READ STUDY GUIDE: Act IV, scenes i–iii |
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Act IV, Scene ii:
London. A Room of State in the Palace.
London. A Room of State in the Palace.
| [Flourish of trumpets. RICHARD, as King, upon his throne;BUCKINGHAM, CATESBY, RATCLIFF, LOVEL, a Page, and others.] |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Stand all apart—Cousin of Buckingham,— |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| My gracious sovereign? |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Give me thy hand. Thus high, by thy advice |
| And thy assistance, is King Richard seated:— |
| But shall we wear these glories for a day? |
| Or shall they last, and we rejoice in them? |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| Still live they, and for ever let them last! |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Ah, Buckingham, now do I play the touch, |
| To try if thou be current gold indeed:— |
| Young Edward lives;—think now what I would speak. |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| Say on, my loving lord. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Why, Buckingham, I say I would be king. |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| Why, so you are, my thrice-renowned lord. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Ha! am I king? 'tis so: but Edward lives. |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| True, noble prince. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| O bitter consequence, |
| That Edward still should live,—true, noble Prince!— |
| Cousin, thou wast not wont to be so dull:— |
| Shall I be plain?—I wish the bastards dead; |
| And I would have it suddenly perform'd. |
| What say'st thou now? speak suddenly, be brief. |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| Your grace may do your pleasure. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Tut, tut, thou art all ice, thy kindness freezes: |
| Say, have I thy consent that they shall die? |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| Give me some little breath, some pause, dear lord, |
| Before I positively speak in this: |
| I will resolve your grace immediately. |
| [Exit.] |
| CATESBY: |
| [Aside.] The king is angry: see, he gnaws his lip. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| I will converse with iron-witted fools |
| [Descends from his throne.] |
| And unrespective boys; none are for me |
| That look into me with considerate eyes: |
| High-reaching Buckingham grows circumspect. |
| Boy!— |
| PAGE: |
| My lord? |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Know'st thou not any whom corrupting gold |
| Will tempt unto a close exploit of death? |
| PAGE: |
| I know a discontented gentleman |
| Whose humble means match not his haughty spirit: |
| Gold were as good as twenty orators, |
| And will, no doubt, tempt him to anything. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| What is his name? |
| PAGE: |
| His name, my lord, is Tyrrel. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| I partly know the man: go, call him hither, boy. |
| [Exit PAGE.] |
| The deep-revolving witty Buckingham |
| No more shall be the neighbour to my counsels: |
| Hath he so long held out with me untir'd, |
| And stops he now for breath?—well, be it so. |
| [Enter STANLEY.] |
| How now, Lord Stanley! what's the news? |
| STANLEY: |
| Know, my loving lord, |
| The Marquis Dorset, as I hear, is fled |
| To Richmond, in the parts where he abides. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Come hither, Catesby: rumour it abroad |
| That Anne, my wife, is very grievous sick; |
| I will take order for her keeping close: |
| Inquire me out some mean poor gentleman, |
| Whom I will marry straight to Clarence' daughter;— |
| The boy is foolish, and I fear not him.— |
| Look how thou dream'st!—I say again, give out |
| That Anne, my queen, is sick and like to die: |
| About it; for it stands me much upon, |
| To stop all hopes whose growth may damage me. |
| [Exit CATESBY.] |
| I must be married to my brother's daughter, |
| Or else my kingdom stands on brittle glass:— |
| Murder her brothers, and then marry her! |
| Uncertain way of gain! But I am in |
| So far in blood that sin will pluck on sin: |
| Tear-falling pity dwells not in this eye. |
| [Re-enter PAGE, with TYRREL.] |
| Is thy name Tyrrel? |
| TYRREL: |
| James Tyrrel, and your most obedient subject. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Art thou, indeed? |
| TYRREL: |
| Prove me, my gracious lord. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Dar'st thou resolve to kill a friend of mine? |
| TYRREL: |
| Please you. But I had rather kill two enemies. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Why, then thou hast it: two deep enemies, |
| Foes to my rest, and my sweet sleep's disturbers, |
| Are they that I would have thee deal upon:— |
| Tyrell, I mean those bastards in the Tower. |
| TYRREL: |
| Let me have open means to come to them, |
| And soon I'll rid you from the fear of them. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Thou sing'st sweet music. Hark, come hither, Tyrrel: |
| Go, by this token:—rise, and lend thine ear: |
| [Whispers.] There is no more but so:—say it is done, |
| And I will love thee, and prefer thee for it. |
| TYRREL: |
| I will despatch it straight. |
| [Exit.] |
| [Re-enter BUCKINGHAM.] |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| My lord, I have consider'd in my mind |
| The late request that you did sound me in. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Well, let that rest. Dorset is fled to Richmond. |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| I hear the news, my lord. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Stanley, he is your wife's son:—well, look to it. |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| My lord, I claim the gift, my due by promise, |
| For which your honour and your faith is pawn'd: |
| The earldom of Hereford, and the movables |
| Which you have promised I shall possess. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Stanley, look to your wife: if she convey |
| Letters to Richmond, you shall answer it. |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| What says your highness to my just request? |
| KING RICHARD: |
| I do remember me:—Henry the Sixth |
| Did prophesy that Richmond should be king, |
| When Richmond was a little peevish boy. |
| A king!—perhaps,— |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| My lord,— |
| KING RICHARD: |
| How chance the prophet could not at that time |
| Have told me, I being by, that I should kill him? |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| My lord, your promise for the earldom,— |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Richmond!—When last I was at Exeter, |
| The mayor in courtesy show'd me the castle |
| And call'd it Rougemount; at which name I started, |
| Because a bard of Ireland told me once |
| I should not live long after I saw Richmond. |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| My lord— |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Ay, what's o'clock? |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| I am thus bold to put your grace in mind |
| Of what you promis'd me. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Well, but what's o'clock? |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| Upon the stroke of ten. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Well, let it strike. |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| Why let it strike? |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Because that, like a Jack, thou keep'st the stroke |
| Betwixt thy begging and my meditation. |
| I am not in the giving vein to-day. |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| Wht then, resolve me whether you will or no. |
| KING RICHARD: |
| Thou troublest me; I am not in the vein. |
| [Exeunt KING RICHARD and Train.] |
| BUCKINGHAM: |
| And is it thus? repays he my deep service |
| With such contempt? made I him king for this? |
| O, let me think on Hastings, and be gone |
| To Brecknock while my fearful head is on! |
| [Exit.] |
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