SCENE I. Before the Tower. The Life and Death of Richard the Third  Shakespeare homepage  |  Richard III  | Act 4, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. Before the Tower. 

 Enter, on one side, QUEEN ELIZABETH, DUCHESS OF  YORK, and DORSET; on the other, ANNE, Duchess of  Gloucester, leading Lady Margaret Plantagenet, CLARENCE's young Daughter  DUCHESS OF YORK  Who m eets us here?  my niece Plantagenet 

 Led in the hand of her kind aunt of Gloucester? 

 Now, for my life, she's wandering to the Tower, 

 On pure heart's love to greet the tender princes. 

 Daughter, well met. 

 LADY ANNE  God give your graces both 

 A happy and a joyful time of day! 

 QUEEN ELIZABETH  As much to you, good sister! Whither away? 

 LADY ANNE  No farther than the Tower; and, as I guess, 

 Upon the like devotion as yourselves, 

 To gratulate the gentle princes there. 

 QUEEN ELIZABETH  Kind sister, thanks: we'll enter all together. 



 Enter BRAKENBURY  And, in good time, here the lieutenant comes. 

 Master lieutenant, pray you, by your leave, 

 How doth the prince, and my young son of York? 

 BRAKENBURY  Right well, dear madam. By your patience, 

 I may not suffer you to visit them; 

 The king hath straitly charged the contrary. 

 QUEEN ELIZABETH  The king! why, who's that? 

 BRAKENBURY  I cry you mercy: I mean the lord protector. 

 QUEEN ELIZABETH  The Lord protect him from that kingly title! 

 Hath he set bounds betwixt their love and me? 

 I am their mother; who should keep me from them? 

 DUCHESS OF YORK  I am their fathers mother; I will see them. 

 LADY ANNE  Their aunt I am in law, in love their mother: 

 Then bring me to their sights; I'll bear thy blame 

 And take thy office from thee, on my peril. 

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

 I am bound by oath, and therefore pardon me. 



 Exit 

 Enter LORD STANLEY  LORD STANLEY  Let me but meet you, ladies, one hour hence, 

 And I'll salute your grace of York as mother, 

 And reverend looker on, of two fair queens. 



 To LADY ANNE  Come, madam, you must straight to Westminster, 

 There to be crowned Richard's royal queen. 

 QUEEN ELIZABETH  O, cut my lace in sunder, that my pent heart 

 May have some scope to beat, or else I swoon 

 With this dead-killing news! 

 LADY ANNE  Despiteful tidings! O unpleasing news! 

 DORSET  Be of good cheer: mother, how fares your grace? 

 QUEEN ELIZABETH  O Dorset, speak not to me, get thee hence! 

 Death and destruction dog thee at the heels; 

 Thy mother's name is ominous to children. 

 If thou wilt outstrip death, go cross the seas, 

 And live with Richmond, from the reach of hell 

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

 Lest thou increase the number of the dead; 

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

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

 LORD STANLEY  Full of wise care is this your counsel, madam. 

 Take all the swift advantage of the hours; 

 You shall have letters from me to my son 

 To meet you on the way, and welcome you. 

 Be not ta'en tardy by unwise delay. 

 DUCHESS OF YORK  O ill-dispersing wind of misery! 

 O my accursed womb, the bed of death! 

 A cockatrice hast thou hatch'd to the world, 

 Whose unavoided eye is murderous. 

 LORD STANLEY  Come, madam, come; I in all haste was sent. 

 LADY ANNE  And I in all unwillingness will go. 

 I would to God that the inclusive verge 

 Of golden metal that must round my brow 

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

 Anointed let me be with deadly venom, 

 And die, ere men can say, God save the queen! 

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

 To feed my humour, wish thyself no harm. 

 LADY ANNE  No! why?  When he that is my husband now 

 Came to me, as I follow'd Henry's corse, 

 When scarce the blood was well wash'd from his hands 

 Which issued from my other angel husband 

 And that dead saint which then I weeping follow'd; 

 O, when, I say, I look'd on Richard's face, 

 This was my wish: 'Be thou,' quoth I, ' accursed, 

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

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

 And be thy wife--if any be so mad-- 

 As miserable by the life of thee 

 As thou hast made me by my dear lord's death! 

 Lo, ere I can repeat this curse again, 

 Even in so short a space, my woman's heart 

 Grossly grew captive to his honey words 

 And proved the subject of my own soul's curse, 

 Which ever since hath kept my eyes from rest; 

 For never yet one hour in his bed 

 Have I enjoy'd the golden dew of sleep, 

 But have been waked by his timorous dreams. 

 Besides, he hates me for my father Warwick; 

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

 QUEEN ELIZABETH  Poor heart, adieu! I pity thy complaining. 

 LADY ANNE  No more than from my soul I mourn for yours. 

 QUEEN ELIZABETH  Farewell, thou woful welcomer of glory! 

 LADY ANNE  Adieu, poor soul, that takest thy leave of it! 

 DUCHESS OF YORK  [To DORSET] 

 Go thou to Richmond, and good fortune guide thee! 



 To LADY ANNE  Go thou to Richard, and good angels guard thee! 



 To QUEEN ELIZABETH  Go thou to sanctuary, and good thoughts possess thee! 

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

 Eighty odd years of sorrow have I seen, 

 And each hour's joy wrecked with a week of teen. 

 QUEEN ELIZABETH  Stay, yet look back with me unto the Tower. 

 Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes 

 Whom envy hath immured within your walls! 

 Rough cradle for such little pretty ones! 

 Rude ragged nurse, old sullen playfellow 

 For tender princes, use my babies well! 

 So foolish sorrow bids your stones farewell. 



 Exeunt  Shakespeare homepage  |  Richard III  | Act 4, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene 