Here is a summary of the first scene of William Shakespeare’s famous play Richard III. Please read and then answer the questions.
Brother versus Brother
Richard, Duke of Gloucester, meditates on England’s happy state under his brother, the Yorkist King Edward IV, who has been victorious in battle. Richard is unhappy; he does not like sitting around doing nothing and, being born deformed, he may as well be the villain people think he is. He schemes to cause trouble between his brothers George, the Duke of Clarence, and the King. It has been prophesied that someone by the letter ‘G’ will murder Edward’s heirs, so Edward has ordered George’s arrest and imprisonment. Richard tells George the fault lies with their sister-in-law, Queen Elizabeth (Lady Grey), promising to free him but secretly plotting his death. Word comes that the king is gravely ill. Richard vows to marry Anne, widow of Edward, Lancastrian Prince of Wales, despite the fact that he killed her husband and her father.
Glossary:
To meditate on - to think about
Deformed - not having a normal body shape
Villain - a bad character
To scheme/plot - make evil plans
Imprisonment - to be put in prison
Adapted from: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/uploads/files/2013/10/richard_iii_synopsis.pdf
