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RICHARD II - THE KING AND THE PLAY
Richard II (1367-1400), king of England, grandson of Edward III and
son of the Black Prince, was born at Bordeux on Jan. 6, 1367. on the
Black's Prince death in 1377, he became king. Though at first too young to
rule, Richard in 1381 showed skill in dealing with Wat Tyler's Rebellion
and from then onward began to assume power.
He showed extravagance, a difficult temper, and a liking for
favorites, especially the unpopular Robert de Vare. Therefore in 1386, his
uncle, Thomas of Gloucester, and the Lords Appellant defeated and drove out
the king's supporters and installed a noble council to control him.
In 1389 Richard threw off their tutelage and for eight years ruled
modestly and well. In 1397 he was strong enough for his revenge; the
leaders of the Lords Appellant were seized and tried as traitors,
Gloucester was murdered, Richard arundel was executed and archbishop Thomas
Arundel was banished, and in 1398 the excuse of a quarrel was taken to
exile Bolingbroke and norfolk.
Richard ruled with absolute authority until May 1399, when Bolingbroke
landed in England. The king was defeated, deposed by Parliament, and
confined to Pontefract Castle, where he died on February 14,1400, probably
of starvation. Extravagant, violent and revengeful, yet weak, a patron of
literature and a lover of fine buildings, as king, Richard never succeeded
in winning the affection of his subjects.
Richard II (c.1595), a play by Shakespeare. It is in many respects the
most original of Shakespeare's early chronicle plays. Here he emrges from
the influence of Christofer Marlowe. In spite od the resemblance of the
theme, the tragic fall of a weak king, to that of Marlowe's Edward II,
Shakespeare's play differs from his predecessor's in structure,
characterization, and diction.
The action covers a shorter space of time and it's more compact; the
lyric flow of the dialogue contrasts strongly with the declamation an
occasional direct dramatic expression of Marlowe. Most important of all,
Shakespeare's characterization of his hero is a far more subtle study than
Marlowe's portrayal of his vacillating monarch.
The character of Richard, self-indulgent, self pitying, and blind to
the actualities of life, is brought out by contrast with that of his
opponent, the hard realist, Bolingbroke. In the end Richard's fall is due
not so much to outside forces as to a fatal flaw in his character, and in
this respect, at least, the play- foreshadows the later and greater
tragedies.
Richard II had a special interest for Shakespeare's contemporaries,
for Queen Elizabeth fancied thet she might be identified in the popular
mind with king Richard, and her censors struck out the deposition scene
from printed copis of the play. On the eve |