81. despite: contempt, disdain

  82. issuing: flowing

  84. Stifle: choke, suffocate; unstaunchèd: unquenched

  87. rear it: set it up

  90. cut: pass sharply through

  92. sinew: tie together

  93. France: perhaps, the King of France

  94. scattered: thrown down (like seeds in planting); or, perhaps, cast down, defeated

  99. effect: bring about

  100. thou wilt: i.e., you wish, you determine

  101. in thy shoulder: i.e., in your strength, with your support  shoulder: seat of muscular strength employed in carrying; seat: royal authority or dignity; foundation

  102. the thing: i.e., anything

  105. of Clarence: i.e., Duke of Clarence; as ourself: i.e., as if he were I

  106. him pleaseth: i.e., he thinks

  108. Gloucester’s . . . ominous: English chronicles note that three dukes of Gloucester (before Richard himself) met violent deaths.

  111. see . . . possession: i.e., possess these honors

 

  * * *

 

  3.1  King Henry is captured by two gamekeepers, who now owe allegiance to King Edward.

  1. brake: clump of bushes; shroud ourselves: take cover

  2. laund: clearing; anon: soon

  3. covert: place of concealment; thicket; stand: position in ambush

  4. Culling . . . deer: selecting the best of the deer

  6.

  A crossbow. (3.1.6)

  From Wilhelm Dilich, . . . Krieges-Schule . . . (1689).

  7. shoot is lost: i.e., shot will be wasted

  8. at the best: i.e., in the best possible way

  9. for: i.e., so that

  10. on a day: i.e., one day

  11. self: same

  12. stay: stop talking; wait

  13. am I stol’n: i.e., have I secretly departed; even of: i.e., out of (Even conveys the sense of “precisely, exactly.”)

  14. wishful: yearning, wistful

  16. Thy place: your high position

  17. balm: fragrant oil used in coronations

  18. Caesar: monarch, emperor

  19. press . . . right: push forward to beg for justice

  20. redress of: i.e., assistance or aid from

  21. an: if

  22. whose . . . fee: According to William Harrison’s Description of England (1587), the skin and head of the slain deer were given to the gamekeeper as a fee, or perquisite.

  24. adversaries: accented on the second syllable (Editors usually change to “adversity.” See longer note.)

  31. To wife: i.e., as a wife

  34. Lewis: i.e., King Lewis of France

  37. batt’ry in: i.e., attack on

  39. whiles she: i.e., while Margaret

  40. Nero: i.e., even a vicious tyrant like the Roman emperor Nero; tainted: affected, touched

  41. brinish: briny, salty

  46. installed: formally instated

  47. That: i.e., so that, with the result that

  48. tells his title: declares Edward’s claim to the crown; smooths: glosses over, makes less conspicuous; the wrong: the injustice

  49. Inferreth: brings forward

  51. his sister: i.e., the French king’s sister (In history, Lady Bona was King Lewis’s sister-in-law. In this play, she is always referred to as his sister—a word that at the time could also mean “sister-in-law.”) what else: i.e., anything else, anything and everything

  57. should: would

  63. Indian stones: gems from either the East or West Indies, both famous sources of treasure

  64. My crown . . . content: Proverbial: “A mind content is as a crown.”

  82. simple: foolish

  83. Look as: just as

  85. Obeying . . . wind: acting as compelled by my breath

  88. lightness: wordplay on (1) the fickleness of common men; (2) the light weight of a feather (line 83)

  95. seated: established on the throne

  97. officers: i.e., officers of justice; jailers

  99. what God will: i.e., whatever God wills

 

  * * *

 

  3.2  King Edward, while hearing Lady Grey’s petition for her dead husband’s land, decides he wants her for his mistress; she refuses. He then asks her to become his queen, to the chagrin of Richard and Clarence. News comes of Henry’s capture. Left alone, Richard contemplates his life and decides to obtain the crown for himself despite the number of human obstacles in his way.

  1–7. at Saint Albans . . . life: See longer note.  Saint Albans field: i.e., the battle of Saint Albans  the conqueror: i.e., the Yorkists, led by Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York   suit: petition  in quarrel of: i.e., in the cause of, on the side of

  12. thing: a word with strong sexual associations; grant: (1) consent or agree to; or (2) allow (him) to have

  14 SP. CLARENCE, formerly GEORGE: See longer note.

  14. He . . . game: i.e., he knows how to hunt (with an allusion to the game of sexual seduction or activity); keeps the wind: stays downwind of the prey (See picture.)

  “How true he keeps the wind!” (3.2.14)

  From [George Turberville,] The noble arte of venerie or hunting . . . (1611).

  19. May . . . to: i.e., please; resolve: answer

  20. what your pleasure is: i.e., whatever you decide (See line 22 for the potential ambiguity of the word pleasure.)

  21. warrant you: i.e., guarantee that you will recover

  22. An if: i.e., if; pleasure you: (1) please you; (2) gratify you sexually

  23. Fight . . . blow: language from dueling, here given sexual meanings  closer: i.e., nearer to the adversary’s body, to avoid his blows  good faith: a mild oath  catch: receive

  24. fear her not: i.e., don’t worry about her; chance: chances, happens; fall: (1) fall down; (2) surrender (her chastity and honor)

  25. take vantages: (1) be in a superior position; (2) take advantage (of her)

  27. beg . . . of: wordplay on the phrase “to beg a person,” which meant “to petition the Court of Wards for custody of a minor”

  28. whip me: a mild curse; he’ll: he would

  32. pitiful: compassionate; dread: revered

  33. give us leave: i.e., pardon us, give us privacy; try: test; wit: understanding, mental quickness

  34. good . . . you: i.e., you have our obedience; have leave: have permission

  35. take leave: says farewell; leave you: abandon you, forsake you; crutch: symbol of old age

  37. full as: just as

  39. sustain: undergo, submit to

  41. Therefore: for that reason

  43. bind . . . service: i.e., ensure my submission as a subject

  44. What . . . me: i.e., what will you do for me

  45. rests in me: lies in my power

  46. take exceptions to: find fault with, object to; boon: request (literally, a command couched in the form of a request)

  47. except: unless

  50. plies: solicits, urges; attacks; much . . . marble: proverbial

  51. As red as fire: proverbial (here, describing Edward’s ardent attack) See longer note.

  57. match: agreement, compact (“To make a match” is to bring about a marriage.) seals: ratifies as if by affixing her seal; cursy: curtsy

  58. stay thee: wait a minute, stop; fruits: enjoyment, benefits

  59. fruits of love: i.e., that which issues or results from love

  61. sue: i.e., seek

  64. by my troth: a mild oath

  66. perceive: see into

  67. perceive: understand, observe, comprehend

  68. aims at: seeks to obtain; aim: guess, conjecture

  69. plain: plainly; aim: intend

  72. honesty: chastity (during this period, the usual meaning of the word when applied to women)

  73. that loss: i.e., the loss of my chastity

  77. sadness: seriousness, soberness

  86. challenge: have a natural right or claim to

  88. love: mistress, paramour

  90. better . . . done: proverbial

  91. fit . . . withal: i.e., suitable for playing with

  93. state: high rank, power

  97. mean: inferior in rank

  100. grieve: vex, trouble, annoy

  104. by God’s mother: an oath on the Virgin Mary

  105. other some: an indefinite number; happy: fortunate

  107. Answer no more: i.e., raise no more objections

  108. ghostly father: priest, confessor; done his shrift: imposed his penance and given absolution

  109. shriver: confessor; for shift: as a device or stratagem (with possible wordplay on shift as a woman’s undergarment)

  110. muse: wonder

  111. sad: serious, somber

  113. who: i.e., whom

  115. ten days’ wonder: Proverbial: “A wonder lasts but nine days” (line 116).

  117. extremes: the utmost imaginable degree

  122. Tower: i.e., Tower of London, a fortress and armory (See pictures.)

  The Tower of London. (3.2.122; 4.8.57; 5.1.46; 5.5.50)

  From Claes Jansz Visscher, Londinum florentissima . . . urbs . . . [c. 1625].

  Tower of London. (3.2.122; 4.8.57; 5.1.46; 5.5.50)

  From John Seller, A book of the prospects of the remarkable places in . . . London . . . [c. 1700?].

  124. question of: ask questions about; his apprehension: i.e., Henry’s capture

  125. go you along: i.e., accompany us; use: treat (Richard, in line 126, plays on use meaning “have sexual intercourse with.”)

  127. Would: i.e., I wish; wasted: destroyed by decay or disease

  128. hopeful branch: i.e., promising child

  129. cross: bar, preclude; golden: flourishing, joyous (but also suggesting the royal crown, called by Lady Macbeth “the golden round” [Macbeth 1.5.31])

  131. lustful . . . burièd: i.e., once Edward has died

  133. unlooked-for . . . bodies: their unanticipated descendants

  134. their rooms: i.e., their fathers’ positions or stations

  135. cold premeditation: i.e., depressing or gloomy thought

  137. one that: i.e., someone who

  138. spies: i.e., sees; would tread: wishes to walk

  139. were equal with: i.e., could travel as easily as

  140. sunders: separates

  141. lade it dry: i.e., remove all the water, as if with a ladle; have his way: i.e., obtain a passageway for his journey

  142. So: in the same way

  143. means: obstacles

  144. cut . . . off: remove the causes (i.e., the agents who “cross me from the golden time” [line 129]) See longer note.

  145. Flattering me: beguiling myself

  146. o’erweens: presumes

  152. ’witch: bewitch, charm

  154. accomplish: perhaps, acquire

  155. Love: the goddess of love; forswore: rejected

  Venus, or “Love.” (3.2.155)

  From Vincenzo Cartari, Le vere e noue imagini . . . (1615).

  156. for I should: i.e., so that I could; deal in: have to do with; her: i.e., Love’s

  159. make . . . mountain: i.e., spitefully make a hump (transferred epithet)

  163. chaos: formless mass; unlicked bear-whelp: See longer note, and picture.

  A bear whelp being licked into shape. (3.2.163)

  From Otto van Veen, Amorum emblemata (1608).

  164. carries . . . dam: i.e., doesn’t look at all like its mother

  166. monstrous: enormous (but with wordplay on “deformed”); fault: transgression; error

  168. check: restrain; rebuke; o’erbear: oppress

  169. person: bodily frame or figure

  173. round impalèd: i.e., encircled

  175. home: i.e., my goal

  177. rents: rends, tears in pieces; rent with: torn by

  178. way: path, course

  181. catch: attain, get possession of

  184. smile . . . smile: Proverbial: “To smile in one’s face and cut one’s throat.”

  185. cry “Content”: i.e., exclaim “I am content”

  188. mermaid: i.e., Siren (See longer note, and picture.)

  Mermaids luring sailors to their destruction. (3.2.188)

  From Geoffrey Whitney, A choice of emblemes . . . (1586).

  189. basilisk: mythological reptile whose glance is fatal (See picture.)

  A basilisk. (3.2.189)

  From Edward Topsell, The history of four-footed beasts and serpents . . . (1658).

  190–92. Nestor, Ulysses, Sinon: prominent figures in Homer’s Iliad, which tells the story of the Trojan War (Nestor was famous as an orator, Ulysses as a schemer, and Sinon as a traitor whose deception won Troy for the Greeks. See picture.)

  Sinon overlooking Troy. (3.2.192)

  From Geoffrey Whitney, A choice of emblemes . . . (1586).

  193. add colors to: i.e., be more changeable than

  A chameleon. (3.2.193)

  From Edward Topsell, The history of . . . serpents . . . (1658).

  194. Change . . . advantages: i.e., change to even more shapes than did Proteus (Proverbial: “As many shapes as Proteus.”)  Proteus: a sea god in Greek mythology who turned himself into any number of forms

  195. set . . . school: i.e., become Machiavelli’s schoolteacher  murderous Machiavel: See longer note.

 

  * * *

 

  3.3  As Queen Margaret persuades the French king Lewis to support her and Prince Edward, Warwick arrives with the offer of marriage from King Edward to Lady Bona. The offer is accepted, and Lewis promises to support King Edward. News then arrives of King Edward’s marriage to Lady Grey. Lewis shifts his support once more to Margaret, and Warwick, humiliated, turns against Edward. Preparations are made for Warwick to lead French troops against Edward, with Margaret following later with another large French army.

  0 SD. Flourish: a fanfare to announce the king’s entrance; sister: See note to 3.1.51.

  2. Sit . . . us: presumably indicating a ceremonial seat prepared for her near his throne, placed, as in 1.1, on a raised platform; us: i.e., me (the royal “we”)

  2–3. ill . . . birth: i.e., is unbecoming to your position and lineage

  6. strike her sail: i.e., be humble (The topsail on a ship was struck or lowered as a sign of surrender or salute.)

  8. Albion’s: England’s

  11. take . . . unto: i.e., assume a position corresponding to (Margaret may here sink to the floor in a theatrical gesture of deep despair [lines 13–14].)

  12. to . . . myself: i.e., bring myself into conformity with my humble situation (with wordplay on seat [line 11] and on humble as “not elevated”)

  17. be . . . thyself: continue to act as becomes your high social rank

  19–20. Yield . . . yoke: i.e., do not subjugate yourself to Fortune (See note to 2.3.32.)

  21. Still: always; continue to

  22. plain: i.e., plainspoken

  23. if France: i.e., if I, the King of France; yield: provide

  25. leave: permission

  28. Is, of a king: has, from being a king

  29. a forlorn: a wretched man

  35. crave: request

  37. will: inclination, desire

  38. people: i.e., commoners; peers: nobles

  40. heavy: distressing, grievous

  41. with . . . storm: i.e., use patience to calm your tumultuous emotions

  42. we bethink: I consider; break it off: i.e., end your storm of distress

  43. stay: delay, put off action

  44. stay: wait (with possible wordplay on the transitive verb, which means “to support [someone]”)

  45. waiteth on: accompanies, attends as a consequence of

  46. breeder: source, cause

  47. our presence: my presence

  48. Our: i.e., England’s

  49. brave: a general epithet of praise

  49 SD. descends: i.e., from the platform on which his throne is placed; ariseth: i.e., stands up

  50. second storm: Lewis called Margaret’s earlier emotional outburst a storm (line 41).

  56. crave: request; league: compact, alliance

  57. confirm: strengthen

  58. nuptial knot: i.e., a marriage

  59. sister: See note to 3.1.51.

  63. leave and favor: i.e., permission

  66. fame: report; late: recently

  72. tyrants: usurpers

  73. purchase: obtain, acquire

  77. Look: make sure, take care

  79. draw not on: do not bring about

  80. sway the rule: i.e., govern as sovereigns

  81. suppresseth: vanquishes

  82. Injurious: insulting

  85. no more art: i.e., are no more a

  86. disannuls: i.e., invalidates, nullifies; John of Gaunt: See note to 1.1.19.

  87. Which: i.e., who

  88–92. And after . . . descends. See genealogical chart.  mirror: pattern, exemplar

  93. haps it: does it happen that; smooth: well-spoken, plausible

  96. Methinks: it seems to me

  97. tell: recount, enumerate; pedigree: line of descent, genealogy

  98. silly: insufficient, scanty

  99. prescription: claim based on long possession

  102. bewray: reveal, divulge

  103. fence: protect, fortify

  104. buckler: shield, defend

  106. injurious doom: wrongful sentence

  108. done to death: executed

  109. downfall: i.e., decline

  116. use: engage in; conference: conversation

  116 SD. aloof: apart, at a distance

  119. even . . . conscience: i.e., upon thy very conscience

  120. were: would be

  121. link: be connected, be joined; were not lawful: i.e., has not been lawfully