Richard III (46 page)

98
forward
eager

99
brother
stepbrother

99
tender
young

101
leisure
time available

103
ample interchange
full exchange

103
sweet discourse
pleasant conversation

104
sundered
separated

108
with
against

109
peise
weigh

112
account
consider

113
gracious
filled with divine grace/favorable

114
irons
swords

119
watchful
wakeful

121.1
Prince Edward
son of Margaret and Henry VI

124
despair
experience spiritual hopelessness (thought to precede suicide)

127
issue
child, offspring

128
anointed
marked with holy oil, the sign of monarchy

129
punchèd
punctured, pierced

130
Tower
of London, where Henry was murdered (see
3 Henry VI
, Act 5 Scene 6)

136
washed
i.e. drowned (in a butt of malmsey, a strong sweet wine)

136
fulsome
nauseating/an abundant quantity of

139
fall
drop, let fall

139
edgeless
blunt, useless

142
battle
army

156
laid
buried

160
annoy
injury, harm

164
quiet
peaceful

176
Fainting
staggering, losing consciousness/losing heart

176
yield
give up

180
Richard
may Richard

182
Soft
wait

184
lights burn blue
thought to be a sign of the presence of ghosts

185
drops
i.e. of sweat

191
Wherefore?
Why?

197
several
different, separate

198
brings in
introduces (as evidence)

202
used … degree
committed at every degree of severity

203
th’bar
i.e. of the court

204
creature
person/minion created through favor, i.e. not a genuine supporter

209
threat
threaten

217
shadows
something Insubstantial (Richard shifts the sense to “ghosts”)

221
proof
impenetrable armor

224
shrink from
i.e. desert

226
Cry mercy
forgive me

226
watchful
alert/protective, guarding

227
ta’en
caught

233
cried on
invoked, called out to

234
jocund
lively, joyful

239
said
already said, said before

240
leisure
time available

240
enforcement
constraints

244
bulwarks
fortifications

245
except
excepted

249
raised
promoted (to the throne)

249
established
confirmed in power

250
made means
contrived, grasped opportunities, used any resource

252
stone
jewel

252
foil
setting for a jewel (designed to highlight the jewel’s beauty)

253
chair
throne

253
falsely
wrongfully, treacherously/artificially

256
ward
protect

260
fat
wealth, prosperous growth

260
hire
recompense

264
quits
requites, repays

264
age
old age

266
Advance your standards
raise your battle flags

267
the … face
i.e. if I fail the only ransom to be paid for me shall be my death (noblemen captured in war were often released on payment of a ransom)

269
thrive
succeed/live

272
Saint George
patron saint of England

273
touching
regarding

278
Tell
count (the chimes of)

278
calendar
almanac, containing astrological predictions that dealt with meteorology

281
book
almanac

282
braved
made splendid/challenged

282
braved the east
i.e. risen

283
black
dark, gloomy/evil, disastrous

286
lour
glower, threaten darkly

287
from
not on

290
sadly
solemnly

291
vaunts
flaunts itself proudly

292
Caparison
harness, equip

296
foreward
vanguard, front line of troops

296
drawn
extended

297
horse and foot
cavalry and infantry, horsemen and foot soldiers

301
directed
positioned, deployed

302
puissance
power

303
wingèd
flanked

303
chiefest
horse best cavalry

304
to boot
(to support us) as well

307
Jockey
contraction of “John-kin.” a nickname for “John” (Norfolk’s first name)

308
Dickon
diminutive of Dick, i.e. Richard

308
bought and sold
betrayed for a bribe

315
join
join battle

315
pell-mell
with headlong haste/at close quarters, with hand-to-hand combat

317
inferred
stated

318
cope
fight, grapple

319
sort
gang

321
o’er-cloyèd
overfull and sickened

325
restrain
deprive you of

325
distain
defile, soil, rape

326
fellow
with lower-class connotations

327
Bretagne
Brittany

327
mother’s
an error (for “brother’s”) that appears in the second edition of Shakespeare’s major source, Holinshed’s
Chronicles
; just conceivably “mother” might refer to “mother England”

328
milksop
weak, cowardly person/infant still on a milk diet

329
over-shoes in snow
when snow is above the level of one’s shoes

330
whip these stragglers
i.e. as vagabonds were whipped out of the parish by a local official

331
Lash hence
whip away from here

331
overweening
ambitious, overreaching

331
rags
vagrants/old scraps

333
but
were it not for

333
fond exploit
foolish military undertaking

334
want
lack

337
land
with connotations of “sexual territory,” i.e. wives and daughters

337
bobbed and thumped
beaten, pounded/had sex with, raped (their women)

338
on record
as is officially recorded

338
the … shame
in disgrace/illegitimate children

339
Lie
have sex with

340
Ravish
rape

341
yeomen
property-owning men below the level of gentlemen

343
proud
splendid/rearing

343
blood
i.e. the blood drawn from spurring the horses so hard

344
Amaze
terrify, alarm, bewilder

344
welkin
sky

344
broken
i.e. shattered from energetic use

346
deny
refuse

348
past the marsh
i.e. advancing

350
great
full of emotion

352
word of courage
i.e. battle cry

353
spleen
fury

353
dragons
Saint George was famed for the legendary killing of a dragon

354.1
Alarum, excursions
trumpet call to arms and bouts of fighting across the stage

356
a man
is humanly possible

357
Daring an opposite
defying an enemy

363
set … cast
gambled my life on the throw of a die

364
stand
await, endure

364
hazard
chance

364
die
singular of “dice” (with connotations of death)

365
six Richmonds
probably refers to the military precaution of disguising other soldiers as their commander

370
acquit thee
acquitted yourself

371
royalties
emblems of sovereignty, i.e. the crown

379
name
rank

382
become their births
befits their social standing

385
ta’en the sacrament
confirmed an oath by taking Holy Communion

386
unite … red
i.e. unite the Houses of Lancaster (symbolized by a red rose) and York (a white rose) by marrying Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV

387
conjunction
union (literally, proximity of planets)

393
sire
father

397
succeeders
inheritors, heirs

398
ordinance
decree

402
Abate
blunt

402
edge
sword edge

403
reduce
bring back

405
increase
growth, harvest, prosperity

407
stopped
staunched, stopped from bleeding/no longer inflicted

Act 5 Scene 3

2
prophet
i.e. Henry VI

3
by
nearby

3
him
Henry VI/Richmond

5
Exeter
town in the county of Devon, southwest England

7
Rougemont
puns on
Richmond

8
bard
(prophetic) poet

18
Jack
small figure of a man that struck the clock bell every hour (plays on the sense of “knave, base fellow”)

18
keep’st the stroke
observe the hour by striking the bell, i.e. regularly interrupt

19
meditation
thoughts, reflection

22
true
loyal