Shakespeare's Monologues
Shakespeare's Monologues
Lady Anne is the daughter of the Earl of Warwick, and is the widow of Prince Edward of Lancaster. When Edward and his father Henry VI are murdered indirectly by Richard, Anne accompanies the coffin of Henry VI to his burial. Later in the scene, she is taken off guard by Richard’s advances towards her and consents to court him despite her clear hatred and grief.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester, is a cruel, villainous man who has the ambition of taking the throne. Born with a physical deformity, Richard pairs murderous intent with a sadistic sense of humor and arrogance. He sees no issue in killing family members or young princes in his quest for the throne, and frequently manipulates and uses others for his own gains.
Lady Anne, a widow of King Henry VI’s son Edward, has just entered the castle of Richard;’s family whilst mourning the loss of her husband and father-in-law. She initially arrived in the presence of a group of men carrying the coffin of King Henry VI, however, was abruptly greeted by Richard. He asks the procession to go, as he wishes to speak with Anne privately with the intent of courting her. With the previous knowledge of his involvement in the death of her husband and father-in-law, she begins to curse the presence of Richard and his involvement in the destruction of those she loves.
Character description, monologue synopsis, and monologue scoring provided by Anna Chichester as a part of the Spring 2019 THT352 class.
Foul devil, for God’s sake, hence, and trouble us not,
For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell,
Filled it with cursing cries and deep exclaims.
If thou delight to view thy heinous deeds,
Behold this pattern of thy butcheries.
SHE POINTS TO THE CORPSE.
O, gentlemen, see, see dead Henry’s wounds
Open their congealed mouths and bleed afresh!—
Blush, blush, thou lump of foul deformity,
For ’tis thy presence that exhales this blood
From cold and empty veins where no blood dwells.
Thy deeds, inhuman and unnatural,
Provokes this deluge most unnatural.—
O God, which this blood mad’st, revenge his death!
O earth, which this blood drink’st revenge his death!
Either heaven with lightning strike the murderer dead,
Or earth gape open wide and eat him quick,
As thou dost swallow up this good king’s blood,
Which his hell-governed arm hath butcherèd!
| Number of Syllables | Scored Text | Meaning of Beat |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Foul ;devil, ;for God's sake, ;hence ;and ;trouble ;us ;not | Beginning of Beat 1; to cast away |
| 10 | For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell, | ; |
| 10 | Filled it with cursing cries and deep exclaims | End of Beat 1 |
| 10 | If thou delight to view thy heinous deeds | Beginning of Beat 2; To convict |
| 10 | Behold this pattern of thy butcheries | ; |
| 10 | O, gentleman, see, see dead Henry's wounds | ; |
| 10 | Open their congealed mouths and bleed afresh! | End of Beat 2 |
| 10 | Blush, blush, thou lump of foul deformity, | Beginning of Beat 3; to scorn |
| 10 | For 'tis thy presence that exhales this blood | ; |
| 10 | From cold and empty veins where no blood dwells. | ; |
| 10 | Thy deeds, inhuman and unnatural, | ; |
| 10 | Provokes this deluge most unnatural - ; | End of Beat 3 |
| 10 | O God, which this blood mad'st, revenge his death! | Beginning of Beat 4; to plead |
| 10 | O earth, which this blood drink'st, revenge his death! | End of Beat 4; |
| 12 | Either ;heaven with ;lightning strike the murderer dead, | Beginning of Beat 5; To condemn |
| 10 | Or earth gape open wide and eat him quick, | ; |
| 10 | As thou dost swallow up the good king's blood, | ; |
| 10 | Which his hell-governed arm hath butchered! | End of Beat 5 |
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Definitions from David & Ben Crystal / Shakespeare's Words are under copyright, and may not be used without their express permission. All other definitions are from sources in the public domain.
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