Here is the line-by-line paraphrase of the monologue:

Original: Hadst thou been kill’d when first thou didst presume,
Modern: If you had been killed the first time you dared to overstep,

Original: Thou hadst not lived to kill a son of mine.
Modern: You would never have lived long enough to kill my son.

Original: And thus I prophesy, that many a thousand,
Modern: And so I predict that thousands of people,

Original: Which now mistrust no parcel of my fear,
Modern: Who right now have no idea what I’m afraid of,

Original: And many an old man’s sigh and many a widow’s,
Modern: And many old men will grieve, and many widows too,

Original: And many an orphan’s water-standing eye—
Modern: And many orphaned children will have tears filling their eyes—

Original: Men for their sons, wives for their husbands,
Modern: Fathers mourning their sons, wives mourning their husbands,

Original: And orphans for their parents timeless death—
Modern: And orphans grieving their parents who died too soon—

Original: Shall rue the hour that ever thou wast born.
Modern: All of them will curse the day you were ever born.

Original: The owl shriek’d at thy birth,—an evil sign;
Modern: An owl screamed when you were born — that was an evil omen;

Original: The night-crow cried, aboding luckless time;
Modern: The night crow cried out, warning that bad times were coming;

Original: Dogs howl’d, and hideous tempest shook down trees;
Modern: Dogs howled, and a violent storm knocked down trees;

Original: The raven rook’d her on the chimney’s top,
Modern: A raven perched itself right on top of the chimney,

Original: And chattering pies in dismal discords sung.
Modern: And noisy magpies shrieked out their harsh, ugly sounds.

Original: Thy mother felt more than a mother’s pain,
Modern: Your mother suffered far more pain than any normal birth should cause,

Original: And, yet brought forth less than a mother’s hope,
Modern: And yet she gave birth to something far less than what any mother hopes for,

Original: To wit, an indigested and deformed lump,
Modern: Namely, a shapeless, twisted, unformed little mass,

Original: Not like the fruit of such a goodly tree.
Modern: Nothing at all like what you’d expect from such a fine family line.

Original: Teeth hadst thou in thy head when thou wast born,
Modern: You were actually born already having teeth in your mouth,

Original: To signify thou camest to bite the world:
Modern: As if to show right away that you came into this world ready to do harm.

Original: And, if the rest be true which I have heard,
Modern: And if everything else I’ve been told about you is true,

Original: Thou camest—
Modern: Then you came into this world—

In Act V, Scene 6 of Henry VI, Part 3, King Edward IV enters the Tower of London with his brothers Richard Duke of Gloucester and George Duke of Clarence, along with Lady Elizabeth Grey (now Queen Elizabeth). Edward proclaims his victory and the establishment of peace in England, announcing that he will reward his supporters and ensure lasting prosperity for his kingdom. He expresses confidence that Henry VI, now imprisoned in the Tower, will no longer pose a threat to his reign. Edward declares his intention to celebrate his triumph and plans to travel to France to see his new queen’s lands and holdings.

After the royal party exits, Richard of Gloucester returns alone to the chamber where Henry VI is held prisoner. Henry, aware of his impending death, prophesies that Richard was born to bring bloodshed and destruction to England, citing the numerous dark omens that accompanied his birth. Richard responds by stabbing Henry to death, then delivers a lengthy soliloquy in which he reveals his ruthless ambition to seize the crown for himself. He declares that he has no capacity for love or natural human affection, and will stop at nothing—including murdering his own brothers and their heirs—to achieve his goal of becoming king. Richard then drags Henry’s body offstage, determined to continue his bloody path to power.

Henry VI, Part 3 opens with the aftermath of the Battle of St. Albans, where the Yorkists have achieved victory over the Lancastrians. The Duke of York enters Parliament and claims the throne, leading to a confrontation with King Henry VI. A compromise is reached whereby Henry remains king for his lifetime but agrees to disinherit his son Prince Edward in favor of York and his heirs. When Queen Margaret learns of this arrangement, she is furious and raises an army to defend her son’s birthright.

The conflict escalates into full civil war. Margaret’s forces defeat and kill the Duke of York at the Battle of Wakefield, but York’s sons—Edward, George, and Richard—continue the fight. They achieve victory at the Battle of Towton, where King Henry is captured and Edward of York is proclaimed King Edward IV. Henry escapes and flees to Scotland with Margaret and Prince Edward, while Edward IV consolidates his power and marries Elizabeth Woodville, causing tension with his supporter the Earl of Warwick.

Warwick, feeling betrayed by Edward’s marriage, switches sides and allies with Margaret and the exiled Henry VI. With French support, they invade England and briefly restore Henry to the throne while Edward flees to Burgundy. However, Edward returns with an army and reclaims his crown. The final act culminates in the Battle of Tewkesbury, where the Yorkists achieve decisive victory. Prince Edward is killed in battle, Queen Margaret is captured, and Henry VI is murdered in the Tower of London by Richard of Gloucester. The play concludes with Edward IV seemingly secure on the throne, though Richard’s final soliloquy hints at his own future ambitions for the crown.