"(DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING)" "NARRATOR:" "The Tower of London." "A monument of the corruption of the soul, where in the shadowed past, a man gained the throne of England, despite the insane ambition that drove him to evil and murder." "He escaped the headsman's block, but he could never escape the ghosts of his conscience." "It is the night of April 9th in the year 1483." "The night that Edward IV, King of England, will die." "Rumors that the King is on his death bed have filled Landon, and the people await the booming of the cannon on the battlements, for this will be the signal that Edward IV is no more." "Anne." "(GRUNTS)" "BUCKINGHAM:" "Richard." "Buckingham, dear Buckingham." "My brother still lives?" "Death is very close." "You'd best hurry." "My sons..." "Where are they?" "Your Majesty, you must not!" "Where are they?" "I must talk to them." "Richard." "Edward." "You bear my name, my son." "You will wear my crown." " Father..." " No, let me speak while I can." "You are very young." "I leave you a land filled with trouble." "Richard." "Sire." "England has been cursed by wars, Richard." "And you have been my right arm." "What I have done, Edward, I have done for you and England." "Now we must have peace, Richard, not torment for this child, who will soon sit in my throne." "Clarence!" "You raced death and won." " A good omen, is it not, Tyrus?" " TYRUS:" "Yes, Your Majesty." "CLARENCE:" "Have I ever failed you when you called?" "This will be my final request, Clarence." "My sons are now yours." "You will lead them and guide them in the ways that are best for England." "I name you Protector of the Realm." "Clarence, my dear brother." "Richard." "It's been too long since last I saw you." "KING EDWARD:" "It is good we three are together again." "Nothing should be important enough to separate brothers." "You chose well for the Protector, Edward." "In all of England, there is no wiser man than Clarence." "Not the strongest, Richard, but the wisest." "I wanted you to approve." "The King must rest." "We will go, Tyrus." "We'll summon you if there's any change." "Richard, do you really approve?" "Clarence and I are your sons, Mother, as well as Edward." "What is honor for one Plantagenet is honor for all of the family." "And why should I not approve?" "Mother." "Should we not have talked in our own chambers, Richard?" "Why down here?" "Eh, the grieving of women grates on my ears, Clarence." "I've been a soldier too long." "I've seen too many men die and heard too many women weep." "Do you not want a woman to weep for you?" "One will." "One only, my wife Anne." "No others, man or woman, will redden their eyes for Richard Plantagenet." "You're wrong." "There are many who think you the greatest man in England." "When we were children, there was no such thing as death." "We were three brothers who would exist forever." "If we could have known then the roads we were to travel." "The years haven't changed you, Richard." "Even as a child, you thrilled to the swords, the lances, the heat of combat." "To you, a battlefield possessed a grand-sounding name only." "It was not a field where men had cruelly shed their blood." "And you, the child of wisdom." "Eh, we were so different." "And yet our love for each other was the same." "Well, that, at least, will never change." "As long as we both shall live." "To battlefields and wisdom." "(CHALICES CLINK)" "And to George, Duke of Clarence," "Protector of the Realm." "My task will be difficult, Richard." "Will you give me your loyalty, Richard?" "And your strength?" "Ahh!" "Richard!" "For the love of God!" "Don't blame me, Clarence." "Blame Edward's choice." "(GASPS, GROANS)" "Once I carried you like this from a river when I saved your life." "You see, Clarence?" "The years have changed me." "Blood." "My brother's blood." "Blood washes away." "You're sure he's dead?" "Yes." "He's dead." "It had to be done." "Yes." " MAN 1:" "The wine cellar!" " MAN 2:" "The Duke of Clarence!" "Buckingham, this blade, the crest of the Woodvilles!" "Richard, your brother is dead." "Murdered." "Murdered?" "Clarence was a man without enemies." "The blade bears a crest you know well." "The Woodville crest?" "You accuse my name?" "You accuse your Queen?" "I accuse only this dagger and the hand that wielded it, Your Majesty." "This will be a bitter moment for Edward to take to his grave." "Come, Anne." "Not yet dead, and already the vultures strike." "Elizabeth, was power for your family so important?" "Please, my husband, believe me, I am innocent." "Your family murdered Clarence to usurp the power from my son." "Edward, no!" "But Richard still lives to be Protector." "But he will see that my son rules as a Plantagenet, Elizabeth, not as a Woodville." "(WIND HOWLING)" "Is it what men do that darkens the sky?" "Or do the skies blacken the souls of men?" "(LAUGHS)" "And do I laugh to myself because I am ambitious and would be a king?" "Or do I laugh at myself?" "A misshapen thing that traffics with evil to gain a throne?" "VOICE:" "Do you seek an answer, Richard?" "What?" "Do you want the truth?" "Or only words to justify your evil?" "Clarence, dear God, have you come back from the grave?" "Just long enough, Richard." "Clarence, you would have ruined England!" "A man of books cannot fill a throne." "CLARENCE:" "Nor can a murderer!" "I had to do what was right for England." "Right will be done, Richard, or you will die." "All men die, but not before I am king." "You will die in violence, at the hand of a man already dead." "A ghost cannot kill me." "(OBJECTS CRASH)" "The King is dead." "And you would be king." "Clarence!" "(LOCKS DOOR)" "ANNE:" "Is wine replacing blood in your veins?" "Anne!" "Clarence lives!" "His body is already in the crypt!" "His ghost, then, Anne!" "My brother's ghost was on the balcony!" "He tried to kill me." "Is that what you want to believe?" "Don't taunt me, Anne." "Don't taunt me." "Not you!" "A stone fell from the battlement." "It almost killed me!" "Can you really believe that a ghost could hurt you?" " It was an accident." " No!" "Clarence said that I would die violently, by the hands of a dead man!" "A king makes his own destiny." "And you shall be king!" "Yes..." "I will be king." "You will be queen." "Go, then." "Pay your respects to Edward." "My oldest son is no more." "My boy..." "He fulfilled his promise, and he died." "The dreams of Clarence died with him." "For him, nothing was fulfilled." "Oh, yes, there was." "He knew your love, Mother." "Because he was capable of loving in return." "And you think I am not?" "You think my affection is as warped as my back?" "Do not keep Edward waiting." "Good-bye, my brother." "I envy you your peace." "Blood?" "Blood on his forehead!" "See, there?" "I see nothing." "What did appear, Richard?" "Blood from your kiss?" "The mark of Cain?" "Blood?" "What blood?" "If there is no blood, then I do not see it." "Either a shadow, perhaps." "One brother dies..." "One is murdered." "How did Clarence die?" "As Cain slew Abel?" "I brought this curse upon our House when my womb conceived you." "Better I should have died at my labor and never unleashed your evil upon this earth." "You talk of evil?" "You, who gave me deformity in a twisted spine and a withered arm?" "Who possesses the greater evil, my mother?" "You, who made me this way, or I, who have to bear it?" "(WINDOWS OPEN, WIND HOWLING)" "(WINDOW RAPPING)" "(WIND HOWLING)" "You seek a word of understanding, Richard?" "The word, perhaps, is true." "Clarence, let me be!" "You will find that truth..." "At Bosworth." "Bosworth?" "What is it, Clarence?" "The name Bosworth means nothing to me." "ANNE:" "Richard!" "Anne?" "(WINDOW RAPPING, WIND HOWLING)" "Anne!" "He stood there, the wine still dripping from him." "See, there, on the floor!" "Your wine." "My wine?" "Richard, these nightmares are not real." "Nightmares?" "I tell you, he was here!" "He spoke to me of the truth." "I would know." "Bosworth." "You were not seen?" "QUEEN:" "I do not think so, Your Majesty." "These accusations against me, Tyrus, do you believe them?" "No, Your Majesty." "A Woodville dagger is easily obtained." "And Richard will do anything to come to power." "Perhaps... murder a brother?" "A brother's blood for the crown?" "A fair trade to a warped mind." "Ambition in Richard is an ocean which cannot be held back." "Then you are with us, Tyrus?" "I am, milord." "But I fear that Richard is but at the beginning of his plans." "Then you see how important it is that we all stay together." "My few remaining friends, I thank you." "Now guard yourselves carefully, and observe." "We will meet again." "Your Majesty, Lady Margaret." "LADY MARGARET:" "Good night, Your Majesty." "(DOOR CLOSES)" "Margaret, you must go home to your father in Scotland." "It's not safe here." "You know I can't go." "Yes, I know." "Oh, I wish you'd never left Scotland." "Then I never would have met you." "No fear can find me now." "Not with your eyes to watch over me, your hand to touch my face." "The day comes so brightly." "It seems there never was a night at all." "A good beginning for the new Protector, my Lord." "Protector..." "Yes, we must protect the young princes well." "If something were to happen to them, the country would be in turmoil." "And yet, I fear that unless something happens to them, the country will be in turmoil." "England needs a man to rule, Richard." "Perhaps." "And yet, I am a modest man." "(CHUCKLES)" "What could possibly happen to the young princes?" "MISTRESS SHORE:" "My Lord?" "Ah, Mistress Shore, you may descend." "Mistress Shore?" "Yes." "I have something in mind I think may interest you." "I trust that we did not take you away from your duties to our mourning queen?" "No, my Lord." "May I offer my sympathies over the death of your brothers." "Thank you." "I suffer, but perhaps England suffers more." "They were great men." "But history does not pause." "The pages keep... turning." "You could be of great service to your country, Mistress Shore." "I?" "I am of no influence at court, my Lord." "You underestimate your position." "Since the death of your mother, you are the only person still alive who was present at the birth of the young princes." "That is true." "In the pain of birth, a woman screams, cries out, becomes confused in her mind." "She calls out the name of the man dearest to her." "Often husband, but sometimes, lover." "I don't understand." "With your help, Mistress Shore, the birthright of the young princes could be easily discredited." "Who would believe such a monstrous lie?" " The Queen would..." " The Queen would do nothing!" "No!" "You defend a woman whose family stands accused of murdering my brother?" " My Lord, if I may go." " You may not!" "You ask me to take away the legal birthright of two innocent children!" "Yes." "Now?" "Ratcliffe, escort Mistress Shore below." "Perhaps the great persuader Geldor can convince her where her loyalty lies?" "Oh, no, my Lord!" "I beg of you!" "Don't!" "No!" "If you change your mind, Mistress Shore, you may yet know, I am a patient man." "(CRYING)" "(THUNDER CRASHING)" "(DOOR SQUEAKS)" "Hurry, fool, let me in!" "Well?" "Despite all that we have done, she still refuses to cooperate." "Hmm." "Mistress Shore, are you content to die there, or are you ready to grant what I wish, huh?" "Perhaps the taste of the rack would be more to the lovely lady's liking." "Geldor!" "It's not a pretty death, Mistress Shore." "What manner of man are you that you can live with such evil on your conscience?" "Geldor." "The children are your flesh and blood, the sons of your brother!" "All you have to do is testify that they are not my flesh and blood." "That would make it easier on my conscience, then, would it not, Mistress Shore?" "Geldor!" "(SCREAMS) I cannot do it!" "Please have mercy!" "Two more turns, and you'll plead to do it!" "Geldor!" "(CRYING)" "Make it stop!" "Why don't you ask him yourself, Mistress Shore?" "Geldor is an understanding man." "(SCREAMING, CRYING)" "(SCREAMS)" "Is it worth it, Mistress Shore?" "(CRYING)" "(SCREAMING IN PAIN)" "I'm afraid it's too late, milord." "She's dead." "It's a pity." "(WHOOPING AND LAUGHING)" "(PERFORMERS INTERMITTENTLY CLAPPING)" "I'm going to be a tumbler when I grow up." "Good, and I'll come watch you." "You'll be chief tumbler of all England!" "Do you hear that, Uncle Richard?" "Tomorrow someone must teach me how to be a tumbler." "Tomorrow you will help your brother learn the formalities of the coronation." "You're gonna be king." "Why can't you give orders?" "When he is older, Richard." "But until then, he will take orders." "That is why your father named me his Protector." "(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)" "(GASPS)" "PRINCE EDWARD:" "Is something wrong, Uncle?" "No." "No, nothing, no." "Only my fears, my apprehensions." "Your father entrusted me to see that you came to power in an untroubled England, Edward." "That you had the loyalty of all your subjects." "Well, don't I, Uncle?" "There are certain armed forces to the north, that, as of now, have failed to declare an oath of loyalty." "Do you speak of my father?" "Yes, I do, Lady Margaret." "When the crown is securely on Prince Edward's head, that oath will be sworn and upheld." "Milord, you may rest assured that the loyalty of Lord Stanley is to the rightful heir and none other." "That is all we require, Sir Justin, loyalty." "For so young a king, it has grown late." "I enjoyed the performance." "Thank you very much, Mother." "It's past bedtime for young princes also." "Mistress Shore?" "Mistress Shore?" "Lady Margaret, will you tend them?" "Yes, Your Majesty." "Your Majesty, I do not see Mistress Shore here tonight." "Is she ill?" "Mistress Shore is dead." "(MURMURING)" "As Protector of the Realm, I cannot tolerate treachery to the crown." "Mistress Shore has been executed for such treachery." "There was no more faithful woman in the castle." "I had always thought that myself, Your Majesty, but when she admitted her crime, I had no choice." "Mistress Shore has been spreading rumors that the young princes are illegitimate, and, therefore, not heirs to the throne." "This is a lie!" "She would have no reason for doing such a thing." "Unless, of course, our enemies to the north are using weapons other than armor." "You have executed a most trusted woman of this court without trial." "You say that your motives are honorable?" "Those who suspect treason in others should first look into their own hearts for loyalty." "(CHATTERING)" "The rumors will fly on swift wings." "It was a brilliant stroke, my Lord." "Who will know now what to believe?" "Are the princes legitimate, or are they not?" "And the doubt must be created over and over again." "It shall be done." "And what of Buckingham?" "I couldn't read his face when I made the announcement." "Does he follow in my shadow?" "I only know he is a clever man of much influence." "He is well-known wanting to cast his own shadow." "Hm, well, I must know how he thinks in order to trust him fully." "I will bring you a full report." "Yes." "And one not colored by your own desires, Ratcliffe, hmm?" "Did I startle you, my Lord?" "No!" "You're dead!" "Why do you retreat, my Lord?" "You were not afraid of me while I lived." "You're dead!" "I saw you die!" "(SCREAMS)" "By such a ghostly weapon, you will die." "(GROANS)" "(WIND HOWLING)" "(VOICES LAUGHING)" "LADY MARGARET:" "You left so suddenly, my Lord." "Wouldn't you rather look at my back?" "Is it not attractive as a woman's back should be?" "See, my Lord, it is not deformed as is your own." "Do not mock me!" "LADY MARGARET:" "Why do you hate the young princes so, my Lord?" "Is it because they stand in your way to the throne?" "Or is it because you have no children of your own to bear your name?" "You had your chance!" "Get out!" "Leave me alone!" "Is your crooked back and your limping leg so repulsive to your wife that she cannot abide your embraces?" "(LAUGHING)" "Am I not graceful, my Lord?" "Get out." "(LAUGHING CONTINUES)" "Get out!" "Come, Richard." "Come to my embrace." "(LAUGHS)" "You..." "You..." "You..." "Anne!" "Anne!" "Anne!" "When I was summoned, I found Richard still holding his wife in his arms." "In his grief, his mind wandered." "He talked of ghosts and specters, and of evil things that haunted him." "We have been seeking proof." "Perhaps that proof can be found in Richard's mind." "Tyrus, in all your medicine, have you no key to unlock the closed doors of the mind?" "Your Majesty, there are herbs from the east which bring peace, and lower the brain's defenses." "And does it not seem, Tyrus, that Richard sorely needs such peace?" "He must be convinced that he does." "(KNOCKING ON DOOR)" "(GROANS)" "(KNOCKING CONTINUES)" "What is it?" "TYRUS:" "It is Tyrus, milord." "I must talk to you." "Tyrus?" "(GLASS SHATTERS)" "What do you want?" "I fear for your health, milord." "My health?" "Your cries were so loud that I heard them when I passed your room." "My cries?" "What cries?" "I was asleep." "Well, a nightmare, perhaps?" "It seemed as if you were struggling with someone, as though to protect the Duchess." "My wife is dead!" "What else did I cry out in my sleep?" "I heard nothing else, milord, but others may have heard something before I passed." "Tyrus, you are a learned man." "Versed in knowledge denied other men." "If evil spirits did seek to own a man's mind, can they be destroyed?" "There are rituals to accomplish these things." " You know them?" " I do, milord." "But to cast out an evil spirit, I must first call it into being." "Are you willing to endure such an ordeal?" "If it must be, I am ready." "I cannot bear this grief." "I loved my wife." "Milord, come with me." "Please!" "TYRUS:" "I summon you, in the name of the Lord of Darkness, the Prince of Evil, and Master of the Lower Regions." "I summon you!" "Quick, milord, step within the pentacle!" "(CROW SQUAWKING)" "Enter now, black spirits, and give us sign." "(SQUAWKS)" "Now, milord, the moment you seek is here." "You will face your torment." "Ask what questions you will, and the spirits will answer in flame." "When the fire rises up, the answer is yes." "When it ebbs, no." "Speak, milord!" "Tell me, will I be King?" "Tell me now." "Did I kill my wife?" "You lie!" "Edward!" "You murdered your brother!" "You murdered your wife!" "And the innocent woman, Mistress Shore!" "Oh, Edward, stop this torment or I lose my mind." "Help me, protect me!" "I would protect the sons of my seed and all those who cross your murderous path, Richard!" "You don't understand, Edward." "I must be King." "I will be King." "Nothing on this earth can stop... (SQUAWKS)" "He tried to kill me." "You saw it, he tried to take my life!" "It was an accident, milord." "Who could be here to harm you?" "You..." "You did not see my brother, Edward?" "I saw nothing but the explosion, milord." "All else was in your mind." "Hold your ground, Edward!" "Hold your ground!" "Very good." "You try it." " That was good, Edward." " Great." "Sir Justin, it is most important that we talk." "Continue till I return." "No, have them join their mother and not leave her side." "Do as Tyrus says." "I'll return shortly." "There's no doubt, then." "These murders all by Richard's hand." "A growing madness grips him." "He's caught up in his own violent dreams." "But it is the young princes I fear for." "How can we protect them?" "(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)" "(FOOTSTEPS PASSING)" "(SIGHS) Not here." "There's not a corner of the tower safe now." "(CHURCH BELLS RINGING IN DISTANCE)" "The Westminster!" "The Abbey?" "Of course!" "Sanctuary!" "I'll make arrangements and have the coach and Margaret go to Scotland." "Lord Stanley must know of this treachery." "(SQUAWKS)" "RICHARD:" "Anne." "Anne, without you, I cannot bear the loneliness of my thoughts." "The torture of my dream shrivels my courage." "VOICE OF ANNE:" "Richard." "Richard, hear me." "Anne?" "ANNE:" "If you need me, I am here." "No, Richard." "Come to me where I sleep." "The grave?" "ANNE:" "Wake me, my husband." "Wake me from my sleep." "Wake me." "Wake me." "Wake me." "Wait, Anne." "Anne, wait!" "ANNE:" "Richard!" "Richard, hear me!" "Do you hear my voice, Richard?" "(CHIME RINGS)" "Hurry, Richard." "Come to me so that I can see you." "Richard." "Hurry, Richard!" "Hurry, before the darkness separates us forever, and I am but a shadowed memory." "Anne?" "You said if I needed you..." "And I do!" "I do, I do!" "I need you more now than ever before." "Anne?" "Anne." "You didn't die." "Yes, Richard, death is upon me." "But you said if I needed you..." "Am I not here?" "Anne." "I need the warmth of your embrace..." "I need your tenderness." "I cannot give you that, my husband." "My arms are cold." "There is no tenderness in their embrace." "Anne, only you gave me love." "Tell me that you still know that love." "I cannot go on in emptiness." "Then, come to me, Richard." "Yes... yes, Anne." "(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)" "You must be outside before the dawn." " Please, hurry, Your Majesty." " Yes." " I'll pro..." " No." "Your Majesty." "(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)" "(SILENTLY) Hold on." "I will go first." "BUCKINGHAM:" "Tyrus!" "Oh, Lord Buckingham!" "Where are you going, old man?" "At my age, milord, one needs but little sleep, so I often roam the tower in the dark hours." "A taste of good wine helps sleep." "Oh, yes, it is true, but one hates to drink in solitude, milord." "However, if you would honor me." "With the greatest of pleasure." "In my chamber is a rare bottle which I have been saving for just such a worthy occasion." "You'll find no argument with me, Tyrus." "TYRUS:" "Our chance encounter was most opportune." "Wait here, Your Majesty." "(MEN LAUGHING AND SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)" "What is it?" "The guard room." "Go back!" "(GRUNTS)" " Your Majesty." " Edward." "Please, Your Majesty." "(GRUNTS)" "GUARD:" "Who goes there?" "Edward, the guards!" "The tunnel leads right down to the river bank." " Go straight to the abbey at Westminster." " What with my son?" "Do as Sir Justin says!" "I'll be all right, Mother." "Margaret." "The coach is waiting at the old park road." "Stop for nothing till you reach your father." "Your Majesty, I beg you, go quickly!" "(CRICKETS CHIRPING)" "(SCREAMS)" "RATCLIFFE:" "Your driver, Lady Margaret." "A pity." "I'm afraid the coach to Scotland will be delayed." "I have no anger for you, Edward." "You are the victim of an older and treasonous mind." "Are you certain the treason lies with me, my Lord, when our Queen has to seek sanctuary at Westminster?" "Is the church a fortress that it cannot be breached, Sir Justin?" "You wouldn't dare." "(CHUCKLES)" "My nephew, I am responsible for your safekeeping." "I cannot again have you put in a position of danger." "But your action tonight leaves me no alternative." "Take the young prince to the garden tower." "You have lost your mind!" "My mind, Sir Justin?" "You think my mind has lost its power?" "Then perhaps you will have more respect for the power of my men." "Take the prince!" "Take your hands off me!" "I am your King!" "Under ordinary circumstances, I would have your head tonight." "But as it is, your head is of more value to me where it is." "I wish you to take a message to Lord Stanley in the north." "And that message is?" "You will tell Lord Stanley that Lady Margaret is my prisoner." "Margaret!" "The old park road is very pleasant at night, milord." "You will also tell Lord Stanley that unless he swears allegiance to me, his daughter dies." "RATCLIFFE:" "Well, Sir Justin, when do you wish the horse?" "I will leave in the morning." "And you, my friend." "In the morning, you will notify the Archbishop that I request his presence here immediately." "You choose your cloth well, tailor." "It pleases me." "Yes, my Lord." "Do not touch my back!" "I must measure, my Lord." "I cannot construct your garment correctly." "Why not?" "Because it is not like the back of a normal man?" "My Lord, I did not say." "(KNOCKING ON DOOR)" "Who knocks?" "I come with the Archbishop, milord." " Get out!" " Yes, my Lord." "Come in!" "Good morning, my Lord." "Good morning, Eminence." "You look well today." "Entertaining guests seems to agree with you." "I am sure you are aware that the Queen has asked for sanctuary." "The Queen, yes." "And young Prince Richard, did he ask for sanctuary also?" "The child?" "The Queen speaks for him." "My dear Lord Archbishop, I alone can speak for the young Prince." "The study of our laws will assure you that those given sanctuary must also ask for it." "If not, then it must be assumed that that person is being held prisoner." "My Lord!" "Since the boy did not ask for sanctuary, then I must insist that you release the prisoner and put him in my custody by noon today." "The Queen seeks protection for the boy." "You will do as I ask!" "Or Westminster will be surrounded by my men and the boy taken from the Abbey by force." "Violence in the house of God?" "You have the means to prevent that violence, holy man." "You leave me no choice, my Lord." "The boy will be returned in peace." "(LAUGHING)" "(BIRDS CHIRPING)" "I bear further instructions from the Lord Protector." "Yes, Tyrus?" "You will carry this document to Lord Stanley." "Young Richard has been put in the tower with Edward." "As I feared." "Only Lord Stanley can stop Richard now." "SIR JUSTIN:" "He cannot move until Margaret is freed." "TYRUS:" "There is one possibility." "And you will be wise to forgo any further treachery." "Geldor guards Margaret in the dungeon." "I promised him a potion to restore his speech." "Is there such a potion?" "After he takes it, speech will mean little to him." "I'll arrange for the carriage and return at noonday tomorrow." "Godspeed." "Now, off with you, and quickly!" "I tell you, Richard, there will never be a better time to seize the throne." "With Stanley unable to move, there is no longer anyone to stand in your way." "Is Buckingham with us?" "Well, I believe he will blow as the wind blows." "And if he doesn't..." "Then let my coronation be announced at once." "All remaining obstacles must be removed tonight." "All remaining obstacles?" "Yes." "All of them." "(MUFFLED SCREAMING)" "RICHARD:" "Strange that they died so easily." "With their struggles no more than sparrows in the teeth of a fox." "So easily." "Not even blood to wash away." "(CHUCKLES)" "VOICE OF PRINCE EDWARD:" "Uncle Richard, you have it." "MY Puppet." "I've been searching everywhere for it." "Bring it to me, please, I beg of you." "Edward, lad, are you here?" "PRINCE EDWARD:" "I'm behind you." "VOICE OF PRINCE RICHARD:" "I'm with Edward, Uncle Richard." "We're playing hide-and-seek." "And you can join us." "PRINCE EDWARD:" "We found the most wonderful places to hide, places where we can never be found." "Even in death, you still play your childish games." "PRINCE EDWARD:" "Why don't you find us, Uncle Richard?" "Then you will know." "Find you?" "PRINCE RICHARD:" "You have to." "It's part of the game." "Show yourselves, lads." "Where are you?" "PRINCE EDWARD:" "Search for us." "Come, Uncle Richard, you must find us." "Then you can give us the puppet." "Come, Uncle Richard, this way." "PRINCE RICHARD:" "He only smiles." "He knows where we are." "(DOOR CREAKING)" "PRINCE EDWARD:" "Do you remember our old chamber, where Mistress Shore cared for us when we were very little?" "PRINCE RICHARD:" "Mistress Shore would rock us to sleep." "Lads?" "PRINCE EDWARD:" "But you won't find us there now, Uncle Richard." "PRINCE RICHARD:" "You must keep looking." "PRINCE EDWARD:" "When I was very small," "I told you that I would like to fly in the air as a bird flies, and now I can do anything I wish." "Are you in here, lads?" "(DOOR CREAKS)" "(SQUAWKS)" "PRINCE EDWARD:" "Why don't you try the battlement, Uncle Richard?" "Perhaps we are there." "PRINCE RICHARD:" "Hurry, we are waiting for you!" "Lads?" "Lads, show yourselves!" "I have your puppet!" "PRINCE EDWARD:" "Uncle Richard?" "Here." "Come this way." "This is such a nice place to play our game." "(CHUCKLING) Yes." "Yes, we could..." "we could have such a good time." "You see, other children wouldn't allow me in their games when I was your age." "I've brought your puppet, little Richard." "I am glad that you can play with us now, Uncle Richard, for there'll be no time after Bosworth." "Bosworth?" "Oh, what do you know of Bosworth?" "Come with us, and you'll have the answer." "Hurry, Uncle Richard." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes!" "Yes." "Richard!" "Richard!" "Why did you stop me?" "The boys wanted to play with me." "You could have been killed." "But... they wanted me to join them!" "Now, they won't wait." " Come, Richard." " They..." "They won't wait." "Tomorrow is the coronation, and a madman on our throne of England." "Madman, dear Buckingham?" "I think you should take care what you call him." "His madness will bring about his downfall." "And when it does, we fall with him." "What would you have me do?" "There is a way to save our heads." "Free Lady Margaret and the princes and send them off to Stanley as proof of our loyalty." "An excellent thought, but a little late." " There is sufficient time." " I am afraid not, Buckingham." "The princes are dead." "Say what you mean, Ratcliffe." "Say they were murdered by that madman." "I am sure Richard is sane enough to be interested in your opinions." "Do you think England will not hear of this evil?" "Not from your lips." "Richard, you think you can destroy everything that stands against you?" "It was wine, too much wine that brought me out onto the battlement, Buckingham." "But you chose to think of me as a madman." " Listen to reason, Richard." " Reason?" "There comes reason." "And with it comes truth." "And what greater truth is there than death?" "BUCKINGHAM:" "Richard, have mercy!" "Haven't I always given you my full support?" "You thought you were deserting a sinking ship, eh?" "(CHUCKLES)" "Well, I find this quite appropriate." "Yes." "(RAT SQUEAKING)" " Yes." " BUCKINGHAM:" "Richard!" " RICHARD:" "There." " BUCKINGHAM:" "Richard!" "Richard, I beg of you!" " RICHARD:" "There." " BUCKINGHAM:" "Richard!" "While you are being entertained by your hungry guest," "I shall be crowned." "BUCKINGHAM:" "Richard!" "(SCREAMS IN PAIN)" "Were the invitations to my coronation accepted with... alacrity?" "All within traveling distance will be here, Your Majesty." "Majesty?" "(CHUCKLES)" "Perhaps you were a bit premature." "But only a moment." "(BOTH CHUCKLE)" "Ah, milord Archbishop." "Did not the Queen accompany you?" "She has this day taken a vow of the cloister." "Oh." "Well, then, perhaps she will pray for me." "But are we ready?" "All are not yet assembled, my Lord." "They delay deliberately." "So they would show me their displeasure?" "Very well, then, I will show them mine." "That does not have my blessing in order to solemnify the coronation." "You must mumble phrases over these and me to make me king." "It is for the church to confirm and make holy your kingship." "I made myself King." "You may bless me if you will." "But I bless England with my own hands." "(LAUGHING)" "Open the door, priest!" "The people wish to see their King!" "(DOOR OPENS)" "(CROWD CHEERING)" "(VOICES LAUGHING)" "(SCRATCHING ON DOOR)" "Your potion, as I promised!" "This will bring back your speech." "Here." "Drink!" "(GROANS)" "Justin!" "Margaret!" "The keys!" "Oh, Justin!" "The coach is waiting." "There's no time to lose." "(GROANS LOUDLY)" "Tyrus!" "Tyrus!" " Tyrus." " No, don't wait." "Go." "Go while you can!" "Godspeed... (GASPING)" "This was a day I had always planned for you." "King Richard... and Queen Anne." "Still, you live within me." "You are Queen." "Your Majesty, Lady Margaret has escaped!" "Escaped?" "Speak, traitor!" "How long have they been gone?" "Long enough to be safe." "This is not your first betrayal, physician." "Pretending to cure my grief, you put evil spirits into my mind." "Dreams, you said they were!" "Ghosts that came to haunt me out of my own nightmares!" "You tried to drive me to madness!" "I am dead already." "You still breathe!" "Only to tell you I shall rest easy in my grave." "But you..." "And you..." "You die, physician." "And the specters that bedeviled my brain die with you." "I am free at last." "I shall know peace now." "Our scouts tell us that Margaret and Justin have reached Lord Stanley, and that he is bringing his armies into the field about here." "Bosworth?" "You know this place?" "It's but a small village in a remote area." "No..." "No, I've never heard of it!" "Bosworth..." "How could dead men have known?" "Ghosts with no more substance than the shades of night." "It was not within their power to know." "The future is not preordained." "I say that man controls his own destiny!" "Your Majesty." "Why do I cringe, Ratcliffe?" "I have nothing to fear." "Did not those same ghosts tell me no mortal hand would kill me?" "If Bosworth is where he wants battle, then Bosworth it is!" "Stanley camps there." "His armies will be rested." "The long march will tire us." "Let England know it has a king who would fight!" "These are my orders!" "We march at daybreak!" "I will issue the orders immediately, Your Majesty." "(WIND HOWLING, VOICES LAUGHING)" "Please, get out!" "(LAUGHING STOPS)" "VOICE OF BUCKINGHAM:" "The wind blows from Bosworth!" "Buckingham?" "BUCKINGHAM:" "Can a ship sink on land, Richard?" "Need the rats desert?" "Do not mock me, Buckingham." "BUCKINGHAM:" "You will drown, Richard." "The land will turn to a sea of blood!" "I can shut you out." "Do you hear me?" "I can shut you!" "(WIND HOWLING)" "There!" "Do you hear me?" "I will prevail!" "(VOICES LAUGHING)" "I am the King!" "I will prevail!" "I am the King!" "(INTENSE KNOCKING ON DOOR)" "RATCLIFFE:" "Your Majesty, it is most urgent!" "This just arrived by courier from the north." ""We are out of Richmond."" ""Cross the Channel from France with a full army and join Stanley at Bosworth."" ""Bosworth."" "Then the riddle is answered." "Now we know what Bosworth meant." "Your Majesty, we cannot attack now." "Shall we run?" "Shall the last thing England sees of me be my crooked back?" "Does not right lie with the crown?" "Then right will triumph!" "Stanley and Richmond will share the same headsman's block." "I say, we march!" "VOICE OF TYRUS:" "Your last march, Richard." "Physician?" "You prescribe from the grave?" "TYRUS:" "Not my grave, but the graves of those you tortured and murdered." "Their spirits shall rise against you and your own madness will destroy you." "This has always won my battles, physician." "And it will win them again!" "Gaze at the dawn, Richard;" "the same dawn that rises now over Bosworth." "Its light shall fill your eyes for the last time today." "Look long, milord." "Feel the warmth of day, for after it comes the long, cold, night." "The day will break again for me tomorrow, and for many tomorrows to come!" "Do you hear me?" "I will live!" "(TRUMPETS FLOURISH)" "(SOLDIERS YELLING)" "(GROANS)" "(THUNDER CRASHING)" "(GROANS)" "(GRUNTS)" "Is this defeat, that I stand alone here?" "Where are the sons of battle?" "Where are the cowards who carried my banners?" "Is this defeat?" "No." "No!" "No, I say it is victory!" "I am still alive!" "I am alive!" "And you, sun!" "You were born this morning, but you are dying now." "Richard still lives to see you born again." "To win the final victory." "Where are my troops?" "VOICE OF SOLDIER 1:" "We are here, Richard." "VOICE OF SOLDIER 2:" "We, your knights and men-at-arms." "Then rally to your King." "The day can still be won!" "You're dead!" "Damn you, stay dead!" "Does death so appeal to you, that you seek it twice?" "He's come to his final madness." "(HORSE NEIGHING)" "(NEIGHING)" "(GROANING)" "What could he have seen that drove him to his death?" "Justice."