The high imperial type of this earth's glory.
Up to the greatest position available,
the greatest glory available on earth.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Flatter my sorrow with report of it;
Tell me what state, what dignity, what honour,
Canst thou demise to any child of mine?
Please my sorrow by telling me about it;
tell me what position, what dignity, what honour
you can award to any child of mine?
KING RICHARD.
Even all I have-ay, and myself and all
Will I withal endow a child of thine;
So in the Lethe of thy angry soul
Thou drown the sad remembrance of those wrongs
Which thou supposest I have done to thee.
I will give all I have, myself as well,
to the child of yours;
so drown your sad memory of the wrongs
which you imagine I have done to you
in the river of forgetfulness of your angry soul.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Be brief, lest that the process of thy
kindness
Last longer telling than thy kindness' date.
Speak quickly, in case your actual kindness doesn't last
as long as the time it takes you to tell it.
KING RICHARD.
Then know, that from my soul I love thy
daughter.
Then know that I love your daughter with all my soul.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
My daughter's mother thinks it with her
soul.
My daughter's mother thinks it with her soul.
KING RICHARD.
What do you think?
What do you think?
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
That thou dost love my daughter from
thy soul.
So from thy soul's love didst thou love her brothers,
And from my heart's love I do thank thee for it.
That you love my daughter something other than your soul.
The same soulful love you had for her brothers,
and I thank you for it with something other than my heart's love.
KING RICHARD.
Be not so hasty to confound my meaning.
I mean that with my soul I love thy daughter
And do intend to make her Queen of England.
Don't be so quick to misunderstand me.
I mean that with my soul I love your daughter
and I intend to make her Queen of England.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Well, then, who dost thou mean shall be
her king?
Well who do you intend to be her king?
KING RICHARD.
Even he that makes her Queen. Who else
should be?
The person who makes her queen. Who else would it be?
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
What, thou?
What, you?
KING RICHARD.
Even so. How think you of it?
That's right. What do you think of it?
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
How canst thou woo her?
How can you woo her?
KING RICHARD.
That would I learn of you,
As one being best acquainted with her humour.
That's what I want you to tell me,
you knowing her personality best.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
And wilt thou learn of me?
And will you learn from me?
KING RICHARD.
Madam, with all my heart.
Madam, with all my heart.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Send to her, by the man that slew her
brothers,
A pair of bleeding hearts; thereon engrave
'Edward' and 'York.' Then haply will she weep;
Therefore present to her-as sometimes Margaret
Did to thy father, steep'd in Rutland's blood-
A handkerchief; which, say to her, did drain
The purple sap from her sweet brother's body,
And bid her wipe her weeping eyes withal.
If this inducement move her not to love,
Send her a letter of thy noble deeds;
Tell her thou mad'st away her uncle Clarence,
Her uncle Rivers; ay, and for her sake
Mad'st quick conveyance with her good aunt Anne.
Send her, via the man who killed her brothers,
a pair of bleeding hearts; scratch on them
‘Edward’ and ‘York.’ Then maybe she will weep;
so give her–as sometimes Margaret
did to your father, soaked in Rutland's blood–
a handkerchief; tell her that it mopped up
the blood from her sweet brother's body,
and tell her to wipe her weeping eyes with it.
If this doesn't make her love you,
send a letter telling her of your noble deeds;
tell her that you killed her uncle Clarence,
her uncle Rivers; yes, and for her sake
you quickly got rid of her good aunt Anne.
KING RICHARD.
You mock me, madam; this is not the way
To win your daughter.
You're mocking me, madam; this isn't the way
to win over your daughter.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
There is no other way;
Unless thou couldst put on some other shape
And not be Richard that hath done all this.
There is no other way;
unless you can assume some other shape
and not be the Richard who has done all these things.
KING RICHARD.
Say that I did all this for love of her?
What if I did all these things out of love for her?
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Nay, then indeed she cannot choose but
hate thee,
Having bought love with such a bloody spoil.
No, then she would have no choice but to hate you,
as you had bought her love with such bloody coin.
KING RICHARD.
Look what is done cannot be now amended.
Men shall deal unadvisedly sometimes,
Which after-hours gives leisure to repent.
If I did take the kingdom from your sons,
To make amends I'll give it to your daughter.
If I have kill'd the issue of your womb,
To quicken your increase I will beget
Mine issue of your blood upon your daughter.
A grandam's name is little less in love
Than is the doating title of a mother;
They are as children but one step below,
Even of your metal, of your very blood;
Of all one pain, save for a night of groans
Endur'd of her, for whom you bid like sorrow.
Your children were vexation to your youth;
But mine shall be a comfort to your age.
The loss you have is but a son being King,
And by that loss your daughter is made Queen.
I cannot make you what amends I would,
Therefore accept such kindness as I can.
Dorset your son, that with a fearful soul
Leads discontented steps in foreign soil,
This fair alliance quickly shall can home
To high promotions and great dignity.
The King, that calls your beauteous daughter wife,
Familiarly shall call thy Dorset brother;
Again shall you be mother to a king,
And all the ruins of distressful times
Repair'd with double riches of content.
What! we have many goodly days to see.
The liquid drops of tears that you have shed
Shall come again, transform'd to orient pearl,
Advantaging their loan with interest
&nb
sp; Of ten times double gain of happiness.
Go, then, my mother, to thy daughter go;
Make bold her bashful years with your experience;
Prepare her ears to hear a wooer's tale;
Put in her tender heart th' aspiring flame
Of golden sovereignty; acquaint the Princes
With the sweet silent hours of marriage joys.
And when this arm of mine hath chastised
The petty rebel, dull-brain'd Buckingham,
Bound with triumphant garlands will I come,
And lead thy daughter to a conqueror's bed;
To whom I will retail my conquest won,
And she shall be sole victoress, Caesar's Caesar.
Whatever has been done cannot now be changed:
men sometimes do the wrong thing,
which they may later regret.
If I took the kingdom from your sons,
to make amends I'll give it to your daughter;
if I have killed your children,
to revive your family tree I shall create
children of your blood with your daughter.
The name of grandmother is loved almost as much
as the sweet title of mother;
grandchildren are children just one step removed;
they will be of the same substance as you, of your blood;
you will take the same trouble for them, apart from a night of labour
which she will suffer, which you previously suffered for her.
Your children were troublesome in your youth,
but mine shall comfort you in your old-age;
all you have lost is having a king as a son,
and through that loss your daughter will become Queen.
I can’t make it up to you as I would like:
so accept what kindness I can offer.
Your son Dorset, who with a fearful soul
is walking unhappily in foreign lands,
will be quickly summoned home by this sweet alliance
to be given high promotion and great dignity.
The King who calls your beautiful daughter his wife
shall in friendship call Dorset his brother;
you will be mother to a king again,
and all the damage of sorrowful times
will be repaired with a double helping of happiness.
What! There are many happy days ahead.
The liquid drops of tears that you have shared
will be returned, changed into Oriental pearls,
the loan being repaid with interest
of ten times a double sum of happiness.
Go then, my mother; go to your daughter:
make her coy youth strong through your experience;
tell her how to listen to a wooer;
make her tender heart aspire to
golden monarchy; tell the Princess
about the sweet silent hours of joy marriage will bring,
and when I have beaten
the petty rebel, the dullard Buckingham,
I shall return in triumph
and take your daughter to a conqueror's bed;
I shall tell her of how I won my victory
and she will triumph, winning over the greatest.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
What were I best to say? Her father's
brother
Would be her lord? Or shall I say her uncle?
Or he that slew her brothers and her uncles?
Under what title shall I woo for thee
That God, the law, my honour, and her love
Can make seem pleasing to her tender years?
What would be the best thing for me to say? That her father's brother
wants to marry her? Or should I say her uncle?
Or the one who killed her brothers and her uncles?
What title shall I use to speak for you
so that God, the law, my honour and her love
can make this business seem pleasant to her youth?
KING RICHARD.
Infer fair England's peace by this alliance.
Tell her that this marriage will bring peace to fair England.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Which she shall purchase with
still-lasting war.
Which will be bought with this ongoing war.
KING RICHARD.
Tell her the King, that may command,
entreats.
Tell her that the King, who could order her, begs her.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
That at her hands which the King's
King forbids.
For something which the law of God forbids.
KING RICHARD.
Say she shall be a high and mighty queen.
Say that she will be a high and mighty Queen.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
To wail the title, as her mother doth.
To wish she never had the title, like her mother.
KING RICHARD.
Say I will love her everlastingly.
Say I will love her for ever.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
But how long shall that title 'ever' last?
But for how long will ‘forever’ last?
KING RICHARD.
Sweetly in force unto her fair life's end.
It will last as long as her sweet life does.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
But how long fairly shall her sweet life
last?
But how long will her sweet life last?
KING RICHARD.
As long as heaven and nature lengthens it.
As long as heaven and nature allows it.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
As long as hell and Richard likes of it.
As long as hell and Richard still like her.
KING RICHARD.
Say I, her sovereign, am her subject low.
Tell her that I, her monarch, am her low subject.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
But she, your subject, loathes such
sovereignty.
But she, your subject, loathes your monarchy.
KING RICHARD.
Be eloquent in my behalf to her.
Speak eloquently to her on my behalf.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
An honest tale speeds best being plainly
told.
The best thing to do with honest tale is to speak plainly.
KING RICHARD.
Then plainly to her tell my loving tale.
Then tell her plainly about my love.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Plain and not honest is too harsh a style.
To be plain when you're not honest would sound too harsh.
KING RICHARD.
Your reasons are too shallow and too quick.
Your reasoning is to shallow and too quick.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
O, no, my reasons are too deep and
dead-
Too deep and dead, poor infants, in their graves.
Oh no, it's too deep and dead–
deep and dead, like the poor infants in their graves.
KING RICHARD.
Harp not on that string, madam; that is past.
Don't keep playing that old tune, madam; that’s in the past.
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Harp on it still shall I till heartstrings
break.
I shall play that tune until my heartstrings break.
KING RICHARD.
Now, by my George, my garter, and my
crown-
Now, by my decorations and my crown–
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Profan'd, dishonour'd, and the third
usurp'd.
Stained, dishonoured, and the third one stolen.
KING RICHARD.
I swear-
I swear–
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
By nothing; for this is no oath:
Thy George, profan'd, hath lost his lordly honour;
&nb
sp; Thy garter, blemish'd, pawn'd his knightly virtue;
Thy crown, usurp'd, disgrac'd his kingly glory.
If something thou wouldst swear to be believ'd,
Swear then by something that thou hast not wrong'd.
By nothing; this is no promise:
your title of St George, blasphemed, has lost its lordly honour;
your garter, stained, has sold its knightly virtue;
your crown, stolen, has lost its kingly glory.
If you want to have your oaths believed,
then swear by something you have not insulted.
KING RICHARD.
Then, by my self-
Then, by myself–
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Thy self is self-misus'd.
You have abused yourself.
KING RICHARD.
Now, by the world-
Now, by the world–
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
'Tis full of thy foul wrongs.
Which is full of your foul misdeeds.
KING RICHARD.
My father's death-
By my father's death–
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Thy life hath it dishonour'd.
Your life has dishonoured it.
KING RICHARD.
Why, then, by God-
Why then, by God–
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
God's wrong is most of all.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 56
