Richard III: Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer; a reeling world indeed

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Richard III  

     I was not prepared for the devastating depravity, the lust for power and overt murderous intent that this play portrayed.  Whatever your political persuasion, I was reading it during the divisive presidential election and a kindly, older social worker, when he saw what I was reading, said, “That’s appropriate.”   

     There was not much in a redemptive vein except a painful education in the ways of the world.  Ironically, the peaceful, loving music of Earth,Wind and Fire is referenced here with the phrase “shining star”…but in a pejorative sense.  

     Of course, the opening words of Richard III are beautiful and memorable: “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer.”  It is best to stop the sentence there.  This recalls wonderful memories of the movie The Goodbye Girl with Richard Dreyfus …it has taken me all these decades to actually read the play that he was in during that movie. 

     Also ironically, this play has some of the most beautiful expressions of love, though they come tongue-in-cheek, from the duplicitous Richard as he woos Anne (whose husband he murdered) in his quest to be king: “your beauty, that did haunt me in my sleep.” 

     Another wild Shakespearean ride, even before the days of FX TV.  One of the last quotes sums up this play for me:  “It is a reeling world indeed.”  

Quotes:
 

“Now is the winter of our discontent

Made glorious summer by the sun of York.”  Richard. 1.1.1-2

“Your beauty was the cause of that effect;

Your beauty, that did haunt me in my sleep

To undertake the death of all the world,

So I might live one hour in your sweet bosom.”  Richard to Anne.  1.2.121-124

“Teach not thy lip for scorn, for it was made for kissing.”  Richard. 1.2.171-172

 

“Look how my ring encompasseth thy finger,

Even so thy breast encloseth my poor heart.

Wear both of them, for both of them are thine.”  Richard to Anne. 1.2.203-205

 

“we have done deeds of charity,

Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate.”  King Edward. 2.1.50-51

 

“All of us have cause

To wail the dimming of our shining star.”  Richard.  2.2.101-102

 

“It is a reeling world indeed.”  Catesby  3.2.38

 

“a lewd love-bed”  Buckingham  3.7.71

"A horse!  A horse!  My kingdom for a horse!”  Richard.  5.4.7

 

“God and out good cause fight upon our side.”  Richmond  5.3.241

 

Moon references:

“That I, being governed by the watery moon,

May send forth plenteous tears to drown the world.”  Queen Elizabeth. 2.2. 69-70

 

Vocabulary:

Cockshut time: twilight 5.3.70

Lethe (river of oblivion, Dante’s Inferno) 4.4.251

orient pearl (shining pearl)  4.4.322