The curse starts with alliteration in "hand.holes" (line 14), which transitions to diacope in "heart.heart," and "blood.blood" (lines 14-16). The change from words that start with the same consonant of "h" become the same word with different meanings ("heart") and finally the same word with same meanings ("blood"). The increased repetition reflects Anne's obsession with how Richard ruined her life, so she cannot think clearly and expresses herself in a static rhythm. Synecdoche also applies because instead of Anne identifying the killer or his victims by name, she refers to them by their physical parts, which emphasizes Richard's violence in visual terms. Richard's "hand" is the direct cause of the "holes" in the fatal wounds of King Henry VI. The first reference to the "heart" refers to the murderer's physical organ; the second mention of the "heart" refers to the intention behind the murder. Finally, the "blood" of the murderer becomes part of the "blood" of his victims, which acts as foreshadowing because ultimately, Richard's evil deeds cause his own blood to be shed. Through metonymy, the blood may also be referring to Henry VI's bloodline that has been cut because of Richard's actions. The combination of murderer and victim can be reflected in the two uses of the word "wretch" through polyptoton in "wretch" and "wretched" (lines 17-18). The use of these terms with "direful hap" (line 17) foreshadows Richard's change from the successful "wretch" who violently schemes his way to the throne to being another "wretched" victim who dies from his own wrongdoing.
The combined roles of wrongdoer and victim is reflected when Anne extends the language of the curse through the imagery of dangerous animals: "wolves," "spiders," and "toads"(line 19).
