Richard III Act 1 summary and homewrok ..

A summery of act 1 of Richard III:

Richard gives a short speech detailing his plot against his brother Clarence, who comes before him as heir to the throne of England. Richard has just succeeded in having Clarence arrested and it as a prisoner. Richard asks Clarence what the reason for his arrest is. Clarence replies that someone told King Edward that a person with a name starting with the letter "G" would cause his family to lose the throne. Since Clarence's full name is George, Duke of Clarence, he was considered to be the primary suspect. Brackenbury tells the men he is not allowed to let anyone converse with the prisoner, and takes Clarence into the Tower of London. Richard comments that he will soon remove Clarence permanently and thus clear the path to the throne for himself.
Lord Hastings tells Richard that King Edward IV is sickly, and cannot hope to live much longer. After he departs, Richard remarks that he will first have Edward kill Clarence. This will put Richard into a position where upon Edward's death he can assume the throne. He also plots to marry Lady Anne Neville, who is the widow of Edward, Prince of Wales and the daughter-in-law of Henry VI, whom Richard just killed.

Act 1 Scene 2:






Lady Anne enters the stage accompanied by halberdiers who are carrying an open coffin with King Henry VI in it. She asks the men to stop, during which time she laments the death of the king. Lady Anne then curses any future children which Richard might have, and prays that after Richard's death his future wife will know even more grief than Lady Anne currently feels.
Richard enters and is immediately cursed by Lady Anne for his role in the death of her husband. Richard tries to woo her by telling how lovely he thinks she it, but Lady Anne scorns him after each attempt. He finally tells her that he killed her husband so that he alone could love her. In a moment of decision, Richard bends down on his knees and tells her to kill him if she cannot forgive him. She replies, "I will not be thy executioner".
Richard stands up and proposes marriage to her, succeeding in making Lady Anne wear his ring. He tells her to go wait for him in one of his London residences while he mourns the death of Henry VI. Lady Anne leaves after saying farewell to Richard, who delivers a soliloquy in which he expresses surprise about the fact that she seems to like his looks.

Act 1 Scene 3:

Queen Elizabeth and Lord Gray discuss the fact that King Edward is ill. Queen Elizabeth is apprehensive about her future if he should die. She remarks that Richard Gloucester becomes her son's Protector if Edward passes away, and that Richard does not like her or her companions.
The Duke of Buckingham and Lord Stanley arrive. They have just been to see the king, and they inform Queen Elizabeth that he is looking well. Buckingham informs her that the king want to meet with her brothers and with Richard in order to get them to make peace.
Richard and Lord Hastings enter the room, with Richard complaining bitterly about the lies which "they" tell the king. When asked who "they" are, Richard implicates the queen's brother, Lord Rivers, and her two sons. He then blames them for the recent imprisonment of Lord Hastings, and for the current jailing of his brother Clarence. Queen Elizabeth is outraged at these suggestions, and threatens to tell the king.
Queen Margaret arrives, she is the widow of Henry VI and the mother of Edward whom Richard killed. She remarks that Queen Elizabeth has her to thank for the throne, and calls Richard a devil for the murders he committed. Richard defends himself, pointing out his fierce loyalty to his brother Edward. Queen Margaret, fed up with the arguments and accusations, steps forward and addresses them all. She plans to tell them once again about how Richard killed her son Edward, but all of the gathered characters attack her for having killed Rutland. Following several curses made by Margaret, most of which are directed at Richard, the entire company is summoned into King Edward's chambers. Richard remains behind and meets with two murderers whom he sends to kill Clarence. A revealing quote is when Richard says, "And thus I clothe my naked villainy / With odd old ends, stol'n forth of Holy Writ," meaning he hides his crimes with Christian behavior.


Act 1 Scene 4:

 Clarence has had a terrible nightmare in which he breaks free of the Tower and attempts to cross to Burgundy accompanied by his brother Richard. While on the ship, Richard stumbles. When Clarence tries to help support him, he is flung into the ocean by Richard, where he slowly drowns.
Clarence falls asleep with Brackenbury sitting next to him for protection. The two murderers sent by Richard arrive and hand Brackenbury their commission. He acknowledges the paper which says to hand his prisoner over to the two men.
The first murderer has a sudden attack of conscience. He is able to overcome this by remembering the large reward which Richard is paying him. The second murderer tells his companion to drive the devil out of his mind, since the devil is only confusing him. Clarence wakes up and asks for a cup of wine.
The murders engage Clarence in conversation, and inform him that he will die. He pleads to their sense of Christianity, at which they list his many sins, most notably the killing of Henry VI's son Edward. Clarence then begs the men to talk to Richard, whom he promises will reward them well. They inform him that Richard is the man who sent them, a fact that Clarence cannot believe. He seems about to overcome them with his persuasive words when the first murderer stabs and kills him. The second murderer refuses to participate, and even declines to receive his part of the reward.


The importance of the Soliloquy and how it sets the stage for the play:

A Soliloquy can be defined as an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
In the beginning of the play, as Richard struts the stage, we can't help but be beguiled by his charisma and audacity. By the time Richard finishes this soliloquy, we are well aware what creature Shakespeare has fashioned. Unabashedly wicked, Richard the character endures because Shakespeare magnified Richard the king into a villain worthy of the stage.
Interestingly, often the phrase “Now is the winter of our discontent…” is misused. However, it is worth bearing in mind that the word ‘discontent’ is not the last in the sentence. “Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York; And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.” So, in essence, Richard is saying, “happy days are here again!”
However, between lines 12 and 14, the tone of the soliloquy changes, as Richard’s envy towards his brother, Edward, begins to show. Certainly, at this point of the play, it seems that Richard is not interested in power for power’s sake. Instead, it is resentment over his brother’s success with women that prompts his desire to attain a position of supremacy, “And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover To entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain And hate the idle pleasures of these days.” In other words, because Richard cannot enjoy ‘idle pleasures’ he is determined to destroy those who can.
Of course, the reason for Richard’s status as an outsider is his deformity, which he describes at length during the speech, “I - that am curtail’d of this fair proportion, Cheated of feature by dissembling nature, Deform’d, unfinished, sent before my time Into this breathing world…”.
For audience members to become engrossed in the play they must have an interest in the characters, therefore, it is essential that Richard’s subsequent actions, abhorrent as they are, are justified in some way. That is not to suggest that an audience should necessarily feel empathy for his character or even believe that his motivations are valid, but his logical analysis of the situation and his future actions must be known.