Richard III; Act I, Scene i

 

Richard III.         Act 1, Scene 1.             Richard

(This text is featured in our interview with Jim Wallert and Ron Russell)

1: Now is the Winter of our Discontent,
2: Made glorious Summer by this Son of Yorke:
3: And all the clouds that lowr’d vpon our house
4: In the deepe bosome of the Ocean buried.
5: Now are our browes bound with Victorious Wreathes,
6: Our bruised armes hung vp for Monuments;
7: Our sterne Alarums chang’d to merry Meetings;
8: Our dreadfull Marches, to delightfull Measures.
9: Grim-visag’d Warre, hath smooth’d his wrinkled Front:
10: And now, in stead of mounting Barbed Steeds,
11: To fright the Soules of fearfull Aduersaries,
12: He capers nimbly in a Ladies Chamber,
13: To the lasciuious pleasing of a Lute.
14: But I, that am not shap’d for sportiue trickes,
15: Nor made to court an amorous Looking-glasse:
16: I, that am Rudely stampt, and want loues Maiesty,
17: To strut before a wonton ambling Nymph:
18: I, that am curtail’d of this faire Proportion,
19: Cheated of Feature by dissembling Nature,
20: Deform’d, vn-finish’d, sent before my time
21: Into this breathing World, scarse halfe made vp,
22: And that so lamely and vnfashionable,
23: That dogges barke at me, as I halt by them.
24: Why I (in this weake piping time of Peace)
25: Haue no delight to passe away the time,
26: Vnlesse to see my Shadow in the Sunne,
27: And descant on mine owne Deformity.
28: And therefore, since I cannot proue a Louer,
29: To entertaine these faire well spoken dayes,
30: I am determined to proue a Villaine,
31: And hate the idle pleasures of these dayes.
32: Plots haue I laide, Inductions dangerous,
33: By drunken Prophesies, Libels, and Dreames,
34: To set my Brother Clarence and the King
35: In deadly hate, the one against the other:
36: And if King Edward be as true and iust,
37: As I am Subtle, False, and Treacherous,
38: This day should Clarence closely be mew’d vp:
39: About a Prophesie, which sayes that G,
40: Of Edwards heyres the murtherer shall be.
41: Diue thoughts downe to my soule, here Clarence comes.

 

  2 Responses to “Richard III; Act I, Scene i”

  1. […] here to see the text.  Click for here for the Epic Theater […]

  2. […] any sympathy left for this devil?  The answers and much more, including a fantastic reading of the opening speech, can be found in Part II of our interview about Richard III with Ron Russell and Jim Wallert of the […]

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