Summary: Act II, scene iii
Three ordinary citizens on a street in London discuss
the state of national affairs. They share the news of King Edward’s
death, and, although one of them is optimistic about the future,
saying that Edward’s son will rule, the others are very worried.
These citizens insist that, of the king’s sons, the oldest, young
Prince Edward, is still too young to reign. They state that the
two sides of his family—the kinsmen of Queen Elizabeth on one side
(Rivers, Dorset, and Gray) and his uncle Richard on the other—are
locked in a jealous power struggle. Moreover, they see that Richard
himself is dangerous, cunning, and thirsty for power, and they discuss
his villainous nature. The citizens complain that it would be better
for the prince to have no uncles than to have uncles struggling
over control of him and the country. They dread what the future
will bring.
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Act II, scene iii →
Summary: Act II, scene iv
Back in the palace, the cardinal, an ally of Elizabeth’s
family, tells Elizabeth, the duchess of York, and Elizabeth’s youngest
son that young Prince Edward has nearly reached London and should
arrive within two days. The prince’s mother, grandmother, and younger brother
say that they are looking forward to seeing him.
Suddenly, the marquis of Dorset arrives with terrible
news. He says that Elizabeth’s kinsmen, Rivers and Gray, have been
arrested along with an ally of theirs named Sir Thomas Vaughan.
They have been sent to Pomfret, a castle where prisoners are held
and often killed. The order to arrest them came, not surprisingly,
from Richard and his ally, Buckingham. Elizabeth and the duchess
realize that this news probably means the beginning of the end for
their family. They wail for their loss—and for what is to come.
Knowing that Richard means her ill, Elizabeth decides to take her
youngest son and flee to sanctuary—to a place where, she hopes,
Richard cannot come after them. The cardinal promises his support
and hands over to Elizabeth the Great Seal of England, a highly
symbolic artifact.
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Act II, scene iv →
Analysis
Act II, scene iii is what critics sometimes call a window
scene, because it briefly turns away from the actions of the noble
characters to give us a glimpse into the minds of the common people. Because
almost the entire play focuses so intensely on a close-knit group
of noblemen, this technique of showing us the thoughts of people
in the street offers a new point of view and gives the play a greater
sense of perspective. We learn from this episode that the commoners
are deeply concerned about the results of the power struggle that
they know is going on in the highest levels of government. This
concern heightens the tension of the play and also reminds us that
the effects of these court struggles are not confined to the royal
palace. Rather, they have profound consequences for everyone who
lives in England. Historically, this window scene also would have
made the play resonate deeply with a large portion of Shakespeare’s
audience, many of whom were commoners who, like those in Act II,
scene iii, worried about how the behavior of powerful men and women
such as the nobles would affect their lives.
In Act II, scene iv, the younger prince’s jokes and puns
at his uncle’s expense show us that, unlike Clarence’s young son,
this boy sees through Richard’s schemes. We also see that he is
precociously clever, fully justifying his mother’s reference to
him as a “parlous,” or dangerous, boy, and warning that he is “too
shrewd” for his own good (II.iv.35). As we
see later in the play, Richard does not like the people around him
to be too shrewd, for when people can see through his lies they
become a threat to his schemes.
Elizabeth’s response to the news of her kinsmen’s imprisonment might
seem an overreaction to somebody unfamiliar with the situation,
but given the context, her cry of fear, “Ay me! I see the ruin of my
house,” is perfectly justified (II.iv.48).
She knows that an imprisonment engineered by Richard is likely to
lead to death, as it has already done for Clarence. But, beyond
her fear for Rivers, Gray, and Vaughan, Elizabeth can also see the
larger meaning of this action. With Edward out of the way, Richard
has begun to use his power fearlessly and without concern for reprisal.
Elizabeth is now frightened for her own safety, as well as for that
of her two young sons. The heir to the throne is in a particularly
precarious position, since Richard has good reason to want him dead.
Elizabeth’s decision to take her youngest child and head for sanctuary
is the only rational response. The sole question that remains is
whether even this maneuver can protect her and her family from Richard’s unleashed
malice.