ACT 5
Richard III Act 5, Scene 1: Retold in Modern English Verse
Buckingham’s doomsday
Buckingham, captured after his failed rebellion, is led to execution at Salisbury. Refused a last word with the King, he calls on the ghosts of Richard’s victims to witness his death, and learns that it is All Souls’ Day – the day he once wished for as his doom if ever he were false to Edward’s children or the Queen’s allies. Margaret’s curse, he says, has fallen heavy on his neck.
Characters appearing: Duke of Buckingham | Sheriff
Key themes: Prophecy and Curses | Fate vs Free Will | Conscience and Guilt
SALISBURY. AN OPEN PLACE.
[ENTER BUCKINGHAM, WITH HALBERDS AND THE SHERIFF, LED TO EXECUTION.]
DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM
Will not King Richard let me speak with him?
So, won’t King Richard let me speak with him?
SHERIFF OF WILTSHIRE
No, my good lord, therefore be patient.
He won’t, my lord, so wait there patiently.
DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM
Hastings, and Edward’s children, Grey and Rivers,
Hastings; and Edward’s children, Grey and Rivers;
Holy King Henry and thy fair son Edward,
Holy King Henry, and your kind son Edward;
Vaughan; and all that have miscarried
Vaughan; everyone who has unfairly suffered
By underhand corrupted foul injustice,
By this corrupt and underhanded treatment;
If that your moody discontented souls
If your souls are all stuck in purgatory,
Do through the clouds behold this present hour,
And you can see me right now through the clouds,
Even for revenge mock my destruction!
Out of revenge, enjoy watching me die!
This is All-Souls’ day, fellow, is it not?
It is All-Souls’ day, isn’t it today?
SHERIFF OF WILTSHIRE
It is, my lord.
It is, my lord.
DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM
Why then All-Souls’ day is my body’s doomsday.
Well then, All-Souls’ day is the day I’ll die.
This is the day which, in King Edward’s time,
Today’s the day, when Edward was alive,
I wished might fall on me when I was found
I wished would fall on me if I was found
False to his children and his wive’s allies;
To cheat his children or friends of his wife;
This is the day wherein I wished to fall
Today’s the day I wished would happen to me
By the false faith of him whom most I trusted;
If he whom I had trusted most deceived me;
This, this All-Souls’ day to my fearful soul,
For my own fearful soul, today – All-Souls’ day –
Is the determined respite of my wrongs.
Is retribution for the wrongs I’ve done.
That high All-Seer, which I dallied with,
Our God on high, who I have messed about with,
Hath turned my feigned prayer on my head,
Has flipped my empty prayers upon my head,
And given in earnest what I begged in jest.
And given me what jokingly I asked for.
Thus doth he force the swords of wicked men
It’s how he turns the swords of wicked men
To turn their own points in their masters’ bosoms;
Upon themselves to stab them through the heart.
Thus Margaret’s curse falls heavy on my neck:
And so that curse from Margaret has come true:
“When he,” quoth she, “shall split thy heart with sorrow,
She said, ‘When Richard breaks your heart from sorrow,
Remember Margaret was a prophetess.”
Remember Margaret said that this would happen.’
Come lead me, officers, to the block of shame;
So, to the execution block of shame;
Wrong hath but wrong, and blame the due of blame.
I’ve done much wrong, and only I’m to blame.
[EXEUNT BUCKINGHAM AND SHERIFF WITH OFFICERS.]
