Original: My lord, this argues conscience in your grace;
Modern: My lord, this shows you have a moral concern;

Original: But the respects thereof are nice and trivial,
Modern: But the reasons for your hesitation are overly subtle and unimportant,

Original: All circumstances well considered.
Modern: When you consider all the facts.

Original: You say that Edward is your brother’s son:
Modern: You say that Edward is your brother’s legitimate son:

Original: So say we too, but not by Edward’s wife;
Modern: We agree he’s your brother’s son, but not by his legal wife;

Original: For first he was contract to Lady Lucy—
Modern: Because first he was engaged to Lady Lucy—

Original: Your mother lives a witness to that vow—
Modern: Your mother is still alive and can testify to that promise—

Original: And afterward by substitute betroth’d
Modern: And afterward he was engaged through representatives

Original: To Bona, sister to the King of France.
Modern: To Bona, the French King’s sister.

Original: These both put by a poor petitioner,
Modern: He pushed both these women aside for a lowly beggar,

Original: A care-crazed mother of a many children,
Modern: A worried, exhausted mother of many children,

Original: A beauty-waning and distressed widow,
Modern: A widow whose beauty was fading and who was in distress,

Original: Even in the afternoon of her best days,
Modern: Even past the prime of her life,

Original: Made prize and purchase of his lustful eye,
Modern: Who became the target and conquest of his lustful gaze,

Original: Seduced the pitch and height of all his thoughts
Modern: She seduced him from his highest noble thoughts

Original: To base declension and loathed bigamy
Modern: Down to disgraceful behavior and hateful bigamy

Original: By her, in his unlawful bed, he got
Modern: With her, in his illegal marriage bed, he fathered

Original: This Edward, whom our manners term the prince.
Modern: This Edward, whom we politely call the prince.

Original: More bitterly could I expostulate,
Modern: I could speak even more harshly about this,

Original: Save that, for reverence to some alive,
Modern: Except that, out of respect for some people still living,

Original: I give a sparing limit to my tongue.
Modern: I’m holding back and limiting what I say.

Original: Then, good my lord, take to your royal self
Modern: Therefore, good my lord, take for yourself

Original: This proffer’d benefit of dignity;
Modern: This offered gift of royal status;

Original: If non to bless us and the land withal,
Modern: If not to bless us and the country,

Original: Yet to draw forth your noble ancestry
Modern: Then at least to rescue your noble family line

Original: From the corruption of abusing times,
Modern: From the corruption of these corrupt times,

Original: Unto a lineal true-derived course.
Modern: Back to its rightful, legitimate path.

In Act III, Scene vii of Richard III, Buckingham and Richard orchestrate an elaborate public performance to make Richard’s claim to the throne appear legitimate and divinely ordained. The scene opens with Buckingham instructing Richard to appear reluctant about accepting the crown, advising him to position himself between two bishops to create an image of pious devotion. When the Mayor of London arrives with citizens, Buckingham delivers a carefully crafted speech arguing that Edward IV’s children are illegitimate, making Richard the rightful heir. He claims that Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth Grey was invalid due to a prior contract with Lady Lucy, and further alleges that Edward himself was illegitimate, being conceived during the Duke of York’s absence from his wife.

Richard then appears above, flanked by two bishops as planned, feigning deep reluctance to accept the crown. Despite Buckingham’s passionate entreaties and the Mayor’s formal request, Richard repeatedly refuses, claiming he is unworthy and prefers his current quiet life to the burdens of kingship. He argues that Edward’s son, young Edward V, is the rightful king and that he himself lacks the qualities necessary for rule. When Buckingham threatens to find another candidate for the throne, Richard finally relents with apparent reluctance, accepting the crown only out of duty to England and its people. The scene concludes with arrangements being made for Richard’s coronation the following day, as the Mayor and citizens depart believing they have witnessed a humble man reluctantly accepting a heavy responsibility.

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.