Richard II by William Shakespeare
Act 5 - Scene 3
A royal palace.
Duke of Aumerle : Where is the king?
Duke of Aumerle : God save your grace! I do beseech your majesty,
[p]To have some
conference with your grace alone.
Duke of Aumerle : For ever may my knees grow to the earth,
[p]My tongue cleave to my
roof within my mouth
[p]Unless a pardon ere I rise or speak.
Duke of Aumerle : Then give me leave that I may turn the key,
[p]That no man enter till
my tale be done.
Edmund of Langley : [Within] My liege, beware; look to thyself;
[p]Thou hast a traitor in
thy presence there.
Duke of Aumerle : Stay thy revengeful hand; thou hast no cause to fear.
Edmund of Langley : [Within] Open the door, secure, foolhardy king:
[p]Shall I for love
speak treason to thy face?
[p]Open the door, or I will break it open.
Edmund of Langley : Peruse this writing here, and thou shalt know
[p]The treason that my
haste forbids me show.
Duke of Aumerle : Remember, as thou read'st, thy promise pass'd:
[p]I do repent me; read
not my name there
[p]My heart is not confederate with my hand.
Edmund of Langley : It was, villain, ere thy hand did set it down.
[p]I tore it from the
traitor's bosom, king;
[p]Fear, and not love, begets his
penitence:
[p]Forget to pity him, lest thy pity prove
[p]A serpent
that will sting thee to the heart.
Edmund of Langley : So shall my virtue be his vice's bawd;
[p]And he shall spend mine
honour with his shame,
[p]As thriftless sons their scraping fathers'
gold.
[p]Mine honour lives when his dishonour dies,
[p]Or my shamed
life in his dishonour lies:
[p]Thou kill'st me in his life; giving him
breath,
[p]The traitor lives, the true man's put to death.
Duchess of York : [Within] What ho, my liege! for God's sake,
[p]let me in.
Duchess of York : A woman, and thy aunt, great king; 'tis I.
[p]Speak with me, pity me,
open the door.
[p]A beggar begs that never begg'd before.
Edmund of Langley : If thou do pardon, whosoever pray,
[p]More sins for this forgiveness
prosper may.
[p]This fester'd joint cut off, the rest rest
sound;
[p]This let alone will all the rest confound.
Duchess of York : O king, believe not this hard-hearted man!
[p]Love loving not itself
none other can.
Edmund of Langley : Thou frantic woman, what dost thou make here?
[p]Shall thy old dugs
once more a traitor rear?
Duchess of York : Sweet York, be patient. Hear me, gentle liege.
Duchess of York : Not yet, I thee beseech:
[p]For ever will I walk upon my knees,
[p]And
never see day that the happy sees,
[p]Till thou give joy; until thou
bid me joy,
[p]By pardoning Rutland, my transgressing boy.
Duke of Aumerle : Unto my mother's prayers I bend my knee.
Edmund of Langley : Against them both my true joints bended be.
[p]Ill mayst thou thrive,
if thou grant any grace!
Duchess of York : Pleads he in earnest? look upon his face;
[p]His eyes do drop no
tears, his prayers are in jest;
[p]His words come from his mouth, ours
from our breast:
[p]He prays but faintly and would be denied;
[p]We
pray with heart and soul and all beside:
[p]His weary joints would
gladly rise, I know;
[p]Our knees shall kneel till to the ground they
grow:
[p]His prayers are full of false hypocrisy;
[p]Ours of true zeal
and deep integrity.
[p]Our prayers do out-pray his; then let them
have
[p]That mercy which true prayer ought to have.
Duchess of York : Nay, do not say, 'stand up;'
[p]Say, 'pardon' first, and afterwards
'stand up.'
[p]And if I were thy nurse, thy tongue to
teach,
[p]'Pardon' should be the first word of thy speech.
[p]I never
long'd to hear a word till now;
[p]Say 'pardon,' king; let pity teach
thee how:
[p]The word is short, but not so short as sweet;
[p]No word
like 'pardon' for kings' mouths so meet.
Edmund of Langley : Speak it in French, king; say, 'pardonne moi.'
Duchess of York : Dost thou teach pardon pardon to destroy?
[p]Ah, my sour husband, my
hard-hearted lord,
[p]That set'st the word itself against the
word!
[p]Speak 'pardon' as 'tis current in our land;
[p]The chopping
French we do not understand.
[p]Thine eye begins to speak; set thy
tongue there;
[p]Or in thy piteous heart plant thou thine ear;
[p]That
hearing how our plaints and prayers do pierce,
[p]Pity may move thee
'pardon' to rehearse.
Duchess of York : I do not sue to stand;
[p]Pardon is all the suit I have in hand.
Duchess of York : O happy vantage of a kneeling knee!
[p]Yet am I sick for fear: speak
it again;
[p]Twice saying 'pardon' doth not pardon twain,
[p]But makes
one pardon strong.
Duchess of York : A god on earth thou art.
Duchess of York : Come, my old son: I pray God make thee new.
Previous: Act 5 - Scene 2
Next: Act 5 - Scene 4
