Throughout reading this play it has become more and more evident that King Richard is not a good king. At first I am not sure what to think about Richard, but once Gaunt is dying, I see a whole new side of Richard. At first we find out that Richard needs money to go to Ireland to see what is going on with the war. Then we find out that he is planning to take money from the rich people to fund his trip. He then finds out his Uncle Gaunt is dying. Richard then plans to take money from his dying uncle. Through this, the reader sees that Richard has no compassion for family or for the people he rules over. York gives a long speech to Richard stating how he cannot take money from his dying uncle. York states, “is not Gaunt dead? And doth not Hereford live? /Was not Gaunt just? And is not Harry true?/ Did he not deserve to have an heir?/ Is not his heir a well-deserving son? (2.1.195-199). This speech was very moving and I think was created to show the extent to how uncompassionate Richard is. Richard’s response to this moving speech is, “think what you will, we seize into our hands/his plate, his goods, his money, and his land” (2.1.210). He disregards everything that York has stated and plans to take all of Gaunt’s money, land, and belongings. This heir is rightfully Gaunt’s son, but Richard does not care. He doesn’t think Bolingbroke is going to come back after his banishment from England. And even if he did think he was coming back, Richard did not care. He does not respect the heir or people’s rights, not even in his own family. Richard inherited his thrown through the heir that was left him and the people respected that, but Richard does not give the same respect to the heir of his uncle.
So the question that comes to mind is why would Shakespeare make Richard appear to be a horrible king and leader? I feel as though Richard represents the fallacy with the ruling system that was in England at the time. It is clear that inheriting a thrown at the age of twelve, just because of last name and family rights, does not make a good ruling system for any society. Richard is not a good leader and this is clear throughout the play. Shakespeare is making fun of the ruling class? That is how I see it. Shakespeare see’s the issues and problems with the ruling class and Richard’s actions as king shows how that system clearly does not work.
At the end of Act III when Richard gets his thrown taken from him shows that wrong can be made right. Everyone liked Bolingbroke better than Richard, and the thrown being taken from Richard shows that justice can be made and change can happen
4 comments:
I’m hesitant about calling Richard a horrible leader because I feel that only speaks to one part of his character. I’m more comfortable saying that he is materially ineffective: he doesn’t know how to handle the economy and the law. Bolingbroke, on the other hand, is very adept at both those things. In the 14th century, however, knowing the law and how to wield it was not the only part of being a “good” ruler, and I think the same is true of today. You also had (have) to act the part; you have to make use of the immaterial aspects of being a ruler, because a ruler isn’t just someone who delegates and legislates, he’s a symbol, he is a representation of the nation over which he rules. Richard fills the role of symbol better because he “legitimately” inherits his position and thereby keeps a national tradition going. He also knows how to act like a king, even though he doesn’t know how to rule effectively. I know that Bolingbroke/Henry would rule over England better than Richard, but I feel more for Richard, and this is because of his ability to play his role properly. I don’t think Shakespeare necessarily was saying the system doesn’t work, because Elizabeth I came from this system and Bolingbroke can only become king because he was next in line, anyway. Northumberland, for example, could not become King, even if he proved to be a better statesman than Bolingbroke.
I found Richard to be a bad rule too. The first sign to me was the fact that instead of finding out what the problem is in the beginning of the play between the two men, Richard just tries to solve everything by banishing them. He also gives each person a different punishment which is unfair. Why would he give Bolingbroke only a few years and give the other person life? That does not show good leadership skills. Then, when Bolingbroke comes back to overthrow Richard, I feel like Richard gave up his thrown wayyyyyy too easily. Perhaps Richard felt he had no other option or perhaps Shakespeare had Richard give up easily so the ending of the play could end quick and neat.
Lisa's post raises some good points using the text, and the responses here are keen, as well. Whether or not Shakespeare is critiquing the monarchy is an enduring question about Shakespeare's history plays. Shakespeare is dealing with a "true" story, or at least one that was accepted as truth: Richard, perceived as an ineffective ruler, is usurped by his cousin. Those were the facts that he inherited from the chronicles. But how does he tell the story? That's the interesting part, I think. Perhaps he uses this story as an example of how rebellion, even if it is well-intentioned, can go wrong? Or, as Lisa is suggesting, maybe he is joining in a critique of the monarchy. We'll see how this plays out in our conversation tomorrow!
Lisa's post raises some good points using the text, and the responses here are keen, as well. Whether or not Shakespeare is critiquing the monarchy is an enduring question about Shakespeare's history plays. Shakespeare is dealing with a "true" story, or at least one that was accepted as truth: Richard, perceived as an ineffective ruler, is usurped by his cousin. Those were the facts that he inherited from the chronicles. But how does he tell the story? That's the interesting part, I think. Perhaps he uses this story as an example of how rebellion, even if it is well-intentioned, can go wrong? Or, as Lisa is suggesting, maybe he is joining in a critique of the monarchy. We'll see how this plays out in our conversation tomorrow!
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