The power of women in Richard III In Shakespeare's tragedy of King Richard III, the historical context of the play is dominated by male figures. As a result, women are relegated to an inferior role. However, they achieve verbal power through their religious and superstitious speech. In the opening speech of Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 1-30 Lady Anne orients the reader to the crucial political context of the play and the metaphysical issues contained therein (Greenblatt, 509). Lady Anne curses her enemies, using strong language to indicate her authority. He speaks in blank verse, using imagery to emphasize his emotions and reinforce his pleas. Her speech clearly illustrates the distinction between the submissive female role in the masculine sphere of war and the powerful female voice in the realm of superstition. The language used by Lady Anne is appropriate for the scene set during the funeral procession of King Henry VI. Lady Anne mourns the death of King Henry VI, her father-in-law, and her son, Prince Edward. Lady Anne tells the king that she was "the wife of thy Edward, of thy slaughtered son" (1:2:10), though in the story she was only engaged to him. As a result, her relationship with her father, King Henry VI, is closer and her sadness is more valid. This supposed marriage also creates a greater shock for her subsequent marriage to Richard III. The final lines are appropriate because they slow down the speech and emphasize the dullness of those who feel pain and sadness over the loss of a loved one. Furthermore, the elaborate verses underline the drama of his speech and the powerful emotion it exudes. The language supports the holiness of the King and is reminiscent of an elegy or psalm which...... center of the card...... Asks that his wife be "more unhappy at his death / Than I am made I for my young lord and for you” (1,2,27-28). The fact that she marries Richard suggests that his curse is somehow false. Perhaps he intentionally imposes a lenient punishment on his wife, a punishment that she has already undergone, knowing that she could become his wife. Lady Anne draws power from the language she uses to present her vows. Like Lady Anne, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Margaret also recite curses as a form of control over their situations a curse for personal purposes is the only power a woman has within the male-dominated Shakespearean society While the male derives power from physical strength, women can exercise some power through verbal strength. Works Cited Greenblatt, Stephen , and. The Norton Shakespeare. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1997.