Richard III – Act 4 Scene 1

DUCHESS OF YORK

Who meets us here? My niece Plantagenet,

Who’s this? My granddaughter Plantagenet,

Led in the hand of her kind aunt of Gloucester?

Handheld by her kind aunt, duchess of Gloucester?

Now, for my life, she’s wand’ring to the Tower,

I swear that she is walking to the Tower,

On pure heart’s love, to greet the tender Prince.

Out of devoted love, to meet the Prince.

Daughter, well met.

Daughter-in-law, good day.

LADY ANNE

God give your Graces both

May God grant you both

A happy and a joyful time of day!

A happy and a joyful day ahead!

QUEEN ELIZABETH

As much to you, good sister! Whither away?

The same to you, dear sister! Going somewhere?

LADY ANNE

No farther than the Tower, and as I guess,

Just to the Tower, and if I’m to guess,

Upon the like devotion as yourselves,

I have the same devotion as yourselves,

To gratulate the gentle Princes there.

To warmly greet the gentle Princes there.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Kind sister, thanks, we’ll enter all together.

Kind sister, thanks, let’s all go in together.

[ENTER THE LIEUTENANT BRAKENBURY.]

And in good time, here the Lieutenant comes.

With perfect timing, here comes the Lieutenant.

Master Lieutenant, pray you, by your leave,

Master Lieutenant, tell us, if you will,

How doth the Prince and my young son of York?

How is the Prince, and how’s my young son, York?

SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY

Right well, dear madam. By your patience,

They’re very well, madam. But please forgive me,

I may not suffer you to visit them,

I cannot let you visit them inside,

The King hath strictly charged the contrary.

Because the King has strictly said you can’t.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

The King? Who’s that?

The King? Who’s that?

SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY

I mean the Lord Protector.

I meant, the Lord Protector.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

The Lord protect him from that kingly title!

The Lord protect him ever being king!

Hath he set bounds between their love and me?

Is he obstructing me from my own children?

I am their mother, who shall bar me from them?

I am their mother; who’d deny me access?

DUCHESS OF YORK

I am their father’s mother, I will see them.

I am their father’s mother, so I’ll see them.

LADY ANNE

Their aunt I am in law, in love their mother;

I am their aunt, but love them like their mother;

Then bring me to their sights. I’ll bear thy blame,

So let me see them, and I’ll take the blame

And take thy office from thee on my peril.

And take responsibility off you.

SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY

No, madam, no; I may not leave it so:

No, madam, no; I cannot let that happen:

I am bound by oath, and therefore pardon me.

I’ve sworn an oath, and therefore please forgive me.

LORD STANLEY

Let me but meet you, ladies, an hour hence,

An hour from now, when I will meet you ladies,

And I’ll salute your Grace of York as mother

I’ll greet your Grace of York as mother to

And reverend looker-on of two fair queens.

These two attractive queens, admiring both.

[To Anne.]

Come, madam, you must straight to Westminster,

Madam, let’s go right now to Westminster,

There to be crowned Richard’s royal queen.

Where you’ll be crowned as Richard’s royal queen.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Ah, cut my lace asunder,

Oh, cut my corset open

That my pent heart may have some scope to beat,

So that my pent-up heart has room to beat,

Or else I swoon with this dead-killing news!

Or else I’ll pass out from this deadly news!

LADY ANNE

Despiteful tidings, O unpleasing news!

Malicious information, dreadful news!

MARQUESS OF DORSET

Be of good cheer, Mother. How fares your Grace?

Cheer up, don’t worry, mother; how are you?

QUEEN ELIZABETH

O Dorset, speak not to me, get thee gone!

Oh Dorset, do not speak to me, clear off!

Death and destruction dogs thee at thy heels;

Calamity is nipping at your heels;

Thy mother’s name is ominous to children.

Your mother’s name brings danger to her children.

If thou wilt outstrip death, go cross the seas,

If you want to survive, traverse The Channel,

And live with Richmond, from the reach of hell.

And live with Richmond, out of reach of hell.

Go hie thee, hie thee from this slaughter-house,

Quick, run away, run from this slaughterhouse,

Lest thou increase the number of the dead,

In case you just become another victim

And make me die the thrall of Margaret’s curse,

And make me die like Margaret prophesied,

Nor mother, wife, nor England’s counted queen.

No longer mother, wife, nor Queen of England.

LORD STANLEY

Full of wise care is this your counsel, madam;

You’ve offered up some sound advice there, madam;

Take all the swift advantage of the hours.

Make use of all the time you have now, Dorset.

You shall have letters from me to my son

I’ll write some letters to my stepson, Richmond,

In your behalf, to meet you on the way.

For you, so that he’ll meet you on the way.

Be not ta’en tardy by unwise delay.

Do not be late by waiting here unwisely.

DUCHESS OF YORK

O ill-dispersing wind of misery!

This evil wind is spreading misery!

O my accursed womb, the bed of death!

My wretched womb is culpable for death,

A cockatrice hast thou hatched to the world,

For it has hatched a serpent to this world

Whose unavoided eye is murderous.

That kills by merely looking in its eyes.

LORD STANLEY

Come, madam, come, I in all haste was sent.

Let’s go now, madam, I was sent here quickly.

LADY ANNE

And I with all unwillingness will go.

And I, reluctantly, will come with you.

O would to God that the inclusive verge

I wish to God that that encircling crown

Of golden metal that must round my brow

Of gold that I must wear upon my head

Were red-hot steel, to sear me to the brains!

Was made of red-hot steel to burn my brains out!

Anointed let me be with deadly venom,

Instead of oil, anoint me with a poison,

And die ere men can say, “God save the Queen!”

So I will die before ‘God save the Queen!’

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Go, go, poor soul, I envy not thy glory,

I do not envy you becoming queen;

To feed my humour wish thyself no harm.

To cheer me up, please wish yourself no harm.

LADY ANNE

No! Why? When he that is my husband now

Why not? For when my current husband, Richard,

Came to me as I followed Henry’s corse,

Came when I was beside King Henry’s corpse,

When scarce the blood was well washed from his hands

When he had barely washed his hands of blood

Which issued from my other angel husband,

He got from killing my dear husband, Edward,

And that dear saint which then I weeping followed –

When following dear Henry, whom I sobbed for, –

O, when, I say, I looked on Richard’s face,

I tell you now that when I looked at Richard,

This was my wish: “Be thou,” quoth I, “accursed

I made this wish: ‘Be cursed,’ I said to him,

For making me, so young, so old a widow!

‘For making me a widow whilst I’m young!

And when thou wed’st, let sorrow haunt thy bed;

And when you marry, let your bed be sad;

And be thy wife – if any be so mad –

And make your wife – if anyone’s that crazy –

More miserable by the life of thee

More miserable by spending time with you

Than thou hast made me by my dear lord’s death!”

Than you have made me by my husband’s death!’

Lo, ere I can repeat this curse again,

Now look at me! Before I’d cursed again,

Within so small a time, my woman’s heart

My woman’s heart, within so little time,

Grossly grew captive to his honey words,

Was captivated by his charming words,

And proved the subject of mine own soul’s curse,

And thus became the victim of my own curse,

Which hitherto hath held my eyes from rest;

Which has, thus far, prevented me from sleeping;

For never yet one hour in his bed

For in his bed, I haven’t had an hour

Did I enjoy the golden dew of sleep,

Where I’ve enjoyed recuperating sleep;

But with his timorous dreams was still awaked.

Instead, I lie awake, hearing his nightmares.

Besides, he hates me for my father Warwick,

He hates me for my father, Earl of Warwick,

And will, no doubt, shortly be rid of me.

And surely, soon, he will get rid of me.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Poor heart, adieu, I pity thy complaining.

Goodbye, my dear; I pity your position.

LADY ANNE

No more than with my soul I mourn for yours.

No more than I share pity for your plight.

MARQUESS OF DORSET

Farewell, thou woeful welcomer of glory!

Goodbye, you anguished lady who’ll be queen!

LADY ANNE

Adieu, poor soul, that tak’st thy leave of it!

Goodbye, poor soul, who is no longer queen!

DUCHESS OF YORK

[To Dorset.]

Go thou to Richmond, and good fortune guide thee!

You go and visit Richmond, and good luck!

[To Anne.]

Go thou to Richard, and good angels tend thee!

You go to Richard, and may angels help you!

[To Queen Elizabeth.]

Go thou to sanctuary, and good thoughts possess thee!

Take sanctuary, and stay optimistic!

I to my grave, where peace and rest lie with me!

I will go to my grave for peace and rest!

Eighty odd years of sorrow have I seen,

For eighty years, I’ve lived a life that’s bleak;

And each hour’s joy wracked with a week of teen.

One happy hour, and then a woeful week.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Stay, yet look back with me unto the Tower.

Stay with me and look back upon the Tower.

Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes

Take pity, ancient stones, upon the children

Whom envy hath immured within your walls –

Locked up within your walls by someone’s envy –

Rough cradle for such little pretty ones!

It’s such an awful place for such sweet children!

Rude ragged nurse, old sullen playfellow

You are an awful nurse, and wretched playmate

For tender princes – use my babies well!

For tender princes – treat my babies well!

So foolish sorrows bids your stones farewell.

My sadness makes me bid your stones farewell.