Richard II

by William Shakespeare

Richard II: Situational Irony 1 key example

Read our modern English translation.
Act 5, Scene 5
Explanation and Analysis—Times Wastes Me:

Imprisoned after his dethronement, Richard, formerly King Richard II, ironically states that time itself could use him as a clock, rather than him using a clock to measure time. In a soliloquy addressed to nobody in particular, he states: 

I wasted time, and now doth time waste me;
For now hath time made me his numb’ring clock.
My thoughts are minutes, and with sighs they jar
Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch,
Whereto my finger, like a dial’s point,
Is pointing still in cleansing them from tears.