Richard III - Act 1 - Scene 1

SCENE I. London. A street.

    Enter GLOUCESTER, solus

GLOUCESTER

    Now is the winter of our discontent
    Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
    And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
    In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
    Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;
    Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;
    Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,
    Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
    Grim-visaged war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front;
    And now, instead of mounting barded steeds
    To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,
    He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber
    To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.
    But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks,
    Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;
    I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majesty
    To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
    I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,
    Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
    Deformed, unfinish'd, sent before my time
    Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
    And that so lamely and unfashionable
    That dogs bark at me as I halt by them;
    Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,
    Have no delight to pass away the time,
    Unless to spy my shadow in the sun
    And descant on mine own deformity:
    And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover,
    To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
    I am determined to prove a villain
    And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
    Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,
    By drunken prophecies, libels and dreams,
    To set my brother Clarence and the king
    In deadly hate the one against the other:
    And if King Edward be as true and just
    As I am subtle, false and treacherous,
    This day should Clarence closely be mew'd up,
    About a prophecy, which says that 'G'
    Of Edward's heirs the murderer shall be.
    Dive, thoughts, down to my soul: here
    Clarence comes.

    Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY
    Brother, good day; what means this armed guard
    That waits upon your grace?

CLARENCE

    His majesty
    Tendering my person's safety, hath appointed
    This conduct to convey me to the Tower.

GLOUCESTER

    Upon what cause?

CLARENCE

    Because my name is George.

GLOUCESTER

    Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours;
    He should, for that, commit your godfathers:
    O, belike his majesty hath some intent
    That you shall be new-christen'd in the Tower.
    But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know?

CLARENCE

    Yea, Richard, when I know; for I protest
    As yet I do not: but, as I can learn,
    He hearkens after prophecies and dreams;
    And from the cross-row plucks the letter G.
    And says a wizard told him that by G
    His issue disinherited should be;
    And, for my name of George begins with G,
    It follows in his thought that I am he.
    These, as I learn, and such like toys as these
    Have moved his highness to commit me now.

GLOUCESTER

    Why, this it is, when men are ruled by women:
    'Tis not the king that sends you to the Tower:
    My Lady Grey his wife, Clarence, 'tis she
    That tempers him to this extremity.
    Was it not she and that good man of worship,
    Anthony Woodville, her brother there,
    That made him send Lord Hastings to the Tower,
    From whence this present day he is deliver'd?
    We are not safe, Clarence; we are not safe.

CLARENCE

    By heaven, I think there's no man is secure
    But the queen's kindred and night-walking heralds
    That trudge betwixt the king and Mistress Shore.
    Heard ye not what an humble suppliant
    Lord hastings was to her for his delivery?

GLOUCESTER

    Humbly complaining to her deity
    Got my lord chamberlain his liberty.
    I'll tell you what; I think it is our way,
    If we will keep in favour with the king,
    To be her men and wear her livery:
    The jealous o'erworn widow and herself,
    Since that our brother dubb'd them gentlewomen.
    Are mighty gossips in this monarchy.

BRAKENBURY

    I beseech your graces both to pardon me;
    His majesty hath straitly given in charge
    That no man shall have private conference,
    Of what degree soever, with his brother.

GLOUCESTER

    Even so; an't please your worship, Brakenbury,
    You may partake of any thing we say:
    We speak no treason, man: we say the king
    Is wise and virtuous, and his noble queen
    Well struck in years, fair, and not jealous;
    We say that Shore's wife hath a pretty foot,
    A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue;
    And that the queen's kindred are made gentle-folks:
    How say you sir? Can you deny all this?

BRAKENBURY

    With this, my lord, myself have nought to do.

GLOUCESTER

    Naught to do with mistress Shore! I tell thee, fellow,
    He that doth naught with her, excepting one,
    Were best he do it secretly, alone.

BRAKENBURY

    What one, my lord?

GLOUCESTER

    Her husband, knave: wouldst thou betray me?

BRAKENBURY

    I beseech your grace to pardon me, and withal
    Forbear your conference with the noble duke.

CLARENCE

    We know thy charge, Brakenbury, and will obey.

GLOUCESTER

    We are the queen's abjects, and must obey.
    Brother, farewell: I will unto the king;
    And whatsoever you will employ me in,
    Were it to call King Edward's widow sister,
    I will perform it to enfranchise you.
    Meantime, this deep disgrace in brotherhood
    Touches me deeper than you can imagine.

CLARENCE

    I know it pleaseth neither of us well.

GLOUCESTER

    Well, your imprisonment shall not be long;
    Meantime, have patience.

CLARENCE

    I must perforce. Farewell.

    Exeunt CLARENCE, BRAKENBURY, and Guard

GLOUCESTER

    Go, tread the path that thou shalt ne'er return.
    Simple, plain Clarence! I do love thee so,
    That I will shortly send thy soul to heaven,
    If heaven will take the present at our hands.
    But who comes here? the new-deliver'd Hastings?

    Enter HASTINGS

HASTINGS

    Good time of day unto my gracious lord!

GLOUCESTER

    As much unto my good lord chamberlain!
    Well are you welcome to the open air.
    How hath your lordship brook'd imprisonment?

HASTINGS

    With patience, noble lord, as prisoners must:
    But I shall live, my lord, to give them thanks
    That were the cause of my imprisonment.

GLOUCESTER

    No doubt, no doubt; and so shall Clarence too;
    For they that were your enemies are his,
    And have prevail'd as much on him as you.

HASTINGS

    More pity that the eagle should be mew'd,
    While kites and buzzards prey at liberty.

GLOUCESTER

    What news abroad?

HASTINGS

    No news so bad abroad as this at home;
    The King is sickly, weak and melancholy,
    And his physicians fear him mightily.

GLOUCESTER

    Now, by Saint Paul, this news is bad indeed.
    O, he hath kept an evil diet long,
    And overmuch consumed his royal person:
    'Tis very grievous to be thought upon.
    What, is he in his bed?

HASTINGS

    He is.

GLOUCESTER

    Go you before, and I will follow you.

    Exit HASTINGS
    He cannot live, I hope; and must not die
    Till George be pack'd with post-horse up to heaven.
    I'll in, to urge his hatred more to Clarence,
    With lies well steel'd with weighty arguments;
    And, if I fall not in my deep intent,
    Clarence hath not another day to live:
    Which done, God take King Edward to his mercy,
    And leave the world for me to bustle in!
    For then I'll marry Warwick's youngest daughter.
    What though I kill'd her husband and her father?
    The readiest way to make the wench amends
    Is to become her husband and her father:
    The which will I; not all so much for love
    As for another secret close intent,
    By marrying her which I must reach unto.
    But yet I run before my horse to market:
    Clarence still breathes; Edward still lives and reigns:
    When they are gone, then must I count my gains.

    Exit