Richard II, Act 4, Scene 1
https://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/shakespeare/richardii/page_166/ (pp. 6-8)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR3UStudEYk
ORIGINAL TEXT
KING RICHARD II
165Alack, why am I sent for to a king,
Before I have shook off the regal thoughts
Wherewith I reign’d? I hardly yet have learn’d
To insinuate, flatter, bow, and bend my limbs:
Give sorrow leave awhile to tutor me
170To this submission. Yet I well remember
The favours of these men: were they not mine?
Did they not sometime cry, ‘all hail!’ to me?
So Judas did to Christ: but he, in twelve,
Found truth in all but one: I, in twelve thousand,
none.
175God save the king! Will no man say amen?
Am I both priest and clerk? well then, amen.
God save the king! although I be not he;
And yet, amen, if heaven do think him me.
To do what service am I sent for hither?
DUKE OF YORK
180To do that office of thine own good will
Which tired majesty did make thee offer,
The resignation of thy state and crown
To Henry Bolingbroke.
MODERN TEXT
KING RICHARD II
Alas, why does the king call for me when I’ve only
just resigned myself to give up the throne? I’ve
hardly had time to learn to act like a subject, who has
to indulge the king and bow to him. Give me some
time with my sorrow so that I can learn how to
submit to another. I still remember how these men
used to serve me. Didn’t they once cry out, “All
hail!” to me? But then so did Judas to Christ once.
But Christ had eleven honest followers out of twelve.
I don’t have one out of twelve thousand. God save the
king! Won’t anyone say amen? Do I have to both
give the blessing and affirm it? Well then, amen. God
save the king! Even though I am not the king. And
yet, I’ll say amen in case heaven still considers me
the king. Why have you sent for me?
DUKE OF YORK
You have to give up your country and your crown to
Henry Bolingbroke of your own free will, even
though you’ve already given it over through your
defeat.
KING RICHARD II
Give me the crown. Here, cousin, seize the crown;
185Here cousin:
On this side my hand, and on that side yours.
Now is this golden crown like a deep well
That owes two buckets, filling one another,
The emptier ever dancing in the air,
190The other down, unseen and full of water:
That bucket down and full of tears am I,
Drinking my griefs, whilst you mount up on high.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
I thought you had been willing to resign.
KING RICHARD II
My crown I am; but still my griefs are mine:
195You may my glories and my state depose,
But not my griefs; still am I king of those.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Part of your cares you give me with your crown.
KING RICHARD II
Your cares set up do not pluck my cares down.
My care is loss of care, by old care done;
200Your care is gain of care, by new care won:
The cares I give I have, though given away;
They tend the crown, yet still with me they stay.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Are you contented to resign the crown?
KING RICHARD II
Ay, no; no, ay; for I must nothing be;
KING RICHARD II
Give me the crown. Here, cousin, take the crown.
Here cousin. I’ll put my hand on this side of it, and
you put yours on the other. Now this golden crown
looks like a well that has two buckets, and raising one
causes the other to drop and fill up. One is empty and
dances up in the air, while the other is down in the
well and full of water. I’m the bucket at the bottom,
full of tears, and you are the one risen to the top.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
I thought you were willing to give up the crown.
KING RICHARD II
I’m willing to give up my crown, but my sadness is
still mine. You can take my glory and my royal
status, but I still rule over my grief.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
You’ll lose some of those worries when you give the
crown to me.
KING RICHARD II
Just because you gain those worries doesn’t mean I
lose them. I’m worried by their loss and by what has
happened. Your concern is the new responsibilities
you are taking on. I’ll keep my worries even if I give
away their cause, the crown.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Are you willing to give up the crown?
KING RICHARD II
Yes and no. No and yes, since I must not be anything.
So, no, no, because I give it up to you. Now look, I’ll
205Therefore no no, for I resign to thee.
Now mark me, how I will undo myself;
I give this heavy weight from off my head
And this unwieldy sceptre from my hand,
The pride of kingly sway from out my heart;
210With mine own tears I wash away my balm,
With mine own hands I give away my crown,
With mine own tongue deny my sacred state,
With mine own breath release all duty’s rites:
All pomp and majesty I do forswear;
make myself nothing. I’ll give you this heavy crown
from my head, and this scepter from my hand. I’ll
take the pride of being king out of my heart. My own
tears will wash away the oil that made me king. My
own hands will give away the crown. My own tongue
will deny my sacred right to be king. My own breath
will give up all oaths of allegiance made to me. I give
up all the ritual and ceremony, all my homes, my
income, and reject all the laws I enacted. May God
pardon everyone who breaks his oath to me! May
God keep them from breaking their oath to you! Let
me grieve for nothing since I have nothing, and let
you be pleased with everything since you have
everything! May you live long in my place, and let
me be buried soon! God save King Harry, former
King Richard says, and let him have many happy
days! What else is left?

215My manors, rents, revenues I forego;

My acts, decrees, and statutes I deny:

God pardon all oaths that are broke to me!

God keep all vows unbroke that swear to thee!

Make me, that nothing have, with nothing grieved,

220And thou with all pleased, that hast all

achieved!

Long mayst thou live in Richard’s seat to sit,

And soon lie Richard in an earthly pit!

God save King Harry, unking’d Richard says,

And send him many years of sunshine days!

225What more remains?