Queen Margaret

Queen Margaret's lines in act 1 scene 3 of Richard III has many illusions that refer to the major theme of God's inevitable punishment. Her first reference is when she says, "God's gentle sleeping peace." (306). She talks to Buckingham and Richard about how "sin, death, and hell have set their marks on him (the dog.)" (312). She is warning them of doing bad deeds and how at God's gate at their judgement day, he will know wrong from right and he will turn them away from the gates of heaven. She claims that she is a prophetess and that she knows how God truly wants things to be. She then continues with lines such as, "soothe the devil that I warn thee from," "all of you to God's." She does so, so convincingly that Richard then says, "I cannot blame her. By god's holy mother." (325). The idea of God's inevitable punishment holds people to their guilt and judgement of wrong from right. Richard is in a difficult place because he is in mist of doing many wrongs for the final goal of the title King; however, he cannot escape the guilt.