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| Richard
III, King of England |
| "A horse! A horse!
My
kingdom for a horse." |
|
Play: Richard III by William
Shakespeare,
1593? |
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For more information:
|
| Roland |
Ah, Durendal, fair, hallowed
and devote,
What store of relics lie in thy hilt of gold!
St. Peter's tooth, St. Basil's blood, it holds,
Hair of my lord St. Denis, there enclosed,
Likewise a piece of Blessed Mary's robe;
To Paynim hands 'twere sin to let you go;
You should be served by Christian men alone,
Ne'er may you fall to any coward soul!
Many wide lands I conquered by your strokes
For Charles to keep whose beard is white as snow,
Whereby right rich and mighty is his throne.
Mea culpa; Thy mercy,
Lord, I beg
For all the sins, both the great and the less,
That e'er I did since first I drew my breath
Unto this day when I'm struck down by death.
|
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Epic Poem: Song of Roland,
Turold?, 12th
century |
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For more information:
|
| Romeo |
Here's to my love! O true
apothecary!
Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die. |
|
Play: Romeo and Juliet,
William
Shakespeare, 1591? |
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For more information:
|
| Rubashov,
N. S. |
| "None." |
|
Novel: Darkness at Noon,
Arthur
Koestler, 1941 |
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For more information:
|
| Rumplestiltskin |
| "The devil has told you!
The
devil
has told you!" |
|
Fairy Tale: "Rumplestiltskin,"
collected by
the
Brothers Grimm,
1812-1815 |
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For more information:
|
| Salome |
| "Ah! I have kissed your mouth,
Iokanaan,
I have kissed
your mouth. Your lips had a bitter taste. Was it the taste
of blood? . . . Perhaps it was the taste of love. They say
that love has a bitter taste. . . . But what does it
matter?
What does it matter? I have kissed your mouth." |
|
Play: Salome, Oscar Wilde,
1896 |
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For more information:
|
| Samsa,
Gregor |
| "And now what?" |
|
Short Story: "The Metamorphosis," Franz
Kafka,
1915 |
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For more information:
|
| Stark,
Willie (actor - Broderick Crawford) |
| "Could have been whole world,
Willie
Stark, whole world,
Willie Stark. Why did he do it to me, Willie Stark? Why?" |
|
Novel: All the King's Men,
1947
Movie: All the King's Men, 1949 |
|
For more information:
|
| Sullivan,
Rocky (actor - James Cagney) |
| "Oh, I don't wanna die!
Oh,
please. I don't
wanna die! Oh, please. Don't let me burn. Oh,
please.
Let go of me. Please." |
|
Movie: Angels with Dirty Faces,
1938 |
|
For more information:
|
| Traherne,
Judy (actress - Bette Davis) |
| "Is that you, Martha? . .
.
I
don't want to be
disturbed." |
|
Movie: Dark Victory, 1939 |
|
For more information:
|
| Usher,
Roderick |
| "We have put her in the tomb!
Said I not
that my senses were acute? I now tell you that I heard
her
first feeble movements in the hollow coffin. I heard them--many,
many days ago--yet I dared not--I dared not speak! And
now--to-night--Ethelred--ha!
ha!--the breaking of the hermit's door, and the death-cry of the
dragon,
and the clangor of the shield--say, rather, the rending of her coffin,
and the grating of the iron hinges of her prison, and her struggles
with
the coppered archway of the vault! Oh! whither shall I fly?
Will she not be here anon? Is she not hurrying to upbraid me for
my haste? Have I not heard her footstep on the stair? Do I not
distinguish
that heavy and horrible beating of her heart? Madman! Madman!
I tell you that she no stands without the door!" |
|
Short Story: "The Fall of the House
of
Usher," Edgar Allan
Poe, |
|
For more information:
|
| Valjean,
Jean |
| "You will weep for me a little,
will you
not?
Not too much. I do not wish you to have any deep grief. . .
.
My children, you will not forget that I am a poor man, you will have me
buried in the most convenient piece of ground under a stone to mark the
spot. That is my wish. No name on the stone. . . . So I am
going away, my children. Love each other dearly always.
There
is scarcely anything else in the world but that: to love one another. .
. . Think of me a little. You are blessed creatures.
I do not know what is the matter with me, I see a light. come
nearer.
I die happy. Let me put my hands upon your beloved heads." |
|
Novel: Les Miserables by Victor
Hugo, 1862 |
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For more information:
|
| Wicked
Witch of the West (actress - Margaret Hamilton) |
| Movie: "You cursed brat.
Look what
you've done.
I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! Who would have
thought
a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness." |
| Children's Book: "See
what
you've
done!
In a minute I shall melt away. . . . Didn't you know water would
be the end of me? . . . . Well, in a few minutes I shall be all
melted,
and you will have the castle to your self. I have been wicked in
my day, but I never thought a little girl like you would ever be able
to
melt me and end my wicked deeds. Lookout--here I go!" |
|
Children's Book: The Wonderful
Wizard
of Oz,
L. Frank
Baum, 1900
Movie: The Wizard of Oz, 1939 |
|
For more information:
|
| Wilson
(actor - Jack Palance) |
| "Prove it." |
|
Movie: Shane, 1953 |
|
For more information:
|
| Winter,
Lady de |
| "D'Artagnan! d'Artagnan!
remember
that I have
love you. I am lost! I must die! . . . Where
am
I to die?" |
|
Novel: The Three Musketeers,
Alexander
Dumas |
|
For more information:
|
| Witch |
| "You stupid goose. The
opening's
large enough.
Watch, even I can get in." |
|
Fairy Tale: "Hansel and Gretel,"
collected
by the
Brothers Grimm,
1812-1815 |
|
For more information:
|
| Zaroff,
General |
| "I see. Splendid!
One
of us
is to furnish
a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very
excellent
bed. On guard, Rainsford." |
|
Short Story: "The Most Dangerous
Game," by
Richard Connell, 1924? |
|
For more
information:
|
|
Fictional Last Words Index
|
