Act II:
*King Edward IV dies, and his son becomes king.

*Richard is made Lord Protector.

*Richard makes an alliance with Buckingham, and they plot for Richard to become King.

*Richard imprisons Rivers, Grey, and Vaughan.

King Edward IV becomes seriously ill and there are conflicts within the royal court. Some of the nobility resent the power held by Queen Elizabeth’s family. Richard hates Queen Elizabeth and encourages the conflict.
Three women mourn their state:  Margaret, former queen of Henry VI; Queen Elizabeth, Edward’s wife; and the widowed Duchess of York, Richard’s mother.  
Although she has been banished, the widow of Henry VI, Queen Margaret, remains at the royal court. Margaret is bitter and angry because the House of York has defeated the House of Lancaster and her husband and son have been killed. She curses the York family and predicts that many of them will suffer early deaths.