Original: More than I have said, loving countrymen,
Modern: There’s more I could say, my fellow countrymen whom I love,

Original: The leisure and enforcement of the time
Modern: But the urgency and pressure of this moment

Original: Forbids to dwell upon: yet remember this,
Modern: Won’t allow me to go on: but remember this,

Original: God and our good cause fight upon our side;
Modern: God and our righteous cause are fighting on our side;

Original: The prayers of holy saints and wronged souls,
Modern: The prayers of holy saints and those who’ve been wronged,

Original: Like high-rear’d bulwarks, stand before our faces;
Modern: Like tall defensive walls, stand protecting us;

Original: Richard except, those whom we fight against
Modern: Except for Richard himself, the men we’re fighting against

Original: Had rather have us win than him they follow:
Modern: Would rather see us win than the man they’re following:

Original: For what is he they follow? truly, gentlemen,
Modern: For what kind of man are they following? Honestly, gentlemen,

Original: A bloody tyrant and a homicide;
Modern: A violent tyrant and a murderer;

Original: One raised in blood, and one in blood establish’d;
Modern: Someone who rose to power through bloodshed, and who maintains power through bloodshed;

Original: One that made means to come by what he hath,
Modern: Someone who schemed and plotted to get what he has,

Original: And slaughter’d those that were the means to help him;
Modern: And then murdered the very people who helped him get it;

Original: Abase foul stone, made precious by the foil
Modern: A worthless, ugly stone made to look valuable only by the contrast

Original: Of England’s chair, where he is falsely set;
Modern: Of England’s throne, where he sits illegitimately;

Original: One that hath ever been God’s enemy:
Modern: Someone who has always been God’s enemy:

Original: Then, if you fight against God’s enemy,
Modern: So, if you fight against God’s enemy,

Original: God will in justice ward you as his soldiers;
Modern: God will justly protect you as his own soldiers;

Original: If you do sweat to put a tyrant down,
Modern: If you work hard to overthrow a tyrant,

Original: You sleep in peace, the tyrant being slain;
Modern: You’ll sleep peacefully once that tyrant is killed;

Original: If you do fight against your country’s foes,
Modern: If you fight against your country’s enemies,

Original: Your country’s fat shall pay your pains the hire;
Modern: Your country’s wealth will reward you for your efforts;

Original: If you do fight in safeguard of your wives,
Modern: If you fight to protect your wives,

Original: Your wives shall welcome home the conquerors;
Modern: Your wives will welcome you home as heroes;

Original: If you do free your children from the sword,
Modern: If you save your children from being killed,

Original: Your children’s children quit it in your age.
Modern: Your grandchildren will repay you when you’re old.

Original: Then, in the name of God and all these rights,
Modern: So, in the name of God and all these righteous causes,

Original: Advance your standards, draw your willing swords.
Modern: Raise your battle flags and draw your eager swords.

Original: For me, the ransom of my bold attempt
Modern: As for me, the price I’ll pay for this daring mission

Original: Shall be this cold corpse on the earth’s cold face;
Modern: Will be my own dead body lying on the cold ground;

Original: But if I thrive, the gain of my attempt
Modern: But if I succeed, the rewards of my mission

Original: The least of you shall share his part thereof.
Modern: Will be shared with every one of you, even the lowest ranking soldier.

Original: Sound drums and trumpets boldly and cheerfully;
Modern: Let the drums and trumpets play boldly and joyfully;

Original: God and Saint George! Richmond and victory!
Modern: God and Saint George are with us! Richmond will be victorious!

In Act V, Scene iii of “Richard III,” the action takes place the night before the Battle of Bosworth Field, with both Richard’s and Richmond’s camps visible on stage. Richard commands his forces to set up camp and prepare for the following day’s battle, while Richmond does the same with his army on the opposite side of the stage. Richard appears anxious and troubled, calling for ink and paper to write orders and expressing concern about his military preparations. Stanley (also called Derby) visits Richmond secretly to offer support to his stepson, though he cannot openly join him due to Richard holding his son George Stanley hostage.

As night falls, both leaders retire to their tents to sleep. The ghosts of Richard’s victims then appear in succession—Prince Edward, King Henry VI, Clarence, Rivers, Grey, Vaughan, the two young princes, Hastings, Lady Anne, and Buckingham—visiting each leader in turn. Each ghost curses Richard, bidding him “despair and die” at Bosworth, while blessing Richmond and prophesying his victory. Richard wakes in terror from his nightmare, shaken and questioning his conscience, while Richmond wakes refreshed and inspired. When morning comes, Richard rallies his troops with a speech dismissing Richmond’s forces as weak, and Richmond addresses his own soldiers, painting Richard as a tyrant whose defeat will bring peace to England. Both armies then march off to begin the battle.

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.