Source identified1
Image design Rose Studio
Read & copy
“True hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings: Kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings.”
Meaning & context
Richmond pictures hope as something that moves faster than fear and gives people the courage to act. His comparison of kings with gods is a dramatic assertion of what confidence can do to status and resolve, not a literal transformation.
Source details
Richard III, Act V, Scene 2: Henry, Earl of Richmond, speaking to his allies immediately before marching toward Richard’s army. The passage follows his hope for peace after battle. Wording and punctuation follow the MIT public-domain play text; Folger’s modern-edition punctuation differs. This is a military-political exhortation from a character, not a guarantee of success.