King Richard III

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of King Richard III is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Shakespeare • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

An.

Why then he is aliue Rich.

Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.

In thy foule throat thou Ly'st, Queene Margaret saw Thy murd'rous Faulchion smoaking in his blood: The which, thou once didd'st bend against her brest, But that thy Brothers beate aside the point Rich.

I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 1/30

King Richard III

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of King Richard III is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

An.

/æn/

Line 2

Why then he is aliue Rich.

Line 3

Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.

Line 4

Line 5

I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

bend verb US /bend/

form a curve

From this reading “In thy foule throat thou Ly'st, Queene Margaret saw Thy murd'rous Faulchion smoaking in his blood: The which, thou once didd'st bend against her brest, But that thy Brothers beate aside the point Rich.”

brest noun US /brest/

a port city in northwestern France (in Brittany); the chief naval station of France

Brothers noun US /ˈbrʌðərz/

plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else

Edwards noun US /ˈedwərdz/

American theologian whose sermons and writings stimulated a period of renewed interest in religion in America (1703-1758)

From this reading “Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.”

guilt noun US /ɡɪlt/

the state of having committed an offense

From this reading “I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.”

Nay exclamation US /neɪ/

an old word for “no”

From this reading “Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.”

throat noun US /θroʊt/

The passage at the back of the mouth.

tongue noun US /tʌŋ/

a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity

From this reading “I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.”

All words in this reading · 54

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading In thy foule throat thou Ly'st, Queene Margaret saw Thy murd'rous Faulchion smoaking in his blood: The which, thou once didd'st bend against her brest, But that thy Brothers beate aside the point Rich.

aliue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Why then he is aliue Rich.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading An.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.

asideadverbUS /əˈsaɪd/

on or to one side

beate

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

bendverbUS /bend/

form a curve

bloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

brestnounUS /brest/

a port city in northwestern France (in Brittany); the chief naval station of France

BrothersnounUS /ˈbrʌðərz/

plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.

didd'st

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

EdwardsnounUS /ˈedwərdz/

American theologian whose sermons and writings stimulated a period of renewed interest in religion in America (1703-1758)

From this reading Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.

Faulchion

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

foule

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

guiltnounUS /ɡɪlt/

the state of having committed an offense

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

guiltlesse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Why then he is aliue Rich.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Why then he is aliue Rich.

laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/

set down according to a plan

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

Ly'st

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

Margaret

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

murd'rous

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

NayexclamationUS /neɪ/

an old word for “no”

From this reading Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/

a geometric element that has position but no extension

prouoked

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

Queene

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

RichadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

From this reading Why then he is aliue Rich.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

ShouldersnounUS /ˈʃoʊldərz/

plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

slaine

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands An.

sland'rous

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

smoaking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Why then he is aliue Rich.

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

throatnounUS /θroʊt/

The passage at the back of the mouth.

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

tonguenounUS /tʌŋ/

a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

vpon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders An.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading Why then he is aliue Rich.

Chapter 2 of King Richard III by William Shakespeare holds 153 sentences, grouped into 31 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 2 of King Richard III contain?

Chapter 2 holds 153 sentences of King Richard III, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of King Richard III by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 153 sentences, grouped into 31 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 2 of King Richard III?

Work through the 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 31 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading King Richard III

Common questions about reading King Richard III by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of King Richard III?

Yes. All 1981 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1103 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of King Richard III is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1103, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does King Richard III take to read?

About 165 minutes of reading across 397 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter II · Chapter 2

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