Richard III - Duchess of York

A detailed Summary of Richard III - Duchess of York

1) What impression do you get of how the Duchess of York feels about Richard? In her eyes, how does he compare with her other sons, Edward IV and Clarence? (Act II, scene ii and scene iv) Note down some of the images she uses to describe him.

Oh, that deceit should steal such gentle shapes,

And with a virtuous visor hide foul guile!

He is my son, yea, and therein my shame;

Yet from my dugs he drew not this deceit.

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Duchess of York: (Speech directed to Queen Elizabeth)

Ah, so much interest have I in thy sorrow

As I had title in thy noble husband.

I have bewept a worthy husband's death,

And lived with looking on his images;

But now two mirrors of his princely semblance

Are cracked in pieces by malignant death,

And I for comfort have but one false glass

That grieves me when I see my shame in him.

Thou art a widow; yet thou art a mother,

And hast the comfort of thy children left;

But death hath snatched my husband from mine arms

And plucked two crutches from my feeble hands,

Clarence and Edward. O, what cause have I

(Thine being but a moiety of my moan)

To overgo thy woes and drown thy cries?

'Small herbs have grace; great weeds do grow apace.'

Blood to blood, self against self. O, preposterous

And frantic outrage, end thy damned spleen,

Because sweet flow'rs are slow and weeds make haste.

Grandam, one night as we did sit at supper,

The results of this stress on the already sick king are apparent in Act II, scene ii, in which we discover that Edward has suddenly died. The mourning scene of Elizabeth, the duchess, and Clarence's children is highly ritualistic.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Duchess Accursed, Clarence Edward, Elizabeth Ah, York Grandam, York Richards, Act II, York Oh, Duchess York, King Edward, duchess york, ii scene, act ii, act ii scene, princely semblance, false glass, clarence edward, York Speech, ii scene ii, scene ii, weeds grow apace', death lived, lived looking, looking images, grace weeds grow, ii scene iv,

Approximate Word count = 819
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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Richard III - Duchess of York

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