How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #7
LADY GREY
And that is more than I will yield unto.
I know I am too mean to be your queen
And yet too good to be your concubine. (3.2.96-98)
Even Elizabeth knows how to speak her mind. She boldly tells Edward that she's too good to be his concubine—a risky thing to tell a king. Edward is attracted to this, though, and he asks her to marry him right away. She's not made of the same stuff as Margaret, but she stands up for herself when she wants. Do any of the women in this play actually fit the gender stereotype for women during this period?
Quote #8
RICHARD
Ay, Edward will use women honorably!
Would he were wasted—marrow, bones and all—
That from his loins no hopeful branch may spring
To cross me from the golden time I look for. (3.2.126-129)
Here, Richard plays with words about using women. On the one hand, he's saying that his brother should treat women well (honorably); but then again, he wants Edward to use up women so there is nothing left. His nasty little pun shows us how he thinks of women: as objects that can be used by men. Of course, he thinks of everybody as an object to be used, but this takes on a sexual undertone when it's applied to women.
Quote #9
QUEEN ELIZABETH
And I the rather wean me from despair
For love of Edward's offspring in my womb.
This is it that makes me bridle passion
And bear with mildness my misfortune's cross. (4.4.17-20)
The first time we see Elizabeth, she's holding her own about not becoming a concubine. Now, she's more worried. She tells Rivers she's in danger because she carries the future of England in her womb. Her predicament is a unique one: she's not involved in the fighting, but she's in danger because of her role as mother to the next king.