Richard III

Three citizens meet on a London street, discussing King Edward's death with foreboding. One tries to remain optimistic—'By God's good grace, his son shall reign'—but the others sense danger. 'Woe to that land that's governed by a child,' warns the third citizen. They debate the young king's protectors. One notes he has uncles on both sides to guide him, but the third citizen ominously replies: 'Better it were they all came by his father, or by his father there were none at all. For emulation, who shall now be nearest, will touch us all too near, if God prevent not. O full of danger is the Duke of Gloucester, and the Queen's sons and brothers, haught and proud.' He delivers prophetic warnings through folk wisdom: 'When clouds are seen, wise men put on their cloaks; when great leaves fall, then winter is at hand; when the sun sets, who doth not look for night? Untimely storms makes men expect a dearth. All may be well; but if God sort it so, 'tis more than we deserve, or I expect.' The second citizen agrees: 'Truly, the hearts of men are full of fear. You cannot reason (almost) with a man that looks not heavily and full of dread.' The third observes that before times of change, 'by a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust pursuing danger: as by proof we see the water swell before a boisterous storm.' They have no specific knowledge of Richard's plots, yet their instincts warn them of approaching catastrophe. This brief scene shows how manipulation at the top creates a climate of fear that spreads throughout society—even those outside the court sense the coming storm.