Richard III War Quotes Page 1
(Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Norton edition.
| Quote #1 Now is the winter of our discontent |
This is one of the most famous openings in all of Western drama. Richard uses the winter and summer seasons as a metaphor to suggest that King Edward IV's reign has turned everyone's winter-like sadness into a time of "glorious," summer-like celebration. What's everyone been so bummed about? The Wars of the Roses, a series of nasty civil wars that had the Lancasters and the Yorks (two branches of the Royal House of Plantagenet) vying for the English crown
| Quote #2 And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house |
This passage from Richard's opening speech is full of vivid imagery to describe England's transition from a war-torn country into a nation celebrating its newfound peace. Richard speaks as though "war" is a person whose once "grim-visage" has been transformed into a smiling face because he's been spending all his time "caper[ing]" around in a "lady's" bedroom instead of duking it out on the battlefield. Interestingly enough, Shakespeare will return to this same imagery at the very end of the play. (See 5.8.3 below.)
We also want to point out that, by his own admission, Richard has no good reason to steal his brother's throne, since England seems to be prospering under Edward's rule.
| Quote #3 But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks, |
Richard says here that he's just not cut out for peacetime because he's not good-looking enough to be a seductive ladies' man. He reasons that because he was born "deformed, unfinished," and premature, he's better suited to times of war and conflict.
