Norfolk appears briefly at the very end of Richard III, in the final military encampment and battle sequences, but his presence is consequential. He serves as Richard’s Lord Marshal and one of his most reliable commanders, a figure of military authority who represents the nobility still willing to stand with the king despite the gathering opposition. Unlike Buckingham, who hesitates and abandons Richard, Norfolk remains steadfast—at least until the moment of defeat.
In the nights before Bosworth, Norfolk is given substantial responsibility. Richard instructs him to “Arm, arm, my lord; the foe vaunts in the field,” and Norfolk responds with the practical military language that characterizes him throughout: “We must both give and take, my gracious lord.” When Richard asks about Stanley’s movements, Norfolk counsels delay—“My lord, the enemy is past the marsh / After the battle let George Stanley die”—showing the cool pragmatism of a seasoned commander who understands that strategic priorities must sometimes override immediate threats. He is fighting a battle he believes he can win, alongside a king whose authority he still recognizes.
Norfolk’s final moments show him fighting on the field itself, not merely coordinating from a distance. Catesby’s desperate cry—“Rescue, my Lord of Norfolk, rescue, rescue!”—places him at the heart of the battle, heroically resisting Richmond’s forces even as the tide turns against them. The historical records note that Norfolk dies at Bosworth, his loyalty to Richard literal to the end. He embodies a particular kind of English nobility: competent, obedient, and willing to risk everything for the king he has sworn to serve, even when that king is manifestly losing both the battle and the favor of heaven. Norfolk is remembered in the play’s final accounting of the dead, a soldier who acquitted himself with honor on the field of battle.
We must both give and take, my gracious lord.
We must both give and take, my gracious lord.
John, Duke of Norfolk · Act 5, Scene 3
Norfolk reminds Richard that warfare requires both offense and defense, give and take. The line matters because it is a soldier offering counsel to a king who is beginning to fracture, still trying to apply the logic of battle to a situation that is already lost. It shows the last loyal men around Richard still attempting to steady him.
My lord, the enemy is past the marsh After the battle let George Stanley die.
My lord, the enemy has passed the marsh. After the battle, let George Stanley die.
John, Duke of Norfolk · Act 5, Scene 3
Norfolk advises Richard to wait until after the battle to execute George Stanley, rather than do it now and risk losing Stanley's army. The line endures because it is a moment of practical wisdom overshadowed by Richard's irrational rage—Norfolk is right, but Richard no longer listens to reason. It shows Richard's power beginning to slip as his commanders must remind him of basic strategy.
