Richard’s most famous soliloquy

Richard III, Act 1, Scene 1 (First Folio, 1623)

Actus Primus. Scœna Prima.

Enter Richard Duke of Gloster, solus.

NOw is the Winter of our Discontent,

Made glorious Summer by this Son of Yorke:

And all the clouds that lowr’d vpon our house

In the deepe bosome of the Ocean buried.

Now are our browes bound with Victorious Wreathes,

Our bruised armes hung vp for Monuments;

Our sterne Alarums chang’d to merry Meetings;

Our dreadfull Marches, to delightfull Measures.

Grim-visag’d Warre, hath smooth’d his wrinkled Front:

And now, in stead of mounting Barbed Steeds,

To fright the Soules of fearfull Aduersaries,

He capers nimbly in a Ladies Chamber,

To the lasciuious pleasing of a Lute.

But I, that am not shap’d for sportiue trickes,

Nor made to court an amorous Looking-glasse:

I, that am Rudely stampt, and want loues Maiesty,

To strut before a wonton ambling Nymph:

I, that am curtail’d of this faire Proportion,

Cheated of Feature by dissembling Nature,

Deform’d, vn-finish’d, sent before my time

Into this breathing World, scarse halfe made vp,

And that so lamely and vnfashionable,

That dogges barke at me, as I halt by them.

Why I (in this weake piping time of Peace)

Haue no delight to passe away the time,

Vnlesse to see my Shadow in the Sunne,

And descant on mine owne Deformity.

And therefore, since I cannot proue a Louer,

To entertaine these faire well spoken dayes,

I am determined to proue a Villaine,

And hate the idle pleasures of these dayes.

Plots haue I laide, Inductions dangerous,

By drunken Prophesies, Libels, and Dreames,

To set my Brother Clarence and the King

In deadly hate, the one against the other:

And if King Edward be as true and iust,

As I am Subtle, False, and Treacherous,

This day should Clarence closely be mew’d vp:

About a Prophesie, which sayes that G,

Of Edwards heyres the murtherer shall be.

Diue thoughts downe to my soule, here Clarence comes.