Summary
Act V, Scenes 4-5: A Horse, A Horse! & Richmond's Victory
Richard III by William Shakespeare
Alarums. The battle begins. Catesby: 'Rescue my Lord of Norfolk, rescue, rescue! The King enacts more wonders than a man, daring an opposite to every danger. His horse is slain, and all on foot he fights, seeking for Richmond in the throat of death.' Then Richard's most famous line: 'A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!' Catesby: 'Withdraw my lord, I'll help you to a horse.' Richard: 'Slave, I have set my life upon a cast, and I will stand the hazard of the die. I think there be six Richmonds in the field, five have I slain today, instead of him. A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!' They fight. Richard is slain. Richmond enters with Derby and lords. Richmond: 'God, and your arms be praised victorious friends; the day is ours, the bloody dog is dead.' Derby brings the crown: 'Courageous Richmond, well hast thou acquit thee. Lo, here these long usurped royalties, from the dead temples of this bloody wretch, have I plucked off, to grace thy brows withal. Wear it, and make much of it.' Richmond: 'Great God of heaven, say Amen to all. But tell me, is young George Stanley living?' Derby: 'He is my lord, and safe in Leicester town.' Richmond asks who died: Norfolk, Ferrers, Brokenbury, Brandon. Richmond: 'Inter their bodies, as become their births. Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fled.' Then his great unification speech: 'As we have taken the sacrament, we will unite the white rose and the red. Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction, that long have frowned upon their enmity.' 'England hath long been mad, and scarred herself; the brother blindly shed the brother's blood; the father, rashly slaughtered his own son; the son compelled, been butcher to the sire. All this divided York and Lancaster.' 'O now, let Richmond and Elizabeth, the true successors of each royal house, by God's fair ordinance, conjoin together. And let thy heirs enrich the time to come, with smooth-faced peace, with smiling plenty, and fair prosperous days.' 'Now civil wounds are stopped, peace lives again. That she may long live here, God say, Amen.' The tyrant is dead. The Wars of the Roses end. Peace returns. Justice prevails.
Coming Up in Chapter 24
The final battle begins, determining the fate of England and the consequences of manipulation.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Give me another horse! Bind up my wounds! Have mercy, Jesu!—Soft! I did but dream. O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me! The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight. Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh. What do I fear? Myself? There's none else by: Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I. Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am: Then fly. What, from myself? Great reason why: Lest I revenge. What, myself upon myself? Alack, I love myself. Wherefore? For any good That I myself have done unto myself? O, no! alas, I rather hate myself For hateful deeds committed by myself! I am a villain. Yet I lie. I am not. Fool, of thyself speak well: fool, do not flatter. My conscience hath a thousand several tongues, And every tongue brings in a several tale, And every tale condemns me for a villain. Alarums. The battle begins. Catesby: 'Rescue my Lord of Norfolk, rescue, rescue! The King enacts more wonders than a man, daring an opposite to every danger. His horse is slain, and all on foot he fights, seeking for Richmond in the throat of death.' Then Richard's most famous line: 'A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!' Catesby: 'Withdraw my lord, I'll help you to a horse.' Richard: 'Slave, I have set my life upon a cast, and I will stand the hazard of the die. I think there be six Richmonds in the field, five have I slain today, instead of him. A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!' They fight. Richard is slain. Richmond enters with Derby and lords. Richmond: 'God, and your arms be praised victorious friends; the day is ours, the bloody dog is dead.' Derby brings the crown: 'Courageous Richmond, well hast thou acquit thee. Lo, here these long usurped royalties, from the dead temples of this bloody wretch, have I plucked off, to grace thy brows withal. Wear it, and make much of it.' Richmond: 'Great God of heaven, say Amen to all. But tell me, is young George Stanley living?' Derby: 'He is my lord, and safe in Leicester town.' Richmond asks who died: Norfolk, Ferrers, Brokenbury, Brandon. Richmond: 'Inter their bodies, as become their births. Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fled.' Then his great unification speech: 'As we have taken the sacrament, we will unite the white rose and the red. Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction, that long have frowned upon their enmity.' 'England hath long been mad, and scarred herself; the brother blindly shed the brother's blood; the father, rashly slaughtered his own son; the son compelled, been butcher to the sire. All this divided York and Lancaster.' 'O now, let Richmond and Elizabeth, the true successors of each royal house, by God's fair ordinance, conjoin together. And let thy heirs enrich the time to come, with smooth-faced peace, with smiling plenty, and fair prosperous days.' 'Now civil wounds are stopped, peace lives again. That...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Conscience
How suppressed conscience eventually emerges, creating psychological costs for manipulators that cannot be avoided forever
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
Even manipulators pay psychological costs. Conscience eventually returns. This skill helps you understand that manipulation has internal consequences.
Practice This Today
Recognize that even successful manipulators pay psychological costs. Conscience may be suppressed, but it doesn't disappear.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Conscience Return
How suppressed conscience eventually emerges, creating psychological costs for manipulators
Modern Usage:
Like a manipulator who seems to have no guilt but is eventually haunted by their actions
Psychological Cost
The mental and emotional toll of manipulation, even for those who seem immune to guilt
Modern Usage:
Like the mental health consequences of manipulation, even for manipulators themselves
Characters in This Chapter
The Ghosts
The spirits of Richard's victims
The ghosts represent Richard's suppressed conscience. They haunt him, showing that even manipulators pay psychological costs.
Modern Equivalent:
The psychological weight of one's harmful actions, even when suppressed
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Give me another horse! Bind up my wounds! Have mercy, Jesu!—Soft! I did but dream. O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!"
Context: Richard waking from his nightmare
Even Richard, who seemed to have no conscience, is haunted by his crimes. The psychological cost of manipulation emerges - conscience eventually returns.
In Today's Words:
I'm being attacked by my own guilt, even in my dreams
"My conscience hath a thousand several tongues, And every tongue brings in a several tale, And every tale condemns me for a villain."
Context: Richard recognizing his own villainy
Richard recognizes his own evil. Even manipulators eventually face their conscience. The psychological cost cannot be avoided forever.
In Today's Words:
My conscience accuses me from every angle, and every accusation condemns me
Thematic Threads
Consequences
In This Chapter
Conscience emerges
Development
Psychological costs appear
In Your Life:
Even manipulators pay psychological costs - conscience eventually returns
Guilt
In This Chapter
Richard is haunted by his victims
Development
The psychological cost of manipulation
In Your Life:
Manipulation has psychological costs, even for those who seem immune to guilt
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why is Richard haunted? What does this reveal about conscience?
analysis • deep - 2
Do manipulators pay psychological costs? How?
reflection • medium
Critical Thinking Exercise
The Conscience Question
Richard is haunted by his victims. Think about the psychological costs of manipulation.
Consider:
- •Do manipulators pay psychological costs?
- •How does conscience work?
- •Can guilt be suppressed forever?
Journaling Prompt
Write about the psychological costs of manipulation. Have you seen manipulators pay these costs?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 24: Act V, Scene 4: The Battle
Moving forward, we'll examine manipulation fails in crisis, and understand character matters in battle. These insights bridge the gap between classic literature and modern experience.