Richard II

                Act III, Scene 2 of Richard II offers a lot of very interesting passages which can be looked at in great depth. In particular, Richard himself seems to use a great deal of powerful language in this scene which when analyzed closely is clearly very well crafted and holds powerful meaning. Right from the start of the scene, Richard speaks in long drawn out phrases that are more like speeches than anything else whenever he addresses those around him, and he is very cryptic about most of what he has to say.  Richard seems very self-assured about his position as King but at the same time whenever he receives bad news he is downright overcome by it all in a way. When the group first arrives at their destination, Richard is very confident in his speech, speaking to the earth itself and using powerful language to tell it that he is sorry that his enemies have been there but now all shall be well because he has arrived. He says that “weeping, smiling greet I thee my earth, / and do thee favours with my royal hands” (3.2.10-11). This self-assured statement of promise to the ground is very interesting and shows a lot about where his mind is set at the time.

                However, as the scene progresses Richard’s demeanor changes quite a lot and it is yet again reflected in his intricate language. After he begins to find out more about exactly what Bolingbroke has been up to and how Bolingbroke has been growing stronger, he gets a bit more unsettled, but remains calm. He ends his next speech by saying that “Weak men must fall; for heaven still guards the right” (3.2.58). This statement shows not only his faith in himself and his men but in his God, as he still believes that he has the divine right to rule and that no matter what happens this will overcome all opposition. Still, the conversation continues and Scrope makes Richard fully aware of all that has occurred. Finally, towards the end of the scene, Richard seems to finally get into the angry, worried place he needs to be in order to deal with the situation. He utters phrases like “Make dust our paper and with rainy eyes/ Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth” (3.2.142-143) and “the death of kings-/ how some have been deposed, some slain in war, … some poisoned by their wives, some sleeping killed, / all murdered” (3.2.152-156). Both of these use incredibly powerful imagery. The first sentence expresses great pain and displays crying as an action which includes the earth which not so long ago in the scene he was promising things to, and the second declaration is even more powerful. Richard discusses the ends of Kings in a way that shows he almost has accepted that his reign may truly be coming to an end.  He talks of the deaths of kings and includes natural deaths but labels them as murder, which is an incredible thought to ponder, and yet again his language has such power here that despite his realizations and his growing fears he still seems powerful.