Harmatia of Richard II
In many ways, King Richard is comparable to Macbeth, for the two kings share this fatal flaw. Queen Isabel is analogous to Lady Macbeth. Each plays their role as the typical female as emotional characters. Lady Macbeth has a guilty conscious for Macbeth’s deeds similar to how the queen senses that something bad will happen when King Richard leaves for Ireland. Both have a maternal type of paranoia that actually yields wise predictions.
On a side note, Richard II was not an easy read, as is any Shakespeare play. I have not yet ever seen a Shakespeare play performed live, and I am curious to see how the characters are played out, or whether or not I’ll be able to keep up.
Divine Wrong?
In Act I, Scene ii, the Duchess of Gloucester approaches Gaunt to avenge the death of her husband, who is also Gaunt’s brother, and it is believed that King Richard secretly has something to do with it. Gaunt says he can not intervene because the king has been appointed by God, and he does not want to have to answer to God for his actions. It seems that he bases his logic solely on this idea of divine right, and this stops him from being able to do what may be right.
What is right, it seems, is not always what this “divinely” appointed king is after. When trying to solve the dispute between Bullingbrook and Mowbray, he originally leaves them to duel. However, on the day in which they have their duel, Richard comes in and decides to banish both of them from England for ten years. Richard’s indecisive nature shows that he may not be the best fit for king. To make it worse, Richard then reduces Bullingbrook’s sentence from ten to six, saying that he takes pity on Bullingbrook’s father, John of Gaunt. As Bullingbrook points out, it doesn’t matter whether the banishment lasts six years or ten, for his father will be dead before he can return. This futile action shows that Richard is not the most thoughtful king.
However, this divine bloodline does lend itself to some interesting effects. In Act II, scene i, shortly after the banishment, John of Gaunt dies. Soon after, in Act II, scene iii, Bullingbrook returns to England to get revenge for the wrong done to him at the hands of King Richard. When chastised by his uncle, The Duke of York, Bullingbrook replies “As I was banished, I was banished Herford; But as I come, I come for Lancaster” (2.3. 112-113), showing that he has taken advantage of his father’s death and circumvented his banishment as Herford, for he has now inherited his father’s title as the Duke of Lancaster.
The same faulty rule that made Richard king allows Bullingbrook to defy the king’s decree and give him a chance to wreak his vengeance. While it may not necessarily be fair, it does make for these interesting dilemmas and moments in the play, creating tension between powerful relatives. Divine right, it seems, hardly leads to positive effects but often leads to interesting situations.
-Jon Farrell
King Richard the homewrecker
Richard the Second did turn out to be an interesting read. True, it did not have the easiness, or for better lack of word, “readability” of certain other texts, but when is Shakespeare intrinsically easy? Perhaps what makes this book interesting is how one man’s greed can destroy a family. By believing that his power is ultimate, which is a legitimate claim at the time, King Richard only takes it upon himself to enjoy the pleasures that come with kingship. King Richard, in abusing his power exposes his utter dependency on it. This in turn also exposes his fallibility as a king. Because he uses so much of his power, he does not see the repercussions of his actions. Perhaps this is why the common folk do not support King Richard as much as Bolinbroke. His tyrannical nature forces most people who are with him to often be against him, as we see with his uncle, the Duke of Gaunt.
At the same time, we can also see an pragmatist in King Richard. He does not take the deathbed of his uncle seriously. In a manner similar to Don Juan, King Richard is only concerned about The Duke of Gaunt’s property, which he plans to use to help fund the war. As we clearly see, King Richard does not mourn the loss of a relation. This may be a result of, similar to Don Juan, King Richard being enchanted with his own throne. I believe Shakespeare’s genius is in creating a king who is very eloquent, but crude in action and in creating Bolinbroke, whose words carry much less weight than his actions.
It’s a tragedy that Shakespearean language is hard to follow and even harder to bind with the rest of the story. That being said, King Richard II is a very well crafted play that reflects much of Shakespeare’s skill as a playwright.
—Jessen Thomas
William Shakespeare VERSUS Doctor Seuss
Judging the by the title, fans of the YouTube series “Epic Rap Battles of History” will know what I’m referring to. For those of you who have no clue what I’m referring to, here’s a link to the specific rap battle I though of while reading Acts One and Two of Richard II:
The reason I think of this video as I read this or any other Shakespeare work is because I do agree that it’s hard material to understand. There’s a very unique rhyme scheme and pattern that’s followed, and the words and manner of speaking from Shakespeare’s time are eons different than those of today.
The linked video is mainly for entertainment purposes, but it does show state a valid point: Shakespeare’s work is timeless. No matter what age, I feel that classes around the world in every school will always read some Shakespeare. His style is just that influential and important to classical and modern English literature. Although it can be extremely challenging and very hard for some to sit through, it’s just a section of literature that’s going to be around forever.
As for Richard II, I enjoy the fact that two men are posed against one another in a sort of “battle of / for honor.” It sets up the play for some interesting plot points and twists involving the two men and the people they may meet on their journeys into the unknown. Richard II serves as a sort of mediator in the beginning, determining how the two men will live for the next couple of years and naming the consequences and what can be gained as well. I’m excited to see how this play ends, even thought it means navigating through Shakespeare’s tricky language!
A King of Inadequate Features
What’s worse is that Richard is the leader of the group that killed Thomas of Gloucester. Richard plays a very political game. He banishes Henry from England, but he fails to notice that and pay attention to the fact that Henry can still come back and take the kingdom. He does so for only six years because Henry is the people’s champion and he has to satisfy the people by giving Thomas Mowbray a longer sentence. Richard is still in his own world making his own plans. His plan to steal John of Gaunt’s assets to fund for the war, shows how incompetent he is as a king. A good King does not need to steal to have a kingdom run smoothly. If Richard listened to the Duke of York, then Henry might have less of a support system when staging his coup. The Earl of Northumberland, Lord Willoughby, and Lord Ross would not have switched alliances. It’s such a pity that Richard does not listen to the elder’s wise words, possesses qualities that will only hinder the decadence of England and has a narrow scope of what is really going on.
Blood is Thicker than Water…or not.
Once I overcame that obstacle, I noticed something about those familial relationships – that regardless of whether they were related or not, some family members treated others just like they would treat a stranger. Nepotism certainly was not a major influence in any part of the play thus far. I noticed it at first when King Richard was giving the sentences to both Mowbray and Bolingbroke. He ends up banishing Mowbray for life and Bolingbroke, who is his cousin, for six years. Yes, it appears that he gave Bolingbroke (who was originally given ten years) the better end of the deal. However, Bolingbroke’s father and King Richard’s uncle, John of Gaunt, is old and will most likely die before his son returns. By shortening the time, I feel that King Richard did not truly pity his uncle because if he did he would have made it significantly shorter, so that he would be alive when Bolingbroke was to return. Another instance where I noticed a lack of care for each other is when King Richard hears that John of Gaunt is dying. One would assume that this would sadden the King, but for his own selfish reasons, he finds happiness in his uncle’s death. He plans to take all of John’s belongings and use them to fund the war in Ireland. Yet another interesting relationship was that of Bolingbroke and his uncle, the Duke of York. Bolingbroke addresses the Duke with respect, but the Duke of York is extremely displeased with Bolingbroke’s return to England, prior to the completion of his six years. The Duke says “I am no traitor’s uncle, and that word ‘grace’/In an ungracious mouth is but profane./ Why have those banished and forbidden legs/ Dared once to touch a dust of England’s ground?” (2. 3. 92-95). Although they are related, the Duke of York has no problem with scolding him for what he has done.
The family dynamic displayed in Richard II is not the kind that I am used to reading about, which is probably why these particular parts bothered me. I guess I will have to keep reading to see if my opinion changes!
You Lost Me At “Shakespeare”
I can’t help but question the relevance of this to today, save for the historical significance. I don’t find any of the characters to be relatable as they were to some extent in Don Juan. While both use stock characters to some extent, I feel as though Shakespeare’s characters are more complicated and, thus, more difficult to identify with.
I don’t mean to attack the piece as a work of literature-it certainly employs beautiful language. I can respect it as a piece, but it’s just simply more analysis than I find enjoyable. However, hopefully the magic of theatre will bring it to life when we all see it performed.
-Jacqui Larsen
Richard vs Henry: Foils for Life
A Different Shakespeare Experience
I find that, given the material of the play and the royal history of the text, Shakespeare was doing the best he could with the subject matter. Let’s face it, not many people could make a story like Richard II engaging, but Shakespeare still manages to build tension with such scenes as when the two combatants challenge each other to a duel. Also, sudden events like when Richard II calls off the duel leave readers wondering about his motives and what he’s thinking in his leadership. This questioning of authority allows the readers of the play to make their own opinion about Richard II’s leadership and if he is deserving of the title.
All in all, I feel Richard II is an excellent read, but I find it lacks the certain Shakespearean quality that other plays capture. I feel that the subject matter of the play is its most lacking point and that the text is not as engaging as some of Shakespeare’s other works.