Richard III: Act 5
Act 5 Scene 1
Summary:
Buckingham is escorted to execution and begs Richard's dead victims to mock him
Buckingham remembers he wished God to punish him when he was proved a traitor
Buckingham recalls Margaret's prophecy that Richard would betray him
"Why, then, All Soul's Day is my body's doomsday"
All Souls' Day, the day set aside to commemorate the dead
Souls of the lives wrongfully taken by Richard watch over his demise
Act 5 Scene 2
Summary:
Richmond receives a letter of support from Stanley
Richmond vows to defeat Richard's troops and bring peace
Oxford, Herbert and Blunt voice their doubts about the loyalty of Richard's followers
"He hath no friends but what are friends for fear"
Those who fight beside Richard do so out of fear more than love
"The wretched, bloody, and usurping boar (...) swills your warm blood like wash"
Semantic field of death, blood and pain
Imagery of a beast who commands their land
Act 5 Scene 3
Summary:
Richard orders his tent to be pitched and declares his army is 3 times larger than Richmond's
Richmond asks Blunt to attempt to take a message to Stanley and proposes a battle plan meeting
Richard sends a message that Stanley's son will be killed if Stanley doesn't bring troops to him and reflects on loss of high spirits
Stanley pledges to aid Richmond in battle but he can't do so openly due to the threat to his son
Ghosts of Richard's previous victims visit both Richard and Richmond
Richard starts from sleep and questions the reasons for his fear where he wrestles with his conscience
Richmond tells his troops God and victory is on their side and Richard sees disaster ahead
"I have not that alacrity of spirit. Nor cheer of mind that I was wont have"
"Despair, and die"
"Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake and in a bloody battle end thy days"
"thy wife, that wretched Anne, thy wife, that never slept a quiet hour with thee, now fills thy sleep with perturbations"
"I could lend thee aid (...) thou not dismayed (...) fight on Richmond's side (...) in height of all his pride"
"Richard loves Richard, that is, I am I"
"The sun will not be see today; the sky doth frown and lour upon our army"
"For conscience is a word that cowards use, devised at first to keep the strong in awe"
1st time Richard appears doubtful about victory
He lacks the lightness of spirit ("alacrity of spirit") and calm of mind ("cheer of mind")
Repeated in every ghost's curse
Foreshadows Richard's death
Connotes the pain and suffering the ghosts suffered at his hands
Alliteration of 'b' in "bloody" and "battle" and 'g' in "guilty" and "guiltily"
Weight of Richard's crimes will be what wakes him but it will also be what will be the cause of his end
Repetition of 'd' sound is similar to that of a drum beat or heartbeat which is ironic as they are hoping for Richard's demise
Anne is now in control and she mocks the view Duchess of York held about her ("wretched Anne")
Anne was plagued by the guilt of a marriage to Richard every night however now she is the one to fill Richard's night with anxiety
Rhyming couplet
Repetition of 'd' sound is synonymous with a march- like soldiers into battle
Majority play in free verse, use of rhyming couplet emphasises last time curses pervail
Narcissistic
Richard is detached from reality he is coming undone
Pathetic fallacy
Personification of sky as it looks down in disdain at Richard
Richard argues the ghosts that plagued his conscience are the doing of Richmond
One's conscience is not a valuable asset its rather a tactic used to weaken the opposition
Richard is trying to make sense of the ghosts that plagued him
Act 5 Scene 4
Summary:
Richard fought bravely, his horse has been killed but still searches for Richmond intending to kill him
"A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!"
Richard appears both resigned to his fate BUT it could be argued he is deluding himself confident that with one horse he could reclaim his "kingdom"
Act 5 Scene 5
Summary:
Richmond kills Richard
Stanley presents Richmond with the crown which was taken from Richard
"Bloody dog"
"Bloody" the end in which the ghosts wished for Richard has come true
Act 1 Scene 1 Richard stated "that dogs bark at me"
Reiteration of the idea that Richard is an animal
Essay question: 'The supernatural is one of the leading factors in Richard's demise" How far do you agree? (Make particular reference to later acts in the play)
Critics
"The inner divisions that plague his self-identity become apparent in later scenes"-Bystrom
"King Richard has to be punished for his transgressions of contemporary beliefs"-Luxon