Richard iii

Act 2 Though still sick, King Edward IV brokers a reconciliation between Queen Elizabeth, Dorset, and Rivers and Hastings and Buckingham. Anon, Richard appears to reconcile with everyone else when Queen Elizabeth mentions her wish to have Clarence pardoned. To the shock of everyone, most especially to King Edward IV himself who claims that he had issued an order reversing Clarence’s condemnation, Richard informs the gathered assembly that Clarence is dead and buried, adding that the King’s countermand must have been too late to reverse the original edict and insinuating that the Queen is responsible; at this point, Stanley comes to beg the King to have a servant of his pardoned for killing a man. The request spurs the King to chide his subjects for their collective failure to plead on behalf of Clarence, arguing that it’s a crying shame that no one thought it his duty to stand up for a King’s brother when at this very moment a noble is standing up on behalf of a slave. Distressed, the King goes back to his room. The children of Clarence, question their grandmother, the Duchess, as to why she’s often so sad of late if not for the fact of their father‘s death. The Duchess replies that she’s sad because of her son’s Edward’s illness and that their father Clarence hasn’t died. The latter of the Duchess’ assertion, however, contradicts what the Boy knows to be truth as he has been told by his uncle, Richard, that the King has had their father killed and at the behest of the Queen. The Duchess assures the boy that his uncle has lied and wonders how she could have ever given birth to such a disgrace Richard. The Queen, accompanied by Rivers and Dorset, appears in a state of dishevelment. King Edward IV has died. She appears to be inconsolable, but Dorset and Rivers manage to calm her, arguing that she cannot begrudge God his payment and that she has yet her son, the Prince of Wales, from her marriage to King Edward IV, who will no doubt be King, on whom she may rely.