Talk:Richard II (play)

[moved from Talk:Plot and brief characterisation of Richard II when that article was moved here]

Why is this a separate article from Richard II, and doesn't it need to be edited to sound more like an encyclopedia article than a homework assignment? -- isis 12:26 Jan 25, 2003 (UTC)

This stuff is odd, and probably oughtn't to be in the article:

Plot and brief characterisation of Richard II

Richard II belongs to William Shakespeare's history plays. Due to this, Shakespeare took many information about the circumstances of the king's deposition from chronicles written by Raphael Holinshed and Edward Hall which helped him to present the events in a greater detail. In contrast to the other history plays, Shakespeare puts a greater emphasis on the characters and their language and not so much on the action itself. He tries to present the inner conflicts of the characters and because of this he wants to point out the contrast between the protagonist Richard and his antagonist Henry Bullingbrook, the later Henry IV.

The whole story deals with the deposition of the king. Mowbray and Bullingbrook accuse each other of being traitors. Richard, the king, banishes both and only allows Bullingbrook, his cousin, to return. Meanwhile Bullingbrook's father, Old John of Gaunt has died and Richard takes all his lands in order to finance his wars against Ireland. Because of this, nearly the whole nobility switches sides because they are afraid that Richard could take their lands too. Bullingbrook gets to know this news as well and with the support of the English nobility he contrives to return. Moreover, the barons want him to become the new king and want Richard's deposition. Instead of taking the warnings of those who favour him seriously, Richard does not believe them.

The duke of York, who rules the country during the absence of the king ,wants both sides to talk to each other but once Richard has realised how bad his situation is, he falls into deep despair. According to this, Bullingbrook becomes the new king and his nemesis is killed.

Richard has the reputation of being a weak king throughout the play. This argument is supported by several examples where he cannot present himself as the ideal king for the England of the time. The king is marked by a certain corruptness towards his nobility. This can be noticed right from the start. Richard paid Mowbray to kill the Duke of Gloucester, his own uncle. However, the king has no intention to take over the responsibilty for his command and he does not say a single word during the accusation of the two men. In order to live his reign in security, he banishes both men. Although Mowbray reminds him of his order, the king ignores him (I.I.132-134).

This accusation is not fully understandable for the reader because Shakespeare withholds the historical facts, and these facts are not mentioned in the further progress of the play.

On the contrary, Richard regards himself as a great king. He believes that he was appointed by God himself to rule the country and due to this no one can do him any harm because God is his "personal" defender (III.II.54-57). This view is supported by several images, verbal pictures, which help to emphasise what is said. Richard calls himself a "lion", the most powerful animal, which has the connotation of being the king among such.

After his return from Ireland, Richard compares himself with the rising of the bright and radiating sun which disperses all dark adversaries. This is actually the problem of the whole play: Richard is too convinced of himself and does not want to see that reality looks different to his imagination.

Richard lives in his own world of imagination and because of this his passivity can be explained. He simply refuses to act and once he has realised that reality looks totally different, it is too late and he cannot reverse the wheel of fortune, although Bullingbrook has no intention of dethroning Richard at first. He only wants to restore his honour and get his inherited lands back.

An important aspect of the play is its language. The popularity of the history play has been achieved by the language. It is even more important than the action itself because the characters can be analysed via their words rather than their action. This is especially the case when the reader takes a closer look at the protagonist Richard. He is the passive character of the play and a lot of information is gained by his words and not because of his actions.

He speaks in the whole play in a melodious verse and this is supported by images. They are mostly taken from the four elements. Richard himself is compared with fire, the strongest element. On the reverse side, his nemesis is compared with water. This suggests that they contradict each other. While they are speaking, the air is noticeable, it can be said that it is responsible for the neutrality between the fire and the water. The earth is represented by the country itself which is going to be destroyed by the fire, the king. In the progress of the play the positions of the main characters change and because of Richard's deposition, Bullingbrook gains the connotation of the fire.

Not only because of these facts, Richard II belongs to Shakespeare's great works. Taking a closer look at the characters or the language, one can notice the highly stylised manner of its presentation.

I think the article without the stuff is perfectly good, and this stuff really isn't very much like an encyclopedia article. john 03:42 25 Jun 2003 (UTC)