Richard III

King Edward calls together his courtiers and lords and has them swear to love each other and set aside their grudges. Growing ill and weak, King Edward seeks to ensure that the kingdom will remain stable after he dies and, therefore, he tries to resolve the enmity between Queen Elizabeth’s relatives and the other lords at court. Richard arrives and also pledges to set aside his anger and to love all of the other lords. He mentions casually that George is dead after Edward ordered him to the tower, subtly implying that Queen Elizabeth’s relatives have had him murdered in prison.

King Edward is deeply upset by the news of his brother’s death and laments that his brother, who loved and supported him throughout the war to win the throne, is now dead because of his rash anger. He accuses the other lords of not preventing him from acting out of wrath, but still asking for him to pardon and show mercy to their own petty crimes. Richard remarks in an aside that the other lords will now begin to suspect one another of duplicity.