QUOTES FROM THE BARD

PLAY: Richard III
ACT/SCENE: 1.1
SPEAKER: Richard, Duke of Gloucester
CONTEXT:
RICHARD
Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of York,
And all the clouds that loured upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths,
Our bruisèd arms hung up for monuments,
Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,
Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
Grim-visaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled front;
And now, instead of mounting barbèd steeds
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,
He capers nimbly in a lady’s chamber
To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.
But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks,
Nor made to court an amorous looking glass;
I, that am rudely stamped and want love’s majesty
To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
I, that am curtailed of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them—
Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,
Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to see my shadow in the sun
And descant on mine own deformity.
And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
I am determinèd to prove a villain
And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,
By drunken prophecies, libels and dreams,
To set my brother Clarence and the king
In deadly hate, the one against the other;
And if King Edward be as true and just
As I am subtle, false, and treacherous,
This day should Clarence closely be mewed up
About a prophecy which says that “G”
Of Edward’s heirs the murderer shall be.
Dive, thoughts, down to my soul. Here Clarence comes.

DUTCH:
Nu werd de winter onzer wreev’le stemming
Tot blijden zomer door de zon van York ;
De zware wolken, die ons huis bedreigden,
Verzwolg de diepe schoot des oceaans .

MORE:
Often misquoted or semi-quoted as “Now is the winter of our discontent” to announce the start of something bleak or ominous, but he is in fact describing the end of something. in context, it is actually positive. The sun is on its way!
Shakespeare is punning here with the son and sun, both in the context of the weather metaphor and the sun emblem of the House of York. Edward IV, son of Richard Duke of York, has replaced Henry VI on the throne.

House=Family, Dynasty
Measures=Stately dances
Weak-piping times=When people amused themselves with peaceful, pastoral music instead of marching drums
Wrinkled front=Frown
Barbed=Horse armour with studs and spikes
Capers=Dances involving leaping around
Court an amorous looking glass=Spend time looking in the mirror
Wanton-ambling=Sexy walk
Determined=Resolved
Idle=Frivolous
Induction=Preparation
Mewed up=Caged
Compleat:
House=Een Huys
Piping=Pypenspel
Wrinkled=Gerimpeld, gerfronseld, gekrinkeld
Barbed javeline=Een Schicht met weerhaaken
Caper=Een sprong
An ambling pace=Een telgang, pas-gang
Induction=In ‘t bezit stelling
Mewed up=Opgeslooten

Burgersdijk notes:
Nu werd de winter enz . De woorden “zon van York” zinspelen op het wapen der familie York, een door de wolken brekende zon; zie 3 Koning Hendrik VI, II. 1.
Doch ik, geenszins gevormd enz. Men vergelijke 3 Koning Hendrik VI, V. 6

Topics: misquoted, still in use, adversity, plans/intentions