BOY

Good grandmother, tell us, is our father dead?

DUCHESS

No, boy.

GIRL

Then why do you weep so often, and beat your chest, and cry, "Oh, Clarence, my unlucky son?"

BOY

If our noble father is still alive, why do you look at us and shake your head, and call us orphans, wretches, and castaways?

DUCHESS

My pretty grandchildren, you both misunderstand me. I'm lamenting the sickness of the king, because I don't want to lose him. I'm not lamenting your father's death. It would be wasted sorrow to cry over someone who's already dead.

BOY

Then, my grandmother, you're admitting that our father is dead. My uncle, the king, is to blame for it. God will revenge it, and I'll pray earnestly every day that he does so.

GIRL

And so will I.

DUCHESS

Quiet, children, quiet. The king loves you both very much. You innocent, naive children, you cannot guess who caused your father's death.

BOY

But we can, grandmother, for my good uncle Richard told me. He said that the king was provoked by the queen to make up accusations against my father that would get him arrested. When my uncle told me about this he wept, and pitied me, and kindly kissed my cheek. He told me that I could rely on him as if he were my father, and that he would love me as dearly as if I were his child.

DUCHESS

Ah, it's terrible that liars can steal the appearance of gentle people, and hide their wickedness under a virtuous mask. Yes, he is my son. And in being my son, he is the source of my shame as a mother. But he didn't get his deceitfulness from my breast.

BOY

Do you think that my uncle was lying, grandmother?

DUCHESS

Yes, boy.

BOY

I can't believe it. Wait, what's that noise?

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Ah, who can stop me from wailing and weeping, cursing my bad luck, and tormenting myself? I'll ally myself with the black despair that threatens my soul, and become my own enemy.

DUCHESS

What do you mean by this melodramatic scene?

QUEEN ELIZABETH

I'm performing the violent tragedy of my life. Edward—my husband, your son, our king—is dead. Why should we keep living when our leader and lifeblood is gone? How can the branches keep growing when the root is gone? Why aren't the leaves withering now that the sap is dried up? If you will live, then lament. If you will die, then be quick about it, so our swift-winged souls might catch up with the king's—or at least follow him, like obedient subjects, into his new kingdom of never-ending night.

DUCHESS

Ah, I was your noble husband's mother, so I have just as large a share in your grief. I've already wept over my own worthy husband's death and kept myself alive only by looking at his sons, his mirror images. But now two of those mirrors have been cracked into pieces by death, and the only one left to comfort me is Richard—an untrustworthy mirror who only causes me shame and grief. You are a widow, but you're also a mother, and you still have the comfort of your children left. But death has snatched my husband from my arms and then plucked my two crutches, Clarence and Edward, from my feeble hands. Oh, I have every reason to surpass you in sorrow and drown out your weeping with my own, as your loss is only half of mine!

BOY

[To QUEEN ELIZABETH] Oh, Aunt, you didn't weep for our father's death. So why would we help you with our tears?

GIRL

You didn't mourn with us when we were left fatherless. Your sadness as a widow will likewise go unmourned by us!

QUEEN ELIZABETH

I don't need any help in mourning. I am full of sorrows to complain about. May all the earth's springs keep my eyes replenished with tears, so that when the tide is high in the ocean of my weeping, I can drown the world. Ah, for my husband, my dear lord Edward!

CHILDREN

Ah, for our father, for our dear lord Clarence!

DUCHESS

Alas for both Edward and Clarence, both mine!

QUEEN ELIZABETH

What support did I have besides Edward? And he's dead.

CHILDREN

What support did we have besides Clarence? And he's dead.

DUCHESS

What supports did I have besides both of them? And they are dead.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

A widow never suffered so great a loss.

CHILDREN

Orphans never suffered so great a loss.

DUCHESS

A mother never suffered so great a loss. Alas, I am the mother of these griefs. Each of you has only a single loss, while I suffer all of them. Elizabeth weeps for Edward, and so do I, but she does not weep for Clarence like I do. These children weep for Clarence, and so do I, but they don't weep for Edward like I do. You three should pour all your tears onto me. I will be your sorrow's nurse, and feed your tears with more mourning.

DORSET

[To QUEEN ELIZABETH] Dear Mother, let yourself be comforted. God is displeased that you respond to his doings so unthankfully. In everyday business, it's considered ungrateful if someone is unwilling to repay a debt which was generously loaned in the first place. It's much worse to be so opposed to heaven, now that it requires the royal debt it lent to you.

RIVERS

Madam, think of your son, the young prince, and be a careful mother. Send for him right away. Let him be crowned king. He is your hope for future peace of mind. Drown your desperate sorrows in dead Edward's grave, and plant your future joys in Prince Edward's new throne.

RICHARD

Sister, let yourself be comforted. All of us have reason to mourn the dimming of the king, our shining star, but none of us can help anything by wailing.

[To DUCHESS] Oh madam, my mother, I beg your pardon. I didn't see your Grace. On my knees, I humbly ask for your blessing.

DUCHESS

God bless you, and fill you with humility, love, charity, obedience, and true duty.

RICHARD

[Standing up] Amen. 

[To himself] And make me die a good old man! That should be the conclusion of a mother's blessing. I'm surprised that she left it out.

BUCKINGHAM

You weeping princes and sorrowful nobles who bear this mutual weight of grief, let us now cheer each other up with our love. Though we have lost our old, fruitful king, we will now reap the harvest of his son. Our former hatreds were only recently broken and then rejoined as friendship, and now we must gently preserve, cherish, and keep this new goodwill. It seems like a good idea that a small group of us should now set out for Ludlow Castle in Wales, to fetch the young prince and bring him here to London, where he will be crowned our king.

RIVERS

Why only a "small group," my Lord of Buckingham?

BUCKINGHAM

Well, my lord, if a large group goes, the newly-healed hostilities between us might break out again. This could be very dangerous, as the Yorkist rule is still new and untested. We should prevent a situation where it seems like every man is out for himself, with everyone paranoid about imagined enemies.

RICHARD

The king tried to make peace among all of us, and I hope he succeeded. For me, at least, those vows of friendship were firm and true.

RIVERS

And for me also. And so, I think, for all of us. But since our agreement is so fresh, we shouldn't risk putting it under too much stress—which might happen if all of us go at once to fetch the prince. So I agree with noble Buckingham that it's best for only a few to go.

HASTINGS

And I agree.

RICHARD

Then we'll do that. Now let's go and figure out which of us will ride off to Ludlow.

[To DUCHESS and QUEEN ELIZABETH] Mother, and you, my sister-in-law, will you go and offer your judgments in this business?

BUCKINGHAM

My lord, whoever ends up journeying to meet the prince, for God's sake let us be part of the group. Along the way I'll create an opportunity to separate him from the queen's proud relatives—as the first step in the plan we discussed recently.

RICHARD

My dear cousin, you are my other self, my council of advisors, my oracle, my prophet! I will let you lead me like a child. Let's go to Wales then, for we won't stay behind.