

Be quiet, he’s waking up.

SECOND MURDERER

Strike!

Hit him!

FIRST MURDERER

No, we’ll reason with him.

No, let’s talk with him.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Where art thou, Keeper? Give me a cup of wine.

Where are you, jailer? Bring me a cup of wine.

SECOND MURDERER

You shall have wine enough, my lord, anon.

You’ll soon have plenty of wine, my lord, just wait.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

In God’s name, what art thou?

In God’s name, who are you?

FIRST MURDERER

A man, as you are.

A man, like you are.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

But not, as I am, royal.

But not, like me, a royal.

SECOND MURDERER

Nor you, as we are, loyal.

And not like you, we’re loyal.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Thy voice is thunder, but thy looks are humble.

You speak with power, but you look plebeian.

FIRST MURDERER

My voice is now the King’s, my looks mine own.

My words are from the King; my looks are mine.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

How darkly and how deadly dost thou speak!

You’re speaking in a dark, foreboding manner!

Your eyes do menace me. Why look you pale?

Your eyes are scaring me. Why are you pale?

Who sent you hither? Wherefore do you come?

Who sent you here? Why have you come here now?

BOTH FIRST AND SECOND MURDERERS

To, to, to –

To, to, to…

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

To murder me?

To murder me?

BOTH FIRST AND SECOND MURDERERS

Ay, ay.

Yes, yes.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

You scarcely have the hearts to tell me so,

You barely have the hearts to tell me that

And therefore cannot have the hearts to do it.

And hence, you cannot have the hearts to do it.

Wherein, my friends, have I offended you?

And how come I’ve offended you, my friends?

FIRST MURDERER

Offended us you have not, but the King.

It’s not us you’ve offended, it’s the King.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

I shall be reconciled to him again.

Well then, I’ll make it up with him again.

SECOND MURDERER

Never, my lord, therefore prepare to die.

You won’t, my lord; and so, prepare to die.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Are you drawn forth among a world of men

Are you selected from a crowd of men

To slay the innocent? What is my offence?

To kill the innocent? What’s my offence?

Where is the evidence that doth accuse me?

Where is the evidence to prove I’m guilty?

What lawful quest have given their verdict up

What legal jury has declared their verdict

Unto the frowning judge? Or who pronounced

Before a frowning judge? Or who’s decided

The bitter sentence of poor Clarence’ death?

My sentence is that I be put to death?

Before I be convict by course of law,

Until I am convicted in a courthouse,

To threaten me with death is most unlawful.

To threaten me with death is most unlawful.

I charge you, as you hope to have redemption

I tell you, if you hope to have redemption

By Christ’s dear blood shed for our grievous sins,

From Christ who died to save us from our sins,

That you depart, and lay no hands on me.

You have to leave and do not do me harm.

The deed you undertake is damnable.

You will be damned if you complete your task.

FIRST MURDERER

What we will do, we do upon command.

We’re only doing what we’re told to do.

SECOND MURDERER

And he that hath commanded is our King.

And we’ve been told to do this by our King.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Erroneous vassals, the great King of kings

You’ve got that wrong, for God, the King of kings

Hath in the table of his law commanded

Has ordered in the ten commandments that

That thou shalt do no murder. Will you then

You shan’t commit a murder. So will you then

Spurn at his edict, and fulfil a man’s?

Ignore his ruling, yet obey a man’s?

Take heed; for he holds vengeance in his hand,

Be careful, for our God can take revenge

To hurl upon their heads that break his law.

Upon the men who disobey his law.

SECOND MURDERER

And that same vengeance doth he hurl on thee

And that revenge he’s taking out on you

For false forswearing and for murder too.

For breaking promises and, also, murder.

Thou didst receive the sacrament to fight

You took a holy oath that you would fight

In quarrel of the house of Lancaster.

In battle to defend King Henry VI.

FIRST MURDERER

And like a traitor to the name of God

And like a traitor to the name of God,

Didst break that vow, and with thy treacherous blade

You broke that vow, and with your treacherous sword

Unrip’st the bowels of thy sov’reign’s son.

You cut the bowels from your King Henry’s son.

SECOND MURDERER

Whom thou wast sworn to cherish and defend.

Whom you had sworn to love and to protect.

FIRST MURDERER

How canst thou urge God’s dreadful law to us,

How can you say that God will punish us

When thou hast broke it in such dear degree?

When you just broke his law extensively?

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Alas! For whose sake did I that ill deed?

Oh dear! Who did I do that bad deed for?

For Edward, for my brother, for his sake.

I did that deed for Edward, for my brother.

He sends you not to murder me for this,

He hasn’t sent you here to murder me,

For in that sin he is as deep as I.

For he’s as guilty of that deed as I am.

If God will be avenged for the deed,

If God desires revenge for what I’ve done,

O, know you yet he doth it publicly.

You know too well he’ll do it publicly.

Take not the quarrel from his pow’rful arm;

Don’t snatch the quarrel from the hand of God;

He needs no indirect or lawless course

He needs no help nor lawless intervention

To cut off those that have offended him.

To kill the people who’ve offended him.

FIRST MURDERER

Who made thee then a bloody minister,

So, who gave you authority to kill

When gallant-springing brave Plantagenet,

The young and brave Plantagenet, Prince Edward,

That princely novice, was struck dead by thee?

The inexperienced prince that you struck dead?

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

My brother’s love, the devil, and my rage.

My brother’s love, the devil, and my anger.

FIRST MURDERER

Thy brother’s love, our duty, and thy faults

Your brother’s love, our duty, and your errors

Provoke us hither now to slaughter thee.

Make us believe that we must slaughter you.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

O, if you love my brother, hate not me!

Oh, if you love my brother, do not hate me!

I am his brother and I love him well.

I am his brother, and for that I love him.

If you are hired for meed, go back again,

If you are hired for money, then go back

And I will send you to my brother Gloucester,

And see my brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester,

Who shall reward you better for my life

For he will pay you more to keep me living

Than Edward will for tidings of my death.

Than Edward will for hearing of my death.

SECOND MURDERER

You are deceived, your brother Gloucester hates you.

You’ve got that wrong; your brother Richard hates you.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

O no; he loves me and he holds me dear.

Oh no, he loves me; he looks after me.

Go you to him from me.

Go see him for me.

FIRST MURDERER

Ay, so we will.

OK then, we will.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Tell him, when that our princely father York

Say when the Duke of York, our noble father,

Blest his three sons with his victorious arm,

Gave his strong blessing to us three, his sons,

And charged us from his soul to love each other,

And told us from his heart to love each other,

He little thought of this divided friendship.

He never dreamed we’d be divided like this.

Bid Gloucester think of this, and he will weep.

Have Richard think of this, and he will cry.

FIRST MURDERER

Ay, millstones, as he lessoned us to weep.

Like stones, he will not cry, just like he taught us.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

O, do not slander him, for he is kind.

Don’t put him down, for Richard is a kind man.

FIRST MURDERER

Right, as snow in harvest. Come, you deceive yourself,

He’s kind as snow at harvest. You’re deluded,

’Tis he that sends us to destroy you here.

Because it’s him who’s sent us here to kill you.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

It cannot be, for he bewept my fortune,

That can’t be true; he cried at my misfortune,

And hugged me in his arms, and swore with sobs

And hugged me in his arms, and swore whilst crying

That he would labour my delivery.

That he would work away to set me free.

FIRST MURDERER

Why, so he doth, when he delivers you

And so he will, when he’s delivered you

From this earth’s thralldom to the joys of heaven.

From earth and sent you up to highest heaven.

SECOND MURDERER

Make peace with God, for you must die, my lord.

Make peace with God for you are going to die.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Have you that holy feeling in your souls

Are your souls so full of this holy guidance

To counsel me to make my peace with God,

To tell me I should make my peace with God,

And are you yet to your own souls so blind

And yet you are so blind to your own guidance

That you will war with God by murd’ring me?

That you’ll ignore God’s word by murdering me?

O, sirs, consider, they that set you on

Consider, if you will, the men that sent you

To do this deed will hate you for the deed.

To kill me will hate you for killing me.

SECOND MURDERER

What shall we do?

What shall we do?

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Relent, and save your souls.

Give up, and save your souls.

Which of you, if you were a prince’s son,

Which one of you, if born a prince’s son,

Being pent from liberty, as I am now,

Had been locked in a cell, as I am now,

If two such murderers as yourselves came to you,

And two men, like yourselves, came in to kill you,

Would not entreat for life?

Would not beg for your life?

FIRST MURDERER

Relent? No: ’tis cowardly and womanish.

Give up? No, that’s for cowards and for women.

GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE

Not to relent is beastly, savage, devilish.

To not give up is brutal, vile and evil.

My friend

My friend

[To Second Murderer]

I spy some pity in thy looks.

I see some sympathy in you.

O, if thine eye be not a flatterer,

So if your looks are not deceiving me,

Come thou on my side, and entreat for me,

Come stand beside me here and help me beg

As you would beg, were you in my distress.

As you would beg if you were stood here like me.

A begging prince what beggar pities not?

What beggar won’t side with a begging prince?

SECOND MURDERER

Look behind you, my lord.

Look out, my lord! Behind you!

FIRST MURDERER

Take that! And that!

Take that! And that!

[STABS HIM.]

If all this will not do,

And if these stabs don’t kill you,

I’ll drown you in the malmsey-butt within.

I’ll drown you in that barrel of sweet wine.

SECOND MURDERER

A bloody deed, and desperately dispatched!

A bloody deed, a ruthless execution!

How fain, like Pilate, would I wash my hands

I’d like to wash my hands, like Pontius Pilate,

Of this most grievous murder!

To wash away this awful murder!

FIRST MURDERER

How now? What mean’st thou, that thou help’st me not?

What’s up? How come you didn’t help me with this?

By heavens, the Duke shall know how slack you have been!

I swear I’ll tell the Duke how you’ve behaved!

SECOND MURDERER

I would he knew that I had saved his brother!

I wish he knew that I had saved his brother!

Take thou the fee and tell him what I say,

You keep the cash and tell him what I said,

For I repent me that the Duke is slain.

I’m sorry for my role that left the Duke dead.

FIRST MURDERER

So do not I. Go, coward as thou art.

Well, I’m not. Go away, you little coward.

Well, I’ll go hide the body in some hole

I’ll go and hide the body in a hole

Till that the Duke give order for his burial;

Until the Duke declares the burial;

And when I have my meed, I will away,

And when I have my cash, I’ll run away,

For this will out, and then I must not stay.

Because, when others know, I cannot stay.