Question

Now that you’ve read act1 scene 1 of Shakespeare’s play Richard 3 write an objective summary of the events in this scene

Answer 1

Short Summary: Richard (Gloucester) informs the audience of his emotional state and his plan to take over the throne. 

Long Summary: 
Richard III, at this point just the Duke of Gloucester, comes out to give the audience some insight into his state of mind and also the actions that have been happening before the play started. Even though the kingdom is in a state of peace, Richard isn't happy about it. He shares with the audience his plan to dethrone his brother (Edward IV), the current king, so that he can become king himself. The first thing he plans is to use rumors to make Edward (who is ill) suspicious of Clarence, their other brother.

Clarence enters, surrounded by guards because Richard's rumors have started to take hold, to be escorted to the Tower of London to be imprisoned. Richard uses this conversation to pretend he feels bad for Clarence and suggest that the rumors were started by Edward's wife Elizabeth or his mistress Lady Shore. He says to Clarence that he is going to try to get him free, but then when Clarence leaves he says to the audience that he is so happy to see him in prison.

Lord Hastings is the next to enter, just recently freed from the Tower. Richard informs him that Edward is sick and when Hastings leaves Richard tells the audience how happy he is about Edward's illness. He needs Clarence to die first so that he becomes the legal heir, then when Edward dies he will take the throne. Additionally, Richard wants to convince Lady Anne to marry him. His family was responsible for killing her previous husband (Henry VI, the former king), but Richard is excited to get her to marry him anyway.

Answer 2

Answer:

The scene begins with the protagonist, Richard III, talking about the end of the civil war, the victory of his family, and the crowning of his brother as the king of England. In the play, he is depicted as a hunchback, and he blames his deformed spine for his bitter attitude. He spreads a rumor about his brother George, the Duke of Clarence, which lands George in trouble with his other brother, King Edward. That’s when George enters the scene, along with the guards who are taking him to prison. Richard pretends to sympathize with George and blames the queen for his imprisonment. He then mentions that Lord Hastings, a supporter of their family, has been released from prison. Lord Hastings then enters the scene and informs Richard that the ailing king is very weak. Hastings goes off to visit the king. On finding himself alone once again, Richard continues to speak aloud about his plans to overthrow the king. He intends to marry Lady Anne to make his position stronger, since she is the widow of the late King Henry VI. The scene ends with Richard planning to kill his brothers, before moving on to pursue Lady Anne.

Explanation:

PLATO