CLARENCE’S DREAM MONOLOGUE - LINE-BY-LINE PARAPHRASE From Richard III, Act 1, Scene 4

Original: O, I have pass’d a miserable night,
Modern: Oh, I’ve just lived through a terrible night,

Original: So full of ugly sights, of ghastly dreams,
Modern: So filled with horrible visions and terrifying dreams,

Original: That, as I am a Christian faithful man,
Modern: That, I swear as a devout Christian,

Original: I would not spend another such a night,
Modern: I wouldn’t go through another night like that,

Original: Though ‘twere to buy a world of happy days,
Modern: Even if it meant I could have a lifetime of happiness,

Original: So full of dismal terror was the time!
Modern: The experience was just that full of frightening horror!

Original: Methoughts that I had broken from the Tower,
Modern: I dreamed that I had escaped from the Tower of London,

Original: And was embark’d to cross to Burgundy;
Modern: And had boarded a ship to sail to Burgundy;

Original: And, in my company, my brother Gloucester;
Modern: And with me was my brother Gloucester;

Original: Who from my cabin tempted me to walk
Modern: He coaxed me to leave my cabin and walk

Original: Upon the hatches: thence we looked toward England,
Modern: Out onto the deck: from there we gazed back toward England,

Original: And cited up a thousand fearful times,
Modern: And recalled a thousand frightening moments,

Original: During the wars of York and Lancaster
Modern: From the civil wars between York and Lancaster

Original: That had befall’n us. As we paced along
Modern: That had happened to us. As we walked

Original: Upon the giddy footing of the hatches,
Modern: On the unsteady, dizzying surface of the deck,

Original: Methought that Gloucester stumbled; and, in falling,
Modern: I dreamed that Gloucester tripped; and as he fell,

Original: Struck me, that thought to stay him, overboard,
Modern: He knocked me—as I tried to catch him—overboard,

Original: Into the tumbling billows of the main.
Modern: Into the churning waves of the ocean.

Original: Lord, Lord! methought, what pain it was to drown!
Modern: God! I dreamed about how painful it was to drown!

Original: What dreadful noise of waters in mine ears!
Modern: What a horrible roaring sound of water in my ears!

Original: What ugly sights of death within mine eyes!
Modern: What ghastly images of death before my eyes!

Original: Methought I saw a thousand fearful wrecks;
Modern: I dreamed I saw a thousand terrifying shipwrecks;

Original: Ten thousand men that fishes gnaw’d upon;
Modern: Ten thousand dead bodies being eaten by fish;

Original: Wedges of gold, great anchors, heaps of pearl,
Modern: Gold bars, massive anchors, piles of pearls,

Original: Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels,
Modern: Priceless gems, invaluable jewels,

Original: All scatter’d in the bottom of the sea:
Modern: All scattered across the ocean floor:

Original: Some lay in dead men’s skulls; and, in those holes
Modern: Some were lodged in dead men’s skulls; and in the sockets

Original: Where eyes did once inhabit, there were crept,
Modern: Where eyes once were, there had crawled in,

Original: As ‘twere in scorn of eyes, reflecting gems,
Modern: As if mocking the eyes that once were there, sparkling jewels,

Original: Which woo’d the slimy bottom of the deep,
Modern: Which reflected light down to the murky ocean floor,

Original: And mock’d the dead bones that lay scatter’d by.
Modern: And seemed to make fun of the scattered dead bones nearby.

Act I, Scene iv of Richard III takes place in the Tower of London, where George, the Duke of Clarence, is imprisoned. The scene opens with Clarence recounting a deeply disturbing dream he has had to his keeper, Brakenbury. In the dream, Clarence escaped from the Tower with his brother Richard, and the two of them traveled aboard a ship. Richard accidentally knocked Clarence overboard into the sea, where Clarence drowned and descended into the underworld. There he encountered the ghost of Warwick, who warned him of torments to come, as well as the ghost of Prince Edward, who blamed Clarence for his death. Clarence describes the horrors of the afterlife he witnessed, filled with the souls of those he had wronged during his lifetime. Shaken and fearful, Clarence eventually falls back asleep as Brakenbury reflects on the misery of those of high rank.

While Clarence sleeps, two murderers arrive at the Tower, sent by Richard to kill Clarence. Brakenbury hands over custody of the prisoner to the two men and exits. The murderers briefly debate the morality of their task, with one of them wavering in his resolve, fearing divine punishment for the act they are about to commit. When Clarence awakens, he pleads desperately for his life, appealing to their sense of Christian conscience, their loyalty to King Edward, and their knowledge of his innocence. He urges them to go to Richard, believing his brother will protect him. The more resolute of the two murderers coldly informs Clarence that it is in fact Richard who has ordered his death. Overcome by this betrayal, Clarence is stabbed and then drowned in a malmsey butt — a barrel of wine — by the first murderer, while the second murderer, overcome with guilt, refuses to take part.

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.