Original: As I intend to prosper and repent,
Modern: As surely as I plan to succeed and make amends for my past,

Original: So thrive I in my dangerous attempt
Modern: May I only succeed in my risky military venture

Original: Of hostile arms! myself myself confound!
Modern: Of warfare if what I’m about to say is true! May I destroy myself!

Original: Heaven and fortune bar me happy hours!
Modern: May heaven and luck prevent me from ever being happy!

Original: Day, yield me not thy light; nor, night, thy rest!
Modern: May daytime bring me no light, and may nighttime bring me no rest!

Original: Be opposite all planets of good luck
Modern: May all the stars that bring good fortune turn against me

Original: To my proceedings, if, with pure heart’s love,
Modern: In everything I do, if I don’t have pure and genuine love,

Original: Immaculate devotion, holy thoughts,
Modern: Perfect devotion, and sacred intentions,

Original: I tender not thy beauteous princely daughter!
Modern: When I offer myself to your beautiful royal daughter!

Original: In her consists my happiness and thine;
Modern: Both my happiness and yours depends on her;

Original: Without her, follows to this land and me,
Modern: Without her, what will come to this country and to me,

Original: To thee, herself, and many a Christian soul,
Modern: To you, to her, and to many Christian people,

Original: Death, desolation, ruin and decay:
Modern: Is death, devastation, destruction, and decline:

Original: It cannot be avoided but by this;
Modern: This can only be prevented by this marriage;

Original: It will not be avoided but by this.
Modern: This disaster will only be stopped by this marriage.

Original: Therefore, good mother,—I must can you so—
Modern: Therefore, good mother—I must call you that—

Original: Be the attorney of my love to her:
Modern: Be the lawyer who argues my case of love to her:

Original: Plead what I will be, not what I have been;
Modern: Argue for what I will become, not what I’ve been in the past;

Original: Not my deserts, but what I will deserve:
Modern: Not what I’ve earned so far, but what I will earn in the future:

Original: Urge the necessity and state of times,
Modern: Emphasize the urgent need and the political situation of our times,

Original: And be not peevish-fond in great designs.
Modern: And don’t be foolishly stubborn about these important plans.

Act IV, Scene vi – Richard III

In this scene, Brakenbury, the Lieutenant of the Tower, is approached by two men — Lord Stanley and a group of nobles — but the central action involves the arrival of the murderers sent by Richard to carry out the killing of the young princes in the Tower. The Keeper (or a similar attendant figure) is dismissed, and Brakenbury expresses his unease at being placed in a position of complicity, noting that he will not be party to whatever dark business is afoot. The scene establishes the grim atmosphere surrounding the Tower of London and the fate of the imprisoned princes, as those loyal to Richard carry out his orders while others, like Brakenbury, attempt to distance themselves from the moral weight of what is being done.

The scene is brief but serves to underscore the ruthlessness of Richard’s reign and the fear he has instilled in those around him. Brakenbury relinquishes his charge of the princes to the men sent by Richard, stepping aside under the authority of a royal warrant, even as he makes clear his desire to remain ignorant of their intentions. The two murderers — Dighton and Forrest, as they are named elsewhere in the play — are left alone to carry out the deed, deepening the sense of dread and inevitability surrounding the deaths of the young Edward and his brother Richard, Duke of York.

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.