Henry VI part III, Act III
RICHARD: ‘I can add colours to the chameleon,
Change shapes with Proteus for advantages’ (III.ii.191-192)
I’ll come back to Bowie’s song when I finally hit Richard III in August, because when I revisited the lyrics, I couldn’t avoid staring thoughtfully for a while. I will remind Richard that:
‘And every time I thought I’d got it made,
It seemed the taste was not so sweet.’
Like Bolinbroke in RII, like Macbeth – like almost everyone in Shakespeare, let’s face it – the anticipation, the chase, is far better than the conquest, when it comes to the crown.
In the meantime, nothing seems to stay the same in Act III …
You are holding in your hands one of the most interesting, influential – and readable – books in British history.
The Boar's Head, Eastcheap 