Richard III Power Quotes

Richard is speaking of Elizabeth and Jane Shore's power over King Edward IV. This is a hint that Richard views Edward as utterly weak and credulous. If he lets himself be controlled even by women, Richard definitely has a chance at persuading and controlling him.

This is a fascinating way to describe how Richard views power. It's less about self-advancement and superiority than just being able to scamper around doing wicked things. Again, it seems Richard delights in his naughtiness.

Though Anne has every right to seek justice for Richard's evils, she calls out to a higher power to avenge her. She doesn't act herself, perhaps because she feels powerless in relation to Richard.

This scene gives us a social perspective beyond the internal power politics of the royal family. The citizens speculate about what will happen to the country and reveal that they're probably just as concerned as the royals about who will be England's next leader. We see here that what happens with the throne will have real consequences on the people of England, who are more than just a faceless mob. Also, this scene reminds us that the royals aren't operating in privacy – they're in something of a fishbowl. While Richard may think he's fooling everyone with his manipulations, his evil is obvious to everyone, even outside the royal confines.

Richard is knee-deep in his plot by this point. He's already sent the young princes off to the Tower, and he's sent Catesby to feel out Hastings. Riding high on a power trip, Richard feels fairly invincible and famously declares, "Chop off his head!" (The more famous line, "Off with his head! So much for Buckingham!" isn't Shakespeare's at all, but came from Colley Cibber's later reinterpretation of Shakespeare's play.)

The scrivener describes the effects of power: Richard may be a great manipulator, but he's not really fooling anyone in the kingdom. What's keeping them quiet isn't his prowess at lying, it's their fear of his impetuous wrath.

Richard runs into a roadblock upon having himself declared King. While he's lined up all the machinations to make it possible, he's got to overcome the obstacle of the people's will. As evidenced by the earlier scene with the scrivener, the people don't love or revere Richard, and they are hesitant to turn over the kingdom to him. He can manipulate himself into power, but the fact that the people don't support him doesn't bode well, and even foreshadows his downfall (as they will desert him in droves during the battle with Richmond).

Richard is hell-bent on appearing as though he doesn't want power, though all the people of the kingdom know he maneuvered himself into that position, especially as they didn't support his coronation. This whole scene reeks of a sham. We've got to wonder who Richard thinks he's fooling, and why this guise is so important to keep up. Does seeming to shun his power actually increase it?

The women bewail the loss of their loved ones and generally curse the men responsible, but they lack military or political power. Queen Elizabeth's decision to confide in Queen Margaret is a final attempt to make her words hit home. Like the other women, Margaret's only weapons are words, but for some reason hers seem to have great, almost prophetic power over the course of events. But the play suggests that she has achieved that efficacy at tremendous personal cost. The Duchess's response is perhaps the most appropriate, as it reflects the frustration of powerlessness. The Duchess wishes she could smother Richard. Since she can't do that, she'll do the next best thing: try to drown her evil son with words. She's the first woman to stand up to Richard as king, and her words fall heavy on him. It seems the women can have a great impact, even if only with words.