Original: Those eyes of thine from mine have drawn salt tears,
Modern: Your eyes have made me cry real tears,

Original: Shamed their aspect with store of childish drops:
Modern: And embarrassed my face with so many childlike teardrops:

Original: These eyes that never shed remorseful tear,
Modern: These eyes of mine that never cried tears of regret,

Original: No, when my father York and Edward wept,
Modern: No, not even when my father York and my brother Edward wept,

Original: To hear the piteous moan that Rutland made
Modern: After hearing the heartbreaking cries that young Rutland made

Original: When black-faced Clifford shook his sword at him;
Modern: When the evil Clifford threatened him with his sword;

Original: Nor when thy warlike father, like a child,
Modern: Nor when your warrior father, crying like a child,

Original: Told the sad story of my father’s death,
Modern: Told the tragic story of how my father died,

Original: And twenty times made pause to sob and weep,
Modern: And stopped twenty times to sob and cry,

Original: That all the standers-by had wet their cheeks
Modern: So that everyone standing nearby had wet cheeks

Original: Like trees bedash’d with rain: in that sad time
Modern: Like trees splashed with rain: during that sorrowful time

Original: My manly eyes did scorn an humble tear;
Modern: My tough, masculine eyes refused to shed a single tear;

Original: And what these sorrows could not thence exhale,
Modern: And what all those tragic events couldn’t force out of me,

Original: Thy beauty hath, and made them blind with weeping.
Modern: Your beauty has achieved, making my eyes blind from so much crying.

Original: I never sued to friend nor enemy;
Modern: I’ve never begged anyone, whether friend or enemy;

Original: My tongue could never learn sweet smoothing word;
Modern: My tongue could never learn to speak flattering, sweet words;

Original: But now thy beauty is proposed my fee,
Modern: But now your beauty is offered as my reward,

Original: My proud heart sues, and prompts my tongue to speak.
Modern: My proud heart begs, and encourages my tongue to speak up.

Original: Teach not thy lips such scorn, for they were made
Modern: Don’t teach your lips to show such contempt, because they were made

Original: For kissing, lady, not for such contempt.
Modern: For kissing, lady, not for showing such disgust.

Original: If thy revengeful heart cannot forgive,
Modern: If your vengeful heart cannot forgive me,

Original: Lo, here I lend thee this sharp-pointed sword;
Modern: Look, here I’m giving you this sharp sword;

Original: Which if thou please to hide in this true bosom.
Modern: Which, if you want, you can plunge into my honest chest.

Original: And let the soul forth that adoreth thee,
Modern: And release the soul that worships you,

Original: I lay it naked to the deadly stroke,
Modern: I expose my chest to your deadly blow,

Original: And humbly beg the death upon my knee.
Modern: And humbly beg for death while kneeling before you.

Original: Nay, do not pause; for I did kill King Henry,
Modern: No, don’t hesitate; because I did kill King Henry,

Original: But ‘twas thy beauty that provoked me.
Modern: But it was your beauty that drove me to do it.

Original: Nay, now dispatch; ‘twas I that stabb’d young Edward,
Modern: No, finish me off now; it was I who stabbed young Edward,

Original: But ‘twas thy heavenly face that set me on.
Modern: But it was your angelic face that motivated me.

Original: Take up the sword again, or take up me.
Modern: Pick up the sword again, or accept me as your lover.

In Act I, Scene ii of Richard III, Lady Anne enters in mourning, following the funeral procession of King Henry VI. She delivers a lament over the deceased king’s body, cursing Richard of Gloucester as the murderer responsible for both Henry VI’s death and the earlier killing of her husband, Edward, Prince of Wales. Richard suddenly appears and confronts Lady Anne directly. Despite her initial fierce resistance and verbal attacks against him, Richard begins an audacious courtship, denying his guilt while simultaneously taking responsibility for the murders, claiming he committed them out of love for her beauty.

Through a combination of manipulative rhetoric, false repentance, and psychological pressure, Richard gradually wears down Lady Anne’s defenses. He offers her his sword to kill him if she truly believes he is guilty, then presents her with a ring when she cannot bring herself to strike. By the scene’s end, Lady Anne has been completely won over by Richard’s persuasion. She agrees to meet him at Crosby House and accepts his proposal of marriage, despite having entered the scene as his bitter enemy mourning the very victims of his violence. After she exits, Richard reveals his satisfaction at this manipulation in a brief soliloquy, expressing amazement at his own success in winning her so quickly.

Richard III opens with Richard, Duke of Gloucester, revealing his villainous intentions to claim the throne of England. Despite his physical deformities, he is determined to remove all obstacles to his coronation. He begins by manipulating his brother Clarence into imprisonment and death, convincing King Edward IV that Clarence poses a threat. Richard also courts Lady Anne, widow of Prince Edward (whom Richard killed), successfully wooing her despite having murdered both her husband and father-in-law. When King Edward IV dies, Richard is named Lord Protector for the young Prince Edward, heir to the throne.

Richard systematically eliminates his rivals and supporters of the rightful heirs. He has Lord Hastings executed for opposing his claim to the throne, and convinces the Duke of Buckingham to help him secure power. Richard and Buckingham spread rumors about the legitimacy of Edward IV’s children, claiming they are bastards. They stage a public scene where Richard reluctantly accepts the crown after appearing to refuse it. Once crowned King Richard III, he orders the murder of the two young princes (Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York) in the Tower of London, though their deaths occur offstage.

Richard’s reign becomes increasingly tyrannical and unstable. The Duke of Buckingham eventually rebels against him and is captured and executed. Richard attempts to consolidate power by proposing to marry Elizabeth of York, his niece, but faces growing opposition. Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, lands in England with an army to claim the throne. The play culminates in the Battle of Bosworth Field, where Richard is haunted by the ghosts of all those he has murdered. Richmond defeats and kills Richard in battle, then marries Elizabeth of York to unite the warring houses of Lancaster and York, establishing the Tudor dynasty and bringing peace to England.