Richard III · Chapter
Scene I explained
Queen Elizabeth, the Duchess of York, and Dorset meet Anne, Duchess of Gloucester, and Lady Margaret Plantagenet before the Tower.
What happens
Queen Elizabeth, the Duchess of York, and Dorset meet Anne, Duchess of Gloucester, and Lady Margaret Plantagenet before the Tower. They are denied access to the young princes by Brakenbury, who cites the Lord Protector's orders. Stanley arrives to tell Anne she must go to Westminster to be crowned Richard's queen. The women lament their fates, with Anne recalling how she was seduced by Richard after cursing him. The Duchess of York advises Dorset to flee to Richmond, and the scene ends with Queen Elizabeth bidding a sorrowful farewell to the Tower.
Themes in this chapter
Gender and Power
The women are powerless to see the princes, denied by male authority, and Anne is forced into a coronation she dreads, highlighting their lack of agency.
Deception and Manipulation
Anne recounts how Richard's 'honey words' seduced her despite her curse, illustrating his manipulative power.
Conscience and Guilt
Anne suffers from guilt and sleeplessness, haunted by her own curse and Richard's 'timorous dreams,' reflecting the psychological toll of their union.
Characters to notice
- Queen Elizabeth
Denied access to her sons, the young princes, and devastated by news of Anne's coronation as Richard's queen.
- Duchess of York
Mourns her 'accursed womb' that produced Richard, and advises Dorset to flee to Richmond.
- Marquis of Dorset
Urged by his mother and the Duchess of York to flee to Richmond for safety.
- Lady Anne
Reluctantly agrees to be crowned Richard's queen, recalling her curse on him and how she was seduced by his words.
- Lady Margaret Plantagenet
Clarence's young daughter, led by Anne, present at the Tower.
- Sir Robert Brakenbury
Lieutenant of the Tower, denies the ladies access to the princes on the Lord Protector's orders.
- Lord Stanley
Brings news that Anne must go to Westminster to be crowned, and offers to help Dorset flee.
Key passages
“O my accursed womb, the bed of death! A cockatrice hast thou hatch'd to the world, Whose unavoided eye is murderous.”
The Duchess of York curses her own womb for giving birth to Richard, comparing him to a deadly serpent whose gaze brings death.
The Duchess expresses maternal guilt and horror at Richard's murderous nature.
“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.”
Anne laments that before she could even finish her curse on Richard, her heart was foolishly ensnared by his sweet talk, making her the victim of her own curse.
Anne reflects on her vulnerability to Richard's manipulation, leading to her current misery.
“Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes Whom envy hath immured within your walls! Rough cradle for such little pretty ones!”
Queen Elizabeth begs the Tower's stones to pity her young sons, imprisoned within its walls, calling it a harsh cradle for such innocent children.
Elizabeth's plea underscores the vulnerability of the princes and her maternal anguish.