Explication of Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Richard III .
O, Curséd be the hand that made these holes.
15. Curséd the heart that had the heart to do it.
Curséd the blood that let this blood from hence.
More direful hap betide that hated wretch,.
That makes us wretched by the death of thee.
Than I can wish to wolves - to spiders, toads,.
20. Or any creeping venomed thing that lives.
If ever he have child, abortive be it,.
Prodigious, and untimely brought to light,.
Whose ugly and unnatural aspect.
May fright the hopeful mother at the view,.
25. And that be heir to his unhappiness.
If ever he have wife, let her he made.
More miserable by the death of him.
Than I am made by my young lord and thee.
In 1.2 of Shakespeare's Richard III, Lady Anne changes from hatred to consideration of Richard's "love." This is an infamous scene because it shows that despite Anne's condemnation of the murderer of her late husband and father-in-law, she is willing to see what Richard has to say and offer to her even as she is near the coffin of the king. Although Anne's later actions contradict her initial condemnation of Richard, her words are still effective as an omen regarding the futures of Richard and herself despite her ignorance of the truth behind what she says. The prophetic power of Anne's words is particularly notable when she talks to herself before Richard appears in this scene.
Anne talks about the future that she wants for Richard, but also her words foreshadow her future. Before Anne encounters Richard, the tone of her lines has shifted from mourning King Henry VI to expressing what she would like to see happen to his killer. This shift occurs with an anaphora of three consecutive lines that start with "cursed" (lines 15-16). This anaphora of "cursed" makes the intention of her soliloquy clear, and they also unknowingly reflect the theme of the play of how Richard and those around him are and will be cursed.