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Act 5, Scene 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Richard III, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power
The Throne and the State
Language
Women
Time
Summary
Analysis
On a plain near Tamworth, Richmond marches with the Earl of Oxford, Sir James Blunt, Sir Walter Herbert, and his troops. He announces that Richard has been located near Leicester, a town only one day's march away. He urges everyone to march on in order to attain peace by killing Richard, the "foul swine" who "swills your warm blood like wash, and makes his trough in your embowell'd bosoms." Everyone heartily agrees that Richard will be defeated. They march onwards.
Richmond's troops are quickly approaching Richard and Richard's throne is thus growing less stable by the minute. Richmond's grotesque description transforms Richard's heraldic symbol, the boar, into a disgusting beast. Richmond makes use of the metaphor of state-as-human-body – here the evil ruler (Richard) ravages the bodies of his subjects.
Themes
