- TLN 3605rhetorical device
“enacts more wonders than a man, Daring an opposite to every danger”
Catesby says Richard is 'enacting more wonders than a man' — performing feats beyond human ability — while 'daring an opposite,' meaning challenging an adversary or opponent, 'to every danger.' 'Opposite' here is a noun, not an adjective: Richard is daring every foe he can find. The hyperbole elevates Richard into a near-superhuman warrior at the very moment his cause is failing, creating a final, brief moment of martial heroism before the ignoble begging for a horse.
- TLN 3610historical topical
“A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse”
Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field (22 August 1485) on foot after his horse was killed or mired. He had ridden deep into the fighting in a personal charge at Richmond, and when dismounted he was surrounded and cut down. The line is historically grounded: chronicles report that Richard refused to flee even when his situation was hopeless.
historical The Battle of Bosworth Field “set my life upon a cast, And I will stand the hazard of the die”
A 'cast' is a single throw of the dice; a 'hazard' is the stake or risk in a dice game (and also the name of the game itself). Richard is saying he has already wagered ('set') his life on one throw and will accept ('stand') whatever result the dice bring — win or lose, he will not withdraw from the battle. The gambling metaphor reframes his battlefield recklessness as a deliberate gambler's resolve rather than mere desperation.
classical Fortune and her wheel- TLN 3614historical topical
“six Richmonds in the field: Five have I slain to-day instead of him”
Richard says he has already killed five men disguised as Richmond — knights dressed in their leader's armor and surcoat so Richard could not single him out. The detail is Shakespeare's dramatic invention (echoing the decoys 'marching in the King's coats' at Shrewsbury in Henry IV Part 1, 5.3); it is not in the chronicles. It dramatizes Richard's all-or-nothing plan to end the battle by killing the rival claimant in person, and his furious frustration at being thwarted.
historical The Battle of Bosworth Field