Now tell me, brother Clarence, what think you
Of this new marriage with the Lady Grey?
Hath not our brother made a worthy choice?
Now tell me, brother Clarence, what think you Of this new marriage with the Lady Grey? has not our brother made a worthy choice?
Now tell me, brother Clarence, what think you Of this new marriage with the Lady Grey? has not our brother made a worthy choice?
yeah brutal
Alas, you know ’tis far from hence to France!
How could he stay till Warwick made return?
Alas, you know ’tis far from hence to France! How could he stay till Warwick made return?
Alas, you know ’tis far from hence to France! How could he stay till Warwick made return?
how did that even happen
My lords, forbear this talk; here comes the King.
My lords, forbear this talk; here comes the King.
My lords, forbear this talk; here comes the King.
hm
And his well-chosen bride.
And his well-chosen bride.
And his well-chosen bride.
hm
I mind to tell him plainly what I think.
I mind to tell him plainly what I think.
I mind to tell him plainly what I think.
hm
Now, brother of Clarence, how like you our choice,
That you stand pensive as half malcontent?
Now, brother of Clarence, how like you our choice, That you stand pensive as half malcontent?
Now, brother of Clarence, how like you our choice, That you stand pensive as half malcontent?
how did that even happen
As well as Lewis of France or the Earl of Warwick,
Which are so weak of courage and in judgment
That they’ll take no offence at our abuse.
As well as Lewis of France or the Earl of Warwick, Which are so weak of courage and in judgment That they’ll take no offence at our abuse.
As well as Lewis of France or the Earl of Warwick, Which are so weak of courage and in judgment That they’ll take no offence at our abuse.
yeah brutal
Suppose they take offence without a cause,
They are but Lewis and Warwick; I am Edward,
Your King and Warwick’s, and must have my will.
Suppose they take offence without a cause, They are but Lewis and Warwick; I am Edward, Your King and Warwick’s, and must have my will.
Suppose they take offence without a cause, They are but Lewis and Warwick; I am Edward, Your King and Warwick’s, and must have my will.
yeah brutal
And shall have your will, because our King.
Yet hasty marriage seldom proveth well.
And shall have your will, because our King. Yet hasty marriage seldom proveth well.
And shall have your will, because our King. Yet hasty marriage seldom proveth well.
hm
Yea, brother Richard, are you offended too?
Yea, brother Richard, are you offended too?
Yea, brother Richard, are you offended too?
hm
Not I.
No, God forbid that I should wish them severed
Whom God hath joined together. Ay, and ’twere pity
To sunder them that yoke so well together.
Not I. No, God forbid that I should wish them severed Whom God has joined together. Ay, and ’twere pity To sunder them that yoke so well together.
Not I. No, God forbid that I should wish them severed Whom God has joined together. Ay, and ’twere pity To sunder them that yoke so well together.
yeah brutal
Setting your scorns and your mislike aside,
Tell me some reason why the Lady Grey
Should not become my wife and England’s queen.
And you too, Somerset and Montague,
Speak freely what you think.
Setting your scorns and your mislike aside, Tell me some reason why the Lady Grey Should not become my wife and England’s queen. And you too, Somerset and Montague, Speak freely what you think.
Setting your scorns and your mislike aside, Tell me some reason why the Lady Grey Should not become my wife and England’s queen. And you too, Somerset and Montague, Speak freely what you think.
war blood death everything is chaos
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, was the most powerful English nobleman of the fifteenth century — nicknamed 'the Kingmaker' because he had put both Henry VI and Edward IV on their thrones. The historical Warwick maintained an almost royal household, reportedly feeding six hundred retainers daily at his various manors. When Edward married Elizabeth Woodville in secret, Warwick was mid-negotiation in France, personally vouching for Edward's availability to Princess Bona. The humiliation was extraordinary — a kingmaker made to look like a fool.
Shakespeare captures this exquisitely in 4-1: Warwick's fury arrives via a messenger, which is almost worse than a direct confrontation. Edward responds by bragging about his royal will. What makes this dramatically interesting is that both men are right: Edward is right that a king shouldn't be dictated to by a subject, even a powerful one. Warwick is right that alliance with France would have strengthened England. The problem is that Edward exercises his royal prerogative in the pettiest possible way — not on some great matter of state, but because he fell for a widow.
Then this is mine opinion: that King Lewis
Becomes your enemy for mocking him
About the marriage of the Lady Bona.
Then this is mine opinion: that King Lewis Becomes your enemy for mocking him About the marriage of the Lady Bona.
Then this is mine opinion: that King Lewis Becomes your enemy for mocking him About the marriage of the Lady Bona.
yeah brutal
And Warwick, doing what you gave in charge,
Is now dishonoured by this new marriage.
And Warwick, doing what you gave in charge, Is now dishonoured by this new marriage.
And Warwick, doing what you gave in charge, Is now dishonoured by this new marriage.
they charged at us
What if both Lewis and Warwick be appeased
By such invention as I can devise?
What if both Lewis and Warwick be appeased By such invention as I can devise?
What if both Lewis and Warwick be appeased By such invention as I can devise?
hm
Yet to have joined with France in such alliance
Would more have strengthened this our commonwealth
’Gainst foreign storms than any home-bred marriage.
Yet to have joined with France in such alliance Would more have strengthened this our commonwealth ’Gainst foreign storms than any home-bred marriage.
Yet to have joined with France in such alliance Would more have strengthened this our commonwealth ’Gainst foreign storms than any home-bred marriage.
yeah brutal
Why, knows not Montague that of itself
England is safe, if true within itself?
Why, knows not Montague that of itself England is safe, if true within itself?
Why, knows not Montague that of itself England is safe, if true within itself?
hm
But the safer when ’tis backed with France.
But the safer when ’tis backed with France.
But the safer when ’tis backed with France.
hm
’Tis better using France than trusting France.
Let us be backed with God and with the seas
Which He hath giv’n for fence impregnable,
And with their helps only defend ourselves.
In them and in ourselves our safety lies.
’Tis better using France than trusting France. Let us be backed with God and with the seas Which He has giv’n for fence impregnable, And with their helps only defend ourselves. In them and in ourselves our safety lies.
’Tis better using France than trusting France. Let us be backed with God and with the seas Which He has giv’n for fence impregnable, And with their helps only defend ourselves. In them and in ourselves our safety lies.
war blood death everything is chaos
For this one speech Lord Hastings well deserves
To have the heir of the Lord Hungerford.
For this one speech Lord Hastings well deserves To have the heir of the Lord Hungerford.
For this one speech Lord Hastings well deserves To have the heir of the Lord Hungerford.
hm
Ay, what of that? It was my will and grant;
And for this once my will shall stand for law.
Ay, what of that? It was my will and grant; And for this once my will shall stand for law.
Ay, what of that? It was my will and grant; And for this once my will shall stand for law.
hm
And yet, methinks, your Grace hath not done well
To give the heir and daughter of Lord Scales
Unto the brother of your loving bride.
She better would have fitted me or Clarence;
But in your bride you bury brotherhood.
And yet, I think, your Grace has not done well To give the heir and daughter of Lord Scales Unto the brother of your loving bride. She better would have fitted me or Clarence; But in your bride you bury brotherhood.
And yet, I think, your Grace has not done well To give the heir and daughter of Lord Scales Unto the brother of your loving bride. She better would have fitted me or Clarence; But in your bride you bury brotherhood.
war blood death everything is chaos
Or else you would not have bestowed the heir
Of the Lord Bonville on your new wife’s son,
And leave your brothers to go speed elsewhere.
Or else you would not have bestowed the heir Of the Lord Bonville on your new wife’s son, And leave your brothers to go speed elsewhere.
Or else you wouldn't have bestowed the heir Of the Lord Bonville on your new wife’s son, And leave your brothers to go speed elsewhere.
yeah brutal
Alas, poor Clarence, is it for a wife
That thou art malcontent? I will provide thee.
Alas, poor Clarence, is it for a wife That you are malcontent? I will provide you.
Alas, poor Clarence, is it for a wife That you are malcontent? I will provide you.
hm
In choosing for yourself you showed your judgment,
Which being shallow, you shall give me leave
To play the broker in mine own behalf;
And to that end I shortly mind to leave you.
In choosing for yourself you showed your judgment, Which being shallow, you shall give me leave To play the broker in mine own behalf; And to that end I shortly mind to leave you.
In choosing for yourself you showed your judgment, Which being shallow, you shall give me leave To play the broker in mine own behalf; And to that end I shortly mind to leave you.
how did that even happen they charged at us
Leave me or tarry, Edward will be king,
And not be tied unto his brother’s will.
Leave me or tarry, Edward will be king, And not be tied unto his brother’s will.
Leave me or tarry, Edward will be king, And not be tied unto his brother’s will.
hm
Elizabeth speaks with a careful, measured dignity that never tips into aggression — she is always aware she is outnumbered. Watch for how she uses the royal 'we' and deferential framing to claim authority she knows is contested.
My lords, before it pleased his Majesty
To raise my state to title of a queen,
Do me but right, and you must all confess
That I was not ignoble of descent,
And meaner than myself have had like fortune.
But as this title honours me and mine,
So your dislikes, to whom I would be pleasing,
Doth cloud my joys with danger and with sorrow.
My lords, before it pleased his Majesty To raise my state to title of a queen, Do me but right, and you must all confess That I was not ignoble of descent, And meaner than myself have had like fortune. But as this title honours me and mine, So your dislikes, to whom I would be pleasing, does cloud my joys with danger and with sorrow.
My lords, before it pleased his Majesty To raise my state to title of a queen, Do me but right, and you must all confess That I was not ignoble of descent, And meaner than myself have had like fortune. But as this title honours me and mine, So your dislikes, to whom I would be pleasing, does cloud my joys with danger and with sorrow.
war blood death everything is chaos
My love, forbear to fawn upon their frowns.
What danger or what sorrow can befall thee
So long as Edward is thy constant friend
And their true sovereign, whom they must obey?
Nay, whom they shall obey, and love thee too,
Unless they seek for hatred at my hands;
Which if they do, yet will I keep thee safe,
And they shall feel the vengeance of my wrath.
My love, forbear to fawn upon their frowns. What danger or what sorrow can befall you So long as Edward is your constant friend And their true sovereign, whom they must obey? no, whom they shall obey, and love you too, Unless they seek for hatred at my hands; Which if they do, yet will I keep you safe, And they shall feel the vengeance of my wrath.
My love, forbear to fawn upon their frowns. What danger or what sorrow can befall you So long as Edward is your constant friend And their true sovereign, whom they must obey? no, whom they shall obey, and love you too, Unless they seek for hatred at my hands; Which if they do, yet will I keep you safe, And they shall feel the vengeance of my wrath.
war blood death everything is chaos
Count how many words Richard speaks in this scene versus how much he reveals. He makes one joke about the marriage, then retreats into an aside: 'I hear, yet say not much, but think the more.' Then another aside clarifying he stays for the crown, not for Edward. Then one line of unconditional loyalty when directly asked.
This is Shakespeare's nascent Richard III in miniature. Every other character in this scene commits — George commits to defecting, Montague and Hastings commit to staying, Warwick commits to war. Richard commits to nothing except survival. The technique Shakespeare uses is the aside: a direct address to the audience that the other characters cannot hear. Richard is always one step ahead because he is always, in some sense, talking to us rather than to them. This privacy with the audience is what will make Richard III's opening soliloquy feel like an escalation of something we've been watching build for three plays.
Now, messenger, what letters or what news
From France?
Now, messenger, what letters or what news From France?
Now, messenger, what letters or what news From France?
hm
My sovereign liege, no letters, and few words,
But such as I, without your special pardon,
Dare not relate.
My sovereign liege, no letters, and few words, But such as I, without your special pardon, Dare not relate.
My sovereign liege, no letters, and few words, But such as I, without your special pardon, Dare not relate.
yeah brutal
Go to, we pardon thee. Therefore, in brief,
Tell me their words as near as thou canst guess them.
What answer makes King Lewis unto our letters?
Go to, we pardon you. Therefore, in brief, Tell me their words as near as you can guess them. What answer makes King Lewis unto our letters?
Go to, we pardon you. Therefore, in brief, Tell me their words as near as you can guess them. What answer makes King Lewis unto our letters?
yeah brutal
At my depart these were his very words:
“Go tell false Edward, thy supposed king,
That Lewis of France is sending over maskers
To revel it with him and his new bride.”
At my depart these were his very words: “Go tell false Edward, your supposed king, That Lewis of France is sending over maskers To revel it with him and his new bride.”
At my depart these were his very words: “Go tell false Edward, your supposed king, That Lewis of France is sending over maskers To revel it with him and his new bride.”
yeah brutal
Is Lewis so brave? Belike he thinks me Henry.
But what said Lady Bona to my marriage?
Is Lewis so brave? Belike he thinks me Henry. But what said Lady Bona to my marriage?
Is Lewis so brave? Belike he thinks me Henry. But what said Lady Bona to my marriage?
hm
These were her words, uttered with mild disdain:
“Tell him, in hope he’ll prove a widower shortly,
I’ll wear the willow garland for his sake.”
These were her words, uttered with mild disdain: “Tell him, in hope he’ll prove a widower shortly, I’ll wear the willow garland for his sake.”
These were her words, uttered with mild disdain: “Tell him, in hope he’ll prove a widower shortly, I’ll wear the willow garland for his sake.”
yeah brutal
I blame not her; she could say little less;
She had the wrong. But what said Henry’s queen?
For I have heard that she was there in place.
I blame not her; she could say little less; She had the wrong. But what said Henry’s queen? For I have heard that she was there in place.
I blame not her; she could say little less; She had the wrong. But what said Henry’s queen? For I have heard that she was there in place.
yeah brutal
“Tell him,” quoth she “my mourning weeds are done,
And I am ready to put armour on.”
“Tell him,” quoth she “my mourning weeds are done, And I am ready to put armour on.”
“Tell him,” quoth she “my mourning weeds are done, And I am ready to put armour on.”
hm
Belike she minds to play the Amazon.
But what said Warwick to these injuries?
Belike she minds to play the Amazon. But what said Warwick to these injuries?
Belike she minds to play the Amazon. But what said Warwick to these injuries?
hm
He, more incensed against your Majesty
Than all the rest, discharged me with these words:
“Tell him from me that he hath done me wrong,
And therefore I’ll uncrown him ere ’t be long.”
He, more incensed against your Majesty Than all the rest, discharged me with these words: “Tell him from me that he has done me wrong, And therefore I’ll uncrown him before ’t be long.”
He, more incensed against your Majesty Than all the rest, discharged me with these words: “Tell him from me that he has done me wrong, And therefore I’ll uncrown him before ’t be long.”
they charged at us
Ha! Durst the traitor breathe out so proud words?
Well, I will arm me, being thus forewarned.
They shall have wars and pay for their presumption.
But say, is Warwick friends with Margaret?
Ha! Durst the traitor breathe out so proud words? Well, I will arm me, being thus forewarned. They shall have wars and pay for their presumption. But say, is Warwick friends with Margaret?
Ha! Durst the traitor breathe out so proud words? Well, I will arm me, being thus forewarned. They shall have wars and pay for their presumption. But say, is Warwick friends with Margaret?
yeah brutal
Ay, gracious sovereign, they are so linked in friendship
That young Prince Edward marries Warwick’s daughter.
Ay, gracious sovereign, they are so linked in friendship That young Prince Edward marries Warwick’s daughter.
Ay, gracious sovereign, they are so linked in friendship That young Prince Edward marries Warwick’s daughter.
hm
Belike the elder; Clarence will have the younger.
Now, brother king, farewell, and sit you fast,
For I will hence to Warwick’s other daughter;
That, though I want a kingdom, yet in marriage
I may not prove inferior to yourself.
You that love me and Warwick, follow me.
Belike the elder; Clarence will have the younger. Now, brother king, farewell, and sit you fast, For I will hence to Warwick’s other daughter; That, though I want a kingdom, yet in marriage I may not prove inferior to yourself. You that love me and Warwick, follow me.
Belike the elder; Clarence will have the younger. Now, brother king, farewell, and sit you fast, For I will hence to Warwick’s other daughter; That, though I want a kingdom, yet in marriage I may not prove inferior to yourself. You that love me and Warwick, follow me.
war blood death everything is chaos
I stay not for the love of Edward, but the crown.
I stay not for the love of Edward, but the crown.
I stay not for the love of Edward, but the crown.
hm
Lady Grey — soon to be Queen Elizabeth — enters this scene already having lost. She speaks once, calmly, and Edward immediately tells her not to bother with the men's scowls. She is never asked her opinion. She has done nothing wrong: she married a king who asked her. But the marriage itself is the problem, and no amount of dignity on her part will fix the political damage.
What's striking about Shakespeare's Elizabeth is how much she understands this. Her speech about having been a subject herself before becoming queen is an attempt to humanize her position, to find common ground with the men who resent her. It fails, but the attempt itself reveals a shrewd intelligence. Keep watching her: she will navigate the rest of the play with exactly this combination of dignity and strategic patience, and by 5-7 she is carrying the heir to the throne — the physical proof that her position cannot simply be wished away.
Clarence and Somerset both gone to Warwick!
Yet am I armed against the worst can happen,
And haste is needful in this desperate case.
Pembroke and Stafford, you in our behalf
Go levy men and make prepare for war;
They are already, or quickly will be, landed.
Myself in person will straight follow you.
Clarence and Somerset both gone to Warwick! Yet am I armed against the worst can happen, And haste is needful in this desperate case. Pembroke and Stafford, you in our behalf Go levy men and make prepare for war; They are already, or quickly will be, landed. Myself in person will straight follow you.
Clarence and Somerset both gone to Warwick! Yet am I armed against the worst can happen, And haste is needful in this desperate case. Pembroke and Stafford, you in our behalf Go levy men and make prepare for war; They are already, or quickly will be, landed. Myself in person will straight follow you.
they charged at us
So God help Montague as he proves true!
So God help Montague as he proves true!
So God help Montague as he proves true!
hm
And Hastings as he favours Edward’s cause!
And Hastings as he favours Edward’s cause!
And Hastings as he favours Edward’s cause!
hm
Now, brother Richard, will you stand by us?
Now, brother Richard, will you stand by us?
Now, brother Richard, will you stand by us?
hm
Ay, in despite of all that shall withstand you.
Ay, in despite of all that shall withstand you.
Ay, in despite of all that shall withstand you.
hm
Why, so! Then am I sure of victory.
Now, therefore, let us hence, and lose no hour
Till we meet Warwick with his foreign power.
Why, so! Then am I sure of victory. Now, therefore, let us hence, and lose no hour Till we meet Warwick with his foreign power.
Why, so! Then am I sure of victory. Now, therefore, let us hence, and lose no hour Till we meet Warwick with his foreign power.
yeah brutal
The Reckoning
Edward has won the crown but immediately squanders his political capital by marrying beneath his station — or rather, outside his diplomats' careful negotiations. His brothers barely bother to hide their contempt, and when the French messenger arrives with Warwick's furious words, the defections begin in real time. The audience watches a winning position dismantled by one man's stubbornness, while Richard quietly notes that he stays not for love but for the crown.
If this happened today…
A startup CEO, just having closed a huge Series B, announces he's hired his girlfriend as COO — bypassing the search firm, the board's preferred candidates, and the alliance with a major corporate partner who was expecting a seat at the table. The board chair (Warwick) had already pitched that partner on a merger. Now the partner's CEO is calling to say the deal is dead and they're funding the competition. Two co-founders post their resignation letters on LinkedIn before the meeting is over. One stays — but you notice him updating his resume under the table.