The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
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some haunted by the ghosts they have overthrown,
some poisoned by their wives, some killed when they were asleep,
all murdered–for within the hollow crown
which surrounds the mortal head of a king,
that's where death lives, the grinning skull sits there,
laughing at his royalty and grinning at his ceremony,
allowing him a breath, a little scene,
to be a king, to be feared and kill with a look;
he fills him with selfishness and vanity,
makes him think the flesh which contains our life
is impregnable brass; and, once he's made him feel like this,
death comes in the end, and drills through his castle wall
with a little pin, and that's the end of the King!
Cover your heads, and don't make fun of flesh and blood
by worshipping it; throw away respect,
tradition, formality and ceremonial duty;
you have been mistaken about me all this time.
I live on bread like you, I feel needs,
I know sorrow, I need friends–when I'm like this,
how can you say to me that I am a king?
CARLISLE.
My lord, wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes,
But presently prevent the ways to wail.
To fear the foe, since fear oppresseth strength,
Gives, in your weakness, strength unto your foe,
And so your follies fight against yourself.
Fear and be slain-no worse can come to fight;
And fight and die is death destroying death,
Where fearing dying pays death servile breath.
My lord, wise men never sit and bemoan their lot,
but find ways to ease their sorrows.
If you fear the enemy, since fear weakens your strength,
your weakness gives strength to your enemy,
and so your foolishness makes you fight against yourself.
Be afraid and be killed–perhaps the worst you can get from fighting;
to die fighting is to destroy death with death,
whereas to be afraid of death means you pay him your whole life.
AUMERLE.
My father hath a power; inquire of him,
And learn to make a body of a limb.
My father has some forces; call him up,
and learn to make a whole from a part.
KING RICHARD.
Thou chid'st me well. Proud Bolingbroke, I come
To change blows with thee for our day of doom.
This ague fit of fear is over-blown;
An easy task it is to win our own.
Say, Scroop, where lies our uncle with his power?
Speak sweetly, man, although thy looks be sour.
Your admonitions are correct. Proud Bolingbroke, I'm coming
to exchange blows with you to decide our fate.
This feverish fit of fear has blown over;
it will be easy to win our rights.
Tell me, Scroop, where is my uncle with his forces?
Speaks sweetly, man, although you look sour.
SCROOP.
Men judge by the complexion of the sky
The state in inclination of the day;
So may you by my dull and heavy eye,
My tongue hath but a heavier tale to say.
I play the torturer, by small and small
To lengthen out the worst that must be spoken:
Your uncle York is join'd with Bolingbroke;
And all your northern castles yielded up,
And all your southern gentlemen in arms
Upon his party.
Men judge what time of day it is
by the colour of the sky;
so you can judge by my sorrowful eye
that I still have worse things to say.
I am a torturer, bit by bit
I parcel out the worst things that can be said:
your uncle York has joined forces with Bolingbroke;
all your northern castles have surrendered,
and all your knights of the south
have joined with him.
KING RICHARD.
Thou hast said enough.
[To AUMERLE] Beshrew thee, cousin, which didst lead me
forth
Of that sweet way I was in to despair!
What say you now? What comfort have we now?
By heaven, I'll hate him everlastingly
That bids me be of comfort any more.
Go to Flint Castle; there I'll pine away;
A king, woe's slave, shall kingly woe obey.
That power I have, discharge; and let them go
To ear the land that hath some hope to grow,
For I have none. Let no man speak again
To alter this, for counsel is but vain.
You have said enough.
[To Aumerle] Damn you, cousin, who led me astray
from that sweet path of despair I was following!
Now what do you say? What hope do we have now?
By heaven, I will forever hate anyone who ever tells me
again to have hope.
Let's go to Flint Castle; there I shall pine away;
a King, the servant of sorrow, shall give in to his kingly sorrow.
Let the forces that I have go free; let them go
and plough the earth, if they have hopes that they can prosper,
I have none. Let no man speak against me on this,
their advice would be in vain.
AUMERLE.
My liege, one word.
dsMy lord, let me have just one word.
KING RICHARD.
He does me double wrong
That wounds me with the flatteries of his tongue.
Discharge my followers; let them hence away,
From Richard's night to Bolingbroke's fair day.
Anyone who wounds me with his flattery
is doubly wronging me.
Discharge my forces; let them go from here,
from Richard's night to the fair day of Bolingbroke.
Exeunt
Wales. Before Flint Castle
Enter, with drum and colours, BOLINGBROKE, YORK, NORTHUMBERLAND,
and forces
BOLINGBROKE.
So that by this intelligence we learn
The Welshmen are dispers'd; and Salisbury
Is gone to meet the King, who lately landed
With some few private friends upon this coast.
So from this information we learn
that the Welshmenhave disbanded; and Salisbury
has gone to meet the King, who recently landed
on this coast with a few private friends.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
The news is very fair and good, my lord.
Richard not far from hence hath hid his head.
The news is very good and favourable, my lord.
Richard has gone into hiding not far from here.
YORK.
It would beseem the Lord Northumberland
To say 'King Richard.' Alack the heavy day
When such a sacred king should hide his head!
It would be more suitable for the Lord Northumberland
to say ‘King Richard’. What a sad day
when such a sacred king has to hide himself away!
NORTHUMBERLAND.
Your Grace mistakes; only to be brief,
Left I his title out.
Your Grace misunderstands me; I only omitted
his title for the sake of brevity.
YORK.
The time hath been,
Would you have been so brief with him, he would
Have been so brief with you to shorten you,
For taking so the head, your whole head's length.
There was a time
when if you had referred to him so briefly, he would
have shortened you as well,
/>
for taking the head off his title, he would have taken your head.
BOLINGBROKE.
Mistake not, uncle, further than you should.
Don't take more offence, uncle, than you should.
YORK.
Take not, good cousin, further than you should,
Lest you mistake. The heavens are over our heads.
Don't take more liberties, good cousin, than you should,
in case you make a mistake. God is watching us.
BOLINGBROKE.
I know it, uncle; and oppose not myself
Against their will. But who comes here?
Enter PERCY
Welcome, Harry. What, will not this castle yield?
I know it, uncle; and I don't want to go
against His will. But who is this?
Welcome, Harry. What, won't this castle surrender?
PIERCY.
The castle royally is mann'd, my lord,
Against thy entrance.
The castle is royally guarded, my lord,
against your entrance.
BOLINGBROKE.
Royally!
Why, it contains no king?
Royally!
Why, is there a king in there?
PERCY.
Yes, my good lord,
It doth contain a king; King Richard lies
Within the limits of yon lime and stone;
And with him are the Lord Aumerle, Lord Salisbury,
Sir Stephen Scroop, besides a clergyman
Of holy reverence; who, I cannot learn.
Yes, my good lord,
it does contain a king; King Richard is
within those walls of lime and stone;
and with him on the Lord Aumerle, Lord Salisbury,
Sir Stephen Scroop, as well as a clergyman
of high position; I can't find out who he is.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
O, belike it is the Bishop of Carlisle.
Oh, I should imagine it is the Bishop of Carlisle.
BOLINGBROKE.
[To NORTHUMBERLAND] Noble lord,
Go to the rude ribs of that ancient castle;
Through brazen trumpet send the breath of parley
Into his ruin'd ears, and thus deliver:
Henry Bolingbroke
On both his knees doth kiss King Richard's hand,
And sends allegiance and true faith of heart
To his most royal person; hither come
Even at his feet to lay my arms and power,
Provided that my banishment repeal'd
And lands restor'd again be freely granted;
If not, I'll use the advantage of my power
And lay the summer's dust with showers of blood
Rain'd from the wounds of slaughtered Englishmen;
The which how far off from the mind of Bolingbroke
It is such crimson tempest should bedrench
The fresh green lap of fair King Richard's land,
My stooping duty tenderly shall show.
Go, signify as much, while here we march
Upon the grassy carpet of this plain.
[NORTHUMBERLAND advances to the Castle, with a
trumpet]
Let's march without the noise of threat'ning drum,
That from this castle's tottered battlements
Our fair appointments may be well perus'd.
Methinks King Richard and myself should meet
With no less terror than the elements
Of fire and water, when their thund'ring shock
At meeting tears the cloudy cheeks of heaven.
Be he the fire, I'll be the yielding water;
The rage be his, whilst on the earth I rain
My waters-on the earth, and not on him.
March on, and mark King Richard how he looks.
Parle without, and answer within; then a flourish.
Enter on the walls, the KING, the BISHOP OF CARLISLE,
AUMERLE, SCROOP, and SALISBURY
See, see, King Richard doth himself appear,
As doth the blushing discontented sun
From out the fiery portal of the east,
When he perceives the envious clouds are bent
To dim his glory and to stain the track
Of his bright passage to the occident.
Noble lord,
go to the rough walls of that ancient castle,
and through its ruined loopholes blow a trumpet
to announce your message, and tell them this:
Henry Bolingbroke
goes down on his knees and kisses King Richard's hand,
and sends assurances of his loyalty and faithfulness
to his royal person; I have come
to lay my arms and my forces at his feet,
provided that my banishment is repealed
and that he freely grants the restoration of my lands;
if he doesn't, I'll use my superior forces
to lay the summer's dust with showers of blood
raining from the wounds of slaughtered Englishmen–
my kneeling to him like this shows
just how unwilling Bolingbroke is
that such a crimson storm should soak the
fresh green ground of fair King Richard’s land.
Go, tell him as much, while we exercise here
upon the grass of this plain.
Let us march without any drums threatening an advance,
so that from the tottering battlements of this castle
they will get a good view of our forces' strength.
I think King Richard and myself should meet
with no less fear than the elements
of fire and water, when they bring tears
to the cloudy cheeks of heaven with the thundering shock of their meeting.
He can be the fire, I'll be the surrendering water;
he can be angry, while I rain my waters
upon the earth–on the earth, and not on him.
March on, and take note of how King Richard looks.
See, see, King Richard himself appears,
like the red sun when it rises unhappily
from the fiery pillars of the East,
when it sees that the jealous clouds are determined
to dim his glory and to cover over
his bright journey to the West.
YORK.
Yet he looks like a king. Behold, his eye,
As bright as is the eagle's, lightens forth
Controlling majesty. Alack, alack, for woe,
That any harm should stain so fair a show!
And yet he looks like a king. Look, his eye,
as bright as an eagle's, flashes out
his controlling majesty. Alas, alas, how sorrowful,
if any harm comes to such a fair picture!
KING RICHARD.
[To NORTHUMBERLAND] We are amaz'd; and thus long
have we stood
To watch the fearful bending of thy knee,
Because we thought ourself thy lawful King;
And if we be, how dare thy joints forget
To pay their awful duty to our presence?
If we be not, show us the hand of God
That hath dismiss'd us from our stewardship;
For well we know no hand of blood and bone
Can gripe the sacred handle of our sceptre,
Unless he do profane, steal, or usurp.
And though you think that all, as you have done,
Have torn their souls by turning them from us,
And we are barren and bereft of friends,
Yet know-my master, God omnipotent,
Is mustering in his clouds on our behalf
Armies of pestilence; and they shall strike
Your children yet unborn and unbegot,
That lift your vassal hands against my head
And threat the glory of my precious crown.
Tell Bolingbroke, for yon me
thinks he stands,
That every stride he makes upon my land
Is dangerous treason; he is come to open
The purple testament of bleeding war;
But ere the crown he looks for live in peace,
Ten thousand bloody crowns of mothers' sons
Shall ill become the flower of England's face,
Change the complexion of her maid-pale peace
To scarlet indignation, and bedew
Her pastures' grass with faithful English blood.
I am astonished, I have stood here for some time
waiting to see you bend your knee in respect,
because I thought I was your lawful king;
and if I am, how dare your limbs forget
to show their respects in my presence?
If I am not, show me the hand of God
that has dismissed me from my position;
for I am certain that no mortal hand
can grab the sacred handle of my sceptre,
unless he is blaspheming, stealing or rebelling.
And though you think that everyone has wounded
their souls, as you have done, by turning away from me,
and that I am powerless and friendless,
you should know, my master, omnipotent God,
is gathering plagues on my behalf
in his clouds, and they will strike
your as yet unborn children, unconceived,
you who lift your servant’s hands against my head,
and threaten the glory of my precious crown.
Tell Bolingbroke, for I think that's him over there,
that every step he takes in my country
is dangerous treason. He has come to open
the purple book of bloody war.
But before the crown he seeks can live in peace
ten thousand bloody heads of mothers' sons
shall stain the flowers of this English land,
changing the complexion of her maidenly pale peace
to scarlet anger, covering
the grass of her fields with the blood of good Englishmen.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
The King of Heaven forbid our lord the King
Should so with civil and uncivil arms