As we read through the first couple of scenes from Act III, we begin to quickly realize that King Richard's actions may have actually caught up with him. I personally think that this is karma at its best. For so long, it seems, King Richard has gotten away with being the bad guy. He has never been held accountable for his actions and he rules his land with greed and dishonor which are not favorable traits to find in a King. It is, for this reason, that King Richard's life begins to fall apart around him and this is why he makes the decision to "pine away" for the rest of his life at Flint's Castle (2.2.209).
His decision to do this is extremely significant because it contradicts all that King Richard has stood for up to this point in the play. He was a firm believer in the divine right of Kings and he has asserted on more than one occasion that he is the rightful King. In fact, he once believed that all of Bolingbroke's efforts to overthrow him were pointless because he has God on his side since he is the rightful King. He actually tells Aumerle "This ague fit of fear is overblown;/An easy task it is to win our own" (2.2.190-191). He is saying here that there is no need to fear because of the notion of the divine right of Kings. For these reasons, I find it so intriguing that a short time later, King Richard gives up and decides that there is no hope for his future so he up and leaves for Flint Castle. After reading this, I wanted to ask King Richard what happened to all of his smack talk not so long ago? He was, not-so-long ago, a powerful man who thought he could get away with anything. If you ask me, I believe he gave up way too easy! So easy, in fact, it is almost laughable.
Another point that I feel inclined to speak about is that since receiving his title of King at 10 years old, he needed assistance from others to complete his job requirements. This is important because it can then be said that without assistance, he could not handle what his job entails. He proves this notion quite well after he simply gives up after learning he has lost his faithful followers and supporters. He obviously recognizes he cannot do it on his own.
I was very disappointed by the weakness of this supposed strong character!!
1 comment:
I definitely agree. I was also surprised by this decision, but like you said, I feel like it is not only an effective illustration of how unfit Richard is to be king, but it also shows his mental/emotional unraveling. I'll admit that I had SOME sympathy for Richard (especially in the film during class today) during Act III, but I had to remind myself of past events. Here, Richard is clearly aware that he is losing control. At least that's how I see it.
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