Richard II: Act 3, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 3, Scene 1 of Richard II from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Scene 1 Enter Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, York, Northumberland, with other Lords, and Bushy and Green prisoners. BOLINGBROKE Bring forth these men.— Bushy and Green, I will not vex your souls, Since presently your souls must part your bodies, With too much urging your pernicious lives, For ’twere no charity; yet to wash your blood 5 From off my hands, here in the view of men I will unfold some causes of your deaths: You have misled a prince, a royal king, A happy gentleman in blood and lineaments By you unhappied and disfigured clean. 10 You have in manner with your sinful hours Made a divorce betwixt his queen and him, Broke the possession of a royal bed, And stained the beauty of a fair queen’s cheeks With tears drawn from her eyes by your foul wrongs. 15 Myself, a prince by fortune of my birth, Near to the King in blood, and near in love Till you did make him misinterpret me, Have stooped my neck under your injuries And sighed my English breath in foreign clouds, 20 Eating the bitter bread of banishment, Whilst you have fed upon my seigniories, Disparked my parks and felled my forest woods, From my own windows torn my household coat, Rased out my imprese, leaving me no sign, 25 Save men’s opinions and my living blood, To show the world I am a gentleman. This and much more, much more than twice all this, Condemns you to the death.—See them delivered 30 over To execution and the hand of death.	When the scene opens, Bolingbroke has captured Bristol Castle, where Bushy and Green have been hiding out. Bolingbroke doesn't want there to be any confusion, so he tells everybody why he's sentencing Bushy and Green to death. First Bolingbroke accuses Bushy and Green of corrupting the king and coming between him and his friends and family members (including Bolingbroke). Then, since no political drama is complete without a sexual scandal, Bolingbroke implies that Bushy and Green both had sex with Richard. Finally, Bolingbroke says that Bushy and Green helped King Richard steal his land from him, which basically stripped Bolingbroke of his identity as a "gentleman." (Remember, a nobleman's name and all his power come from his land.)
BUSHY More welcome is the stroke of death to me Than Bolingbroke to England. Lords, farewell. GREEN My comfort is that heaven will take our souls 35 And plague injustice with the pains of hell.	Bushy and Green say they'd rather die and go to heaven than live in England with Henry Bolingbroke running around.
BOLINGBROKE My Lord Northumberland, see them dispatched. Northumberland exits with Bushy and Green. To York. Uncle, you say the Queen is at your house. For God’s sake, fairly let her be entreated. 40 Tell her I send to her my kind commends. Take special care my greetings be delivered. YORK A gentleman of mine I have dispatched With letters of your love to her at large. BOLINGBROKE Thanks, gentle uncle.—Come, lords, away, 45 To fight with Glendower and his complices. A while to work, and after holiday. They exit.	Bolingbroke orders Northumberland do his dirty work for him by making sure Bushy and Green are put to death. Northumberland is all over it. Bolingbroke turns to York and says he wants to make sure the queen is treated fairly. (How considerate of him.) Then he says something like, "Okay guys, time to get back to our uprising. If we work hard now, we can party later."