I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.

The line is spoken by Richard II in Shakespeare’s history play as the deposed king reflects on his fall from power. Having squandered his reign in vanity, favoritism, and political misjudgment, Richard is imprisoned and forced into introspection. In confinement he becomes acutely aware of time’s passage—no longer marked by court ceremony but by suffering and waiting. The remark comes amid a longer meditation in which Richard tries to “people” his prison with thoughts and compares his former life of ease with his present helplessness, recognizing too late that his earlier idleness and self-indulgence have helped bring about his ruin.

Richard’s aphorism turns time into an active force of retribution: because he “wasted” time when he had authority and opportunity, time now “wastes” him through decay, regret, and the slow erosion of identity. The chiasmic structure (wasted time / time waste me) underscores reversal—his loss of control and the inversion of kingly power into captivity. More broadly, the line expresses a moral and existential warning: neglecting one’s responsibilities and opportunities invites consequences that cannot be undone, since time is irreversible. In the play, it also marks Richard’s shift from political actor to tragic contemplator, finding insight only after action is no longer possible.