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The Tragedy of King
xxx RICHARD xxx ii xxxx xxxx William Shakespeare
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Dramaturgy Note I find in Richard II both an end and a beginning. It is the end of a king, the end of an era, the end of an ideology and a long tradition. Similarly, it is the beginning a new reign, a new era of kings, with a new mindset, and new accepted traditions surrounding the throne. With the succession of Richard II to Henry IV, the subject of the play, the era of natural, birth succession of kings in England ends, giving way to the War of the Roses, a period of conspiracy, fighting, blood, and murder that would surround the crown and the position it implied for the next 150 years. This is a play made from history and its implications, long before and long after the moments specifically addressed in the play. In this way it is crucial in my opinion to know and understand the long history of England, the land, the monarchy, the tradition, both before Richard II and after him. The essence of this history is engrained in Shakespeare’s writing, the language of the play, its rhetorical strategies and techniques, the motifs, metaphors, staging, etc. In the interest of communicating this history as effectively as possible, I have tried to distill what is crucial, present it effectively, and then provide links for further research. After the historical research I have began what could be an infinitely complex “family tree” if you will of the themes/motifs/strategies/quotes etc. that make up this play. This “tree” is made up of classification and labeling, important quotes from the text, excerpts from others comments on the topics, and my own personal thoughts and notes. Hopefully this will provide a tool to help understand the play, a starting point for research and ideas and focuses for you, and a start for a web that can only grow more complex as we put our heads together to take on this show! Of course, any and all questions or areas you would like to explore further should be brought to my attention and we will continue together! With all my excitement! Madeline Kranz -BACKGROUND INFO
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-Author biography -Career & Writing -Shakespeare’s London
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-THE HISTORY
-England & the Monarchy -The War of the Roses
Table of Contents
-THE PLAY
-characters -breakdown! 7-13 -themes / motifs/ quotes 7-10 MORE -ansillary material 11 -notable productions -articles
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William Shakespeare
Early Life
Middle Life On November 28, 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 years old. She was 26, the daughter of a farmer, and pregnant. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583, and twins Judith and Hamnet were born on February 2, 1585. Hamnet died at 11 in August of 1596.
Born in 1564 in Stratford upon Avon, a market town 95 miles from London. Church records indicate he was baptized on April 26, so it is widely assumed he was born the 23rd. William was the third of eight children (though three died in childhood) to John, a merchant and Mary Arden Shakespeare, a landed heiress. The family was wealthy, and scholars surmise Shakespeare attended grammar school in Stratford.
The Lost Years Shakespeare’s lost years fall into two periods where relatively little is known about his life. The first is between 1578 and 1582 before his marriage, and the second between 1585 and 1592, when he reappears in London as an established actor.
Late Years Shakespeare had grown quite successful, and bought “New Place,” a large house in Stratford to which he retired in 1612. Shakespeare died in April of 1616, leaving the bulk of his estate to his eldest daughter Susanna, and to his wife, his “second best bed.”
Categorized biographical information http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biograp Complete works of William Shakespeare 3 http://shakespeare.mit.edu
Shakespeare’s Career & Writing By 1592 Shakespeare was living and acting in London, and by 1594 he was writing for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men with the ascension of James I in 1603. Shakespeare was a managing partner for the company, the most successful of its time, and they built the Globe theatre in 1599 for performances. His plays were published and sold in octavo editions to the more literate of his audiences, an unprecedented phenomena and mark of his popularity and success. Shakespeare’s early work, with the exception of Romeo & Juliet, consisted of the history plays and comedies. His later work included his tragedies, the publication of his sonnets, and a few late tragi-comedies. Shakespeare’s extant work includes 37 plays and 154 sonnets.
The History Plays His playwrighting career is assumed to have started in 1590 with his first tetrology of history plays; Henry VI, part I, II, and III, followed by Richard III. These plays cover the fall of the Lancaster dynasty, events in English history between about 1422 and 1485. The second series, written at the height of Shakespeare's career (around 1595-1599), moves back in time to examine the rise of the Lancastrians, covering English history from about 1398 to 1420. This series consists of Richard II, Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2, and Henry V. Shakespeare’s "history plays" are generally thought of as a distinct genre: they differ somewhat in tone, form and focus from his other plays (the "comedies," the "tragedies" and the "romances"). They form a linked series, they are set in late medieval England, and they deal with the rise and fall of the House of Lancaster--what later historians often referred to as the "War of the Roses.
The Tragedy of Richard II Richard II is the first play in the second tetrology of history plays. Here Shakespeare moves back to cover the rise of the House of Lancaster, beginning with the first unauthorized capture of the throne by Henry Bolingbroke, later Herv IV, from Richard II. Richard reigned from 1377 until he was deposed on September 30, 1399. The play is known for its deeply poetic style; it is often highly stylized, and in contrast to the Henry plats that follow it, contains virtually no prose.
The Plays
First Performed -- Plays 1590-91 Henry VI, Part II 1590-91 Henry VI, Part III 1591-92 Henry VI, Part I 1592-93 Richard III 1592-93 Comedy of Errors 1593-94 Titus Andronicus 1593-94 Taming of the Shrew 1594-95 Two Gentlemen of Verona 1594-95 Love's Labour's Lost 1594-95 Romeo and Juliet 1595-96 Richard II 1595-96 A Midsummer Night's Dream 1596-97 King John 1596-97 The Merchant of Venice 1597-98 Henry IV, Part I 1597-98 Henry IV, Part II 1598-99 Much Ado About Nothing 1598-99 Henry V 1599-1600 Julius Caesar 1599-1600 As You Like It 1599-1600 Twelfth Night 1600-01 Hamlet 1600-01The Merry Wives of Windsor 1601-02 Troilus and Cressida 1602-03 All's Well That Ends Well 1604-05 Measure for Measure 1604-05 Othello 1605-06 King Lear 1605-06 Macbeth 1606-07 Antony and Cleopatra 1607-08 Coriolanus 1607-08 Timon of Athens 1608-09 Pericles 1609 -The Sonnets Published 1609-10 Cymbeline 1610-11 The Winter's Tale 1611-12 The Tempest 1612-13 Henry VIII
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Religion & Politics
Shakespeare’s London
Political and religious stability was not a thing Shakespeare’s England had every had experience. Following the political instability of the War of the Roses from the history plays, the Tudor dynasty took hold, bringing with them a different kind of instability. Henry VIII ruled from 1509 to 1547 beheading six wives, fighting wars with France and Scotland, breaking from the Roman Catholic church, and naming himself supreme head of The Monarchs: the Church of England. Edward VI takes the throne in 1547 Henry VII, Tudor instating a uniform Protestant service based on a “Book of Common Henry VIII Prayer,” amidst the growing religious turmoil and economic hardship. In 1553 Lady Jane Grey is queen for nine days, until Mary Edward VI I takes over, beheads the former queen, and reinstates Catholicism Lady Jane Grey with a no tolerance policy. More than 300 Protestants are burned at Mary I, Tudor the stake, England goes to war with France and subsequently loses Elizabeth I Callais, the last English possession in France, whereby Mary died in James I 1558.
Charles I
Elizabeth I becomes queen and repeals the Catholic legislation. England largely returns to a less repressive form of Protestantism and in 1563, a year before Shakespeare’s birth, the Anglican Church is established. Elizabeth signs the Treaty of Berwick and Edinburgh in 1560, creating peace between Scottish reformers, and England, France, and Scotland. In 1585 England goes to war with Spain, and a year later Elizabteh famously defeats the Spanish Armada. The war will continue until 1603, when Elizabeth will die without an heir, ushering in James VI of Scotland, who become James I of England.
Economics The religious turmoil of the preceding decades left England in a state of prolonged economic downturn. Shakespeare’s England had just begun to stabilize under Elizabeth’s rule. Trade was expanding as explorers ventured out at sea, and conquests in the new world held much promise. Elizabeth granted a charter to the British East India Trading Co. and 1583 the slave trade was documented to have begun. In spite of all this the London population remained, at large, uneducated and illiterate, though the middle class was rapidly growing and class restrictions were beginning to change. The world was entering the period of the Enlightenment, science and art were advancing at unprecedented speed, and global exploration was the defining characteristic of the time.
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Daily Life in London London was the only British city in mediaeval times which was comparable in size to the great cities of Europe. Between 1500 and 1800 it grew steadily in size and prominence, though during the middle ages its population never reached the levels it had attained in Roman times. Its population increased, however, from perhaps 50,000 in 1500, to 300,000 in 1700, in spite of living conditions which, over the centuries, were so unhealthy that the rapid increase in population could be sustained, in the face of an enormously high death rate, only by a steady influx of immigrants from other parts of Britain. [The death rate in the city, well into the eighteenth century, was twice the birth rate. The average life span of an Englishman, during the early eighteenth century, was 29 years, and in London the average was considerably lower.] The streets, since medieval times, had always been filthy, filled with mud, excrement, and offal; the water was polluted, rats were omnipresent. The Black Death of 1348-49 killed two-thirds of the inhabitants of the city proper and its surrounding areas (at least 60,000 people), and there were three subsequent serious outbreaks of the bubonic plague between 1603 and 1636, but the city (and the slums) continued to increase in size. The last major outbreak of the plague occurred in 1665; during the summer of that year perhaps 70,000 persons died. There were large-scale outbreaks of cholera in London proper well into the nineteenth century. London in the 1590s was a vibrant and expanding town. It was an important port and the Thames a major thoroughfare. The city culture would have been alive with painters, actors and writers. The theatre was becoming an institution popular with all social classes. 1583 - first documented occurrence of the slave trade Playgoing was part of the city's daily life and all levels of 1590 - microscope invented society shared the experiences of the theatre. Aristocrats 1593-94 theatres closed because of the were familiar with the dramas of the day from acting parts at school, seeing plays at Court and, later, becoming patrons of plague the stage. Apprentices and merchants also enjoyed the 1607 the colony of Virginia is founded theatre and often took an afternoon off work to go and see a play. 1611 the King Jame’s Bible is printed. Consequently, when Shakespeare began working in London around 1588 the market was good for new companies and, between 1567 and 1622, nine new outdoor playhouses were built.Boy companies competed against the adult companies and were actually able to earn more money than their more experienced rivals were. They evolved from a tradition of grammar school performance and choirboy practice and were particularly popular at Court.
Important People: Tycho Brahe, Johann Kepler, Sir Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake , Galileo, Carvaggio, Cervantes, Marlowe, Michelangelo
Shakespeare was part of The Lord Chamberlain's Men. Later called the King's Men, they first worked in The Theatre and then in the Globe. Performing to a potential audience of 3000 people, they required an interesting and varied stock of repertoire. Each day the company presented a different play, rehearsing it in the morning before performing it in the afternoon. The quick change in repertoire meant that theatre was produced in a very different way to today.
An abridged
History of England & the Monarchy English history is typically divided into 7 periods:
-Prehistoric Britain (5000bc - 100bc) -Roman Britain (55bc - 410ad) -Anglo Saxon Britain (410 - 1066)
-Medieval Britain (1066 - 1487) -Reformation & Restoration (1486 - 1689) -Age of Empire (1689 - 1901)
-Modern Britain (1901-pres)
The History
The history dealt with in Shakespeare’s history plays occurs at the end of the Medieval period, but deals with a long tradition that manifests itself during the period of AngloSaxon Britain. Following the withdrawal of Roman legions from England around 410 AD communities of peoples in Britain inhabited homelands with ill-defined borders. These small kingdoms were led by chieftans or kings, and found themselves in constant flux for a long period of fighting, invasions, and waves of migrant peoples. By 650 AD, the British Isles were a patchwork of many kingdoms led by powerful chieftains or kings. In their personal feuds and struggles between communities for control and supremacy, a small number of kingdoms became dominant: Bernicia and Deira (which merged to form Northumbria in 651 AD), Lindsey, East Anglia, Mercia, Wessex and Kent. Until the late seventh century, a series of warrior-kings in turn established their own personal authority over other kings, usually won by force or through alliances and often cemented by dynastic marriages.
Rulers of the early British Kingdoms http://www.britannia.com/history/h6ebk.html
In 802 Egbert, of the House of Wessex, was recognized as the first king of all of England, thus beginning the English monarchy. This reign of kings was characterized by the constant threat of invasion from the Danes, held off until 1016, when they seized the throne. After the death of Hardicanute the throne returned to Edward, the legitimate heir of Alfred the great. After a false promise to William for kingship, Edward’s crown was given to Harold, prompting the Norman invasion of England and an overnight transfer of power. The Norman period was a time of dynastic uncertainty and civil war. Matilda and feuding cousin Stephen struck a deal whereby her son with Geoffrey Plantagenet, Henry II, would be heir. His ascension in 1154 made him the first uncontested king in over 100 years. Henry was the first of a long line of 14 Plantagenet kings, ending with Richard III’s death and the rise of the Tudor House. Within the Plantagenets four distinct royal houses can be identified: Angevin, Plantagenet, Lancaster, and York.
House of Wessex Egbert Æthelwulf Æthelbald Æthelbert Æthelred Alfred, the Great Edward, the Elder Æthelstan Edmund, Magnificent
Eadred Eadwig (Edwy), All-Fair Edgar, the Peaceable Edward, the Martyr
Æthelred, the Unready Edmund, Ironside Danish Line Svein, Forkbeard Canute, the Great Harald, Harefoot Hardicanute House of Wessex
Edward, the Confessor Harold II Norman Line
William I, the Conquero William II, Rufus Henry I, Beauclerc Stephen Empress Matilda
GGGG GGGG GGGG GGGG
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Plantagenet, Angevin Line Henry II, Curtmantle Richard I the Lionheart John, Lackland
Plantagenet, Lancastrian Line Henry IV, Bolingbroke Henry V Henry VI
Plantagenet, Yorkist Line Edward IV Edward V Richard III, Crookback
Henry III Edward I, Longshanks Edward II Edward III Richard II The Plantagenet period was dominated by three major conflicts at home and abroad. Edward I attempted to create a British empire dominated by England, conquering Wales and pronouncing his eldest son Prince of Wales, and then attacking Scotland. Scotland was to remain elusive and retain its independence until late in the reign of the Stuart kings. In the reign of Edward III the Hundred Years War began, a struggle between England and France. And, with the deposition of Richard II, a long period of civil feuding known as the War of the Roses began. For the next century, the crown would be disputed by two conflicting family strands, the Lancastrians and the Yorkists. The accession of Henry IV sowed the seeds for a period of unrest which ultimately broke out in civil war. Fraught by rebellion and instability after his usurpation of Richard II, Henry IV found it difficult to enforce his rule. His son, Henry V, fared better, defeating France in the famous Battle of Agincourt (1415) and staking a powerful claim to the French throne. Success was short-lived with his early death. By the reign of the relatively weak Henry VI, civil war broke out between rival claimants to the throne, dating back to the sons of Edward III. The Lancastrian dynasty descended from John of Gaunt, third son of Edward III, whose son Henry deposed the unpopular Richard II. Yorkist claimants such as the Duke of York asserted their legitimate claim to the throne through Edward III's second surviving son, but through a female line. Captured and briefly restored, Henry VI was captured and put to death, and the Yorkist faction led by Edward IV gained the throne. The Yorkist conquest of the Lancastrians in 1461 did not put an end to the Wars of the Roses, which rumbled on until the start of the sixteenth century. Family disloyalty in the form of Richard III's betrayal of his nephews, the young King Edward V and his brother, was part of his downfall. Henry Tudor, a claimant to the throne of Lancastrian descent, defeated Richard III in battle and Richard was killed. With the marriage of Henry to Elizabeth, the sister of the young Princes in the 10 Tower, reconciliation was finally achieved between the warring houses of Lancaster and York in the form of the new Tudor dynasty.
War of the Roses Timeline 1377 -
Richard II, aged 10, King of England (to 1399)
1399 - Death of John of Gaunt Gaunt's eldest son, Henry of Bolingbroke, lands in Yorkshire and soon has
60,000 supporters: Richard II is deposed; Bolingbroke becomes
1400 - Richard II murdered at Pontefract Castle; Owen Glendower proclaims himself Prince of Wales and begins rebellion 1402 - Henry IV enters Wales in pursuit of Glendower
1403 - Battle of Shrewsbury; rebellion by the Percy family: Henry IV defeats and kills Harry "Hotspur" Percy 1406 - Henry, Prince of Wales, defeats Welsh
Henry IV, King of England (to 1413)
1413 - Death of Henry IV,
Henry V, King of England (to 1422)
1415 - Henry V invades France, and defeats the French at Agincourt
1422 - Deaths of Henry V of England and Charles VI of France;
Henry VI, King of England (to 1461)
1428 - Henry VI begins siege of Orleans 1431 - Jeanne d'Arc burned as a witch at Rouen; Henry VI of England crowned king of France in Paris
1453 - Bordeaux falls to the French, Hundred Years' War ends; England's only French possession is Calais; In England, Henry VI becomes insane 1454 - Richard, Duke of York, is regent of England while Henry VI is insane; Printing
with movable type is perfected in Germany by Johannes Gutenberg 1455 - Henry VI recovers. Richard of York is replaced by Somerset and excluded from the Royal Council; Battle of St. Albans. Somerset defeated and killed
1460 - Battle of Wakefield. Richard of York is defeated and killed; Earl of Warwick 11 (the Kingmaker) captures London for the Yorkists; Battle of Northampton: Henry VI is captured by Yorkists
1461 - Richard's son, Edward of York, defeats Lancastrians and becomes king;
Edward IV, King of England (to 1483)
1465 - Henry VI imprisoned by Edward IV
1466 - Warwick's quarrels with Edward IV begin; forms alliance with Louis XI 1470 - Warwick turns Lancastrian: he defeats Edward IV and restores Henry VI 1471 - Battle of Barnet. Edward IV defeats and kills Warwick; Henry VI dies, probably murdered in the Tower of London
1475 - Edward IV invades France; Peace of Piequigny between England and France 1483 - Death of Edward IV;
he is deposed by his uncle, Richard Duke of Gloucester;
Edward V, King of England (Apr - Jun 1483)
Richard III, King of England (to 1485)
Edward V and his brother are murdered in the Tower of London 1485 - Battle of Bosworth Field: Henry Tudor, with men, money and arms provided by
Charles VIII of France, defeats and kills Richard III in the decisive (but not final) battle of the Wars of the Roses.
Henry VII, Tudor, King of England (to 1509) The Tudors: Henry VII, Tudor Henry VIII Edward VI Lady Jane Grey Mary I, Tudor Elizabeth I James I Charles I
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Interactive Timeline of all English Monarchs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ List_of_English_monarchs Timeline of British History http://www.britannia.com/history/timelines.html List and Biographies of all English Monarchs http://www.britannia.com/history/h6f.html
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The Play
Characters
King Richard II (1367-1400) Richard II (1367-1400), came to the throne as a boy of ten in 1377, at a time when the Hundred Years War with France was turning against the English. His father, the Black Prince, an outstanding soldier, had died in 1376, leaving Richard as Edward III's heir. In the early years of Richard's reign, advisors (the continual councils) directed domestic and foreign policy. Heavy taxation provoked popular opposition, coming to a head in the so-called 'Peasants' Revolt' of 1381. The Tower of London was sacked and the archbishop of Canterbury and the treasurer of England were murdered. Richard won admiration for his bravery in riding out to lead the rebels away from London. In 1382 Richard married Anne of Bohemia, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV, and in 1385 his mother, Joan of Kent, died. Richard's high-handed behavior as an adolescent, the extravagance of his household and the attempts of his councillors to broker a peace with France, led to a series of aristocratic protests between 1386 and 1388. In 1387 Richard was forced to accept a controlling council. He left London in February and returned only in November, a few days before the council's mandate expired. In 1388, as a result of the political and military actions of the magnates known as the Lords Appellant, some of Richard's closest friends and advisors were executed or sent into exile. From 1389 when Richard declared himself to be of age, he influenced more closely the direction of government. This can be seen in his accumulation of wealth through the heavy fines he imposed, his expeditions to Ireland in 1394 and 1399 and his pursuit of peace with France. He exacted, for example, ÂŁ10,000 from the Londoners in 1392. Following the death of Anne of Bohemia in 1394, Richard's peace policy led to the twenty-eight year truce sealed at a meeting between Richard II and Charles VI of France at Ardres, near Calais, and Richard's second marriage to Isabelle, eldest daughter of the French king.
Richard's seemingly impregnable position was more fragile than it seemed. In 1397 he attacked the Lords Appellant who had prevailed in 1388 and seized their lands and goods. His uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, was murdered and Richard, earl of Arundel, executed on Tower Hill. Thomas Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, and Thomas Arundel, archbishop of Canterbury, were exiled. In the following year, as memorably dramatised by Shakespeare in his Richard II (see on stage), the two remaining Appellants, who initially had been pardoned, Henry of Bolingbroke, duke of Hereford, the future Henry IV, and Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk, accused each other of treason. Richard forbade the resulting duel and exiled both men. In February 1399, John of Gaunt died and Richard seized the great estates of the duchy of Lancaster. This precipitated the crisis of the end of his reign. In May he embarked on his second expedition to Ireland. In July Bolingbroke landed at Ravenspur in Yorkshire and captured and deposed the king. Richard was 15 imprisoned and died, probably murdered, in Pontefract Castle in 1400.
Henry Bolingbroke / King Henry IV (1366-1413) Henry was the eldest surviving son of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, by his first wife, Blanche. Before becoming king, he was known as Henry Bolingbroke, and he received from his cousin Richard II the titles earl of Derby (1377) and duke of Hereford (1397). During the opening years of the reign of King Richard II (ruled 1377–99), Henry remained in the background while his father ran the government. When Gaunt departed for an expedition to Spain in 1386, Henry entered politics as an opponent of the crown. He and Thomas Mowbray (later 1st duke of Norfolk) became the younger members of the group of five opposition leaders—known as the lords appellants—who in 1387–89 outlawed Richard’s closest associates and forced the king to submit to their domination. Richard had just regained the upper hand when Gaunt returned to reconcile the king to his enemies. Bolingbroke then went on Crusade into Lithuania (1390) and Prussia (1392). Meanwhile, Richard had not forgiven his past enmity. In 1398 the king took advantage of a quarrel between Bolingbroke and Norfolk to banish both men from the kingdom. The seizure of the Lancastrian estates by the crown upon John of Gaunt’s death (February 1399) deprived Henry of his inheritance and gave him an excuse to invade England (July 1399) as a champion of the nobility. Richard surrendered to him in August; Bolingbroke’s reign as King Henry IV began when Richard abdicated on September 30, 1399. Henry IV used his descent from King Henry III (ruled 1216–72) to justify his usurpation of the throne. Nevertheless, this claim did not convince those magnates who aspired to assert their authority at the crown’s expense. During the first five years of his reign, Henry was attacked by a formidable array of domestic and foreign enemies. He quashed a conspiracy of Richard’s supporters in January 1400. Eight months later the Welsh landowner Owen Glendower raised a rebellion against oppressive English rule in Wales. Henry led a number of fruitless expeditions into Wales from 1400 to 1405, but his son, Prince (later Henry V), had greater success in reasserting royal control over the region. During the first five years of his reign, Henry was attacked by a formidable array of domestic and foreign enemies. Owen Glendower encouraged domestic resistance to Henry’s rule by allying with the powerful Percy family—Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, and his son Sir Henry Percy, called Hotspur. Hotspur’s brief uprising, the most serious challenge faced by Henry during his reign, ended when the king’s forces killed the rebel in battle near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, in July 1403. Throughout these years the king had to combat border incursions by the Scots and ward off conflict with the French, who aided the Welsh rebels in 1405–06. To finance these military activities, Henry was forced to rely on parliamentary grants. From 1401 to 1406 Parliament repeatedly accused him of fiscal mismanagement and gradually acquired certain precedentsetting powers over royal expenditures and appointments. As Henry’s health deteriorated, a power struggle developed within his administration between his favourite, Thomas Arundel, archbishop of Canterbury, and a faction headed by Henry’s Beaufort half brothers and Prince Henry. As a consequence, tension between 16 Henry and the prince was high when Henry became totally incapacitated late in 1412. He died several months later, and the prince succeeded as King Henry V.
John of Gaunt (1340-1399) John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, also called (1342–62) earl of Richmond, or (from 1390) duc (duke) d’Aquitaine (born March 1340, Ghent—died Feb. 3, 1399, London), English prince, fourth but third surviving son of the English king Edward III and Philippa of Hainaut; he exercised a moderating influence in the political and constitutional struggles of the reign of his nephew Richard II. He was the immediate ancestor of the three 15thcentury Lancastrian monarchs, Henry IV, V, and VI. The term Gaunt, a corruption of the name of his birthplace, Ghent, was never employed after he was three years old; it became the popularly accepted form of his name through its use in Shakespeare’s play Richard II. Through his first wife, Blanche (d. 1369), John, in 1362, acquired the duchy of Lancaster and the vast Lancastrian estates in England and Wales. From 1367 to 1374 he served as a commander in the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453) against France. On his return he obtained the chief influence with his father, but he had serious opponents among a group of powerful prelates who aspired to hold state offices. He countered their hostility by forming a curious alliance with the religious reformer John Wycliffe. Despite John’s extreme unpopularity, he maintained his position after the accession of his ten-year-old nephew, Richard II, in 1377, and from 1381 to 1386 he mediated between the King’s party and the opposition group led by John’s younger brother, Thomas Woodstock, earl of Gloucester. In 1386 John departed for Spain to pursue his claim to the kingship of Castile and Leon based upon his marriage to Constance of Castile in 1371. The expedition was a military failure. John renounced his claim in 1388, but he married his daughter, Catherine, to the young nobleman who eventually became King Henry III of Castile and Leon. Meanwhile, in England, war had nearly broken out between the followers of King Richard II and the followers of Gloucester. John returned in 1389 and resumed his role as peacemaker. His wife Constance died in 1394, and two years later he married his mistress, Catherine Swynford. In 1397 he obtained legitimization of the four children born to her before their marriage. This family, the Beauforts, played an important part in 15th-century politics. When John died in 1399, Richard II confiscated the Lancastrian estates, thereby preventing them from passing to John’s son, Henry Bolingbroke. Henry then deposed Richard and in September 1399 ascended the throne as King Henry IV.
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Windsor Castle: The first stop on our tour is Windsor Castle, near London, where Richard II chills in Act 1, Scene 1, and where Henry Bolingbroke will later make himself at home in Act 5, Scene 3 (after snagging the English crown, of course).
Setting
The Lists (a.k.a. big tournament arena) at Coventry: Coventry is a city 95 miles northwest of London. The tournament arena is where the big showdown between Bolingbroke and Mowbray is supposed to go down in Act 1, Scene 3, until it gets cancelled when Richard decides he'd rather banish the two noblemen than watch them duke it out. Ely House: Richard visits a dying John of Gaunt at Ely House in London, where Gaunt delivers his famous speech about how amazing England is in Act 2, Scene 1. Ireland: In Act 2, Scene 1, we find out that Richard is headed to Ireland to take care of a war that has broken out there. Brittany: Henry Bolingbroke winds up in Brittany (northeastern France, south of England and across the English Channel) after Richard II boots him out of the country. In Act 2, Scene 1, we learn that Henry has raised a huge army there and is getting ready to sail back to Britain. Windsor Castle (again): In Act 2, Scene 2, Bushy and Bagot visit Richard's queen (Isabella), where they learn from Green that Henry Bolingbroke sailed from Brittany and has just landed at Ravenspurgh (a.k.a. Ravenspur) , on the northeast coast of England. Pleshey (a.k.a. Plashy): Pleshey is the Duchess of Gloucester's house near London. We find out in Act 2, Scene 2 that the Duchess has died there (probably by suicide, since she hinted at it in Act 1, Scene 2). Bristol Castle: Bushy and Green hightail it to Bristol Castle (about 118 miles west of London) in Act 2, Scene 2 in order to avoid a confrontation with Henry Bolingbroke.
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Important Themes / Motifs JOHN OF GAUNT This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress of nature built by nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world .... This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings, Feared by their breed and famous by their birth, .... This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land, Dear for her reputation through the world, Is now leased out (I die pronouncing it) Like to a tenement or a pelting farm.
Tradition
KING Te know, my master, God omnipotent, Is mustering in his clouds on our behalf Armies of pestilence, and they shall strike Your children yet unborn and unbegot That lift your vassal hands against my head And threat the glory of my precious crown. ... Ten thousand bloody crowns of mothers’ sons Shall ill become the flower of England’s face, Change the complexion of her maid-pale peace To scarlet indignation, and bedew Her pastor’s grass with faithful English blood [III.iii.
God
Power//Kingship
KING I weep for joy To stand upon my kingdom once again. Dear earth, I do salute thee with my hand, Though rebels wound thee with their horses’ hoofs. As a long-parted mother with her child Plays fondly with her tears and smiles in meeting. So weeping, smiling, greet I thee, my earth, And do thee favors with my royal hands Feed not thy sovereign’s foe, my gentle earth, Nor with thy sweets comfort his ravenous sense; But let thy spiders that suck up thy venom, And heavy-gaited toads, lie in their way, Doing annoyance to the treacherous feet Which with usurping steps do trample thee. Yield stinging nettles to mine enemies; And when they from thy bosom pluck a flower, Guard it, I pray thee, with a lurking adder Whose double tongue may with mortal touch Throw death upon thy sovereign’s enemies Mock not my senseless conjuration, lords, This earth shall have a feeling, and these stones Prove armed soldiers ere her native king Shall falter under foul rebellion’s arms. (3.2.12-26)
Land
Loyalty
Language vs.
Action
KING Needs must I like it well: I weep for joy To stand upon my kingdom once again. Dear earth, I do salute thee with my hand, Though rebels wound thee with their horses' hoofs: As a long-parted mother with her child Plays fondly with her tears and smiles in meeting, So, weeping, smiling, greet I thee, my earth, (3.2.2)
Identity - Name/Title BOLINGBROKE As I was banished, I was banished Hereford; But as I come, I come for Lancaster. (2.3.__)
Family
vs.
Politics
Fathers & Mothers
AUMERLE
DUCHESS OF YORK Comfort, my leige. Remember who you are. Why, York, what wilt thou do? Wilt thou not hide the KING trespass of thine own? Tis not the trial of a woman's war, I had forgot myself. Am I Have we more sons? or The bitter clamour of two eager tongues, are we like to have? Can arbitrate this cause betwixt us twain; (1.1.2) not King? Is not my teeming date Awake, thou coward drunk up with time? majesty! thou sleepest. And wilt thou pluck my fair son Is not the king’s name twenty thousand from mine age, And rob me of a happy mother's names? name? Arm, arm, my name! [III.ii.82-86] Is he not like thee? is he not thine KING own? (5.2.13) An if my word be sterling yet in England, Let it command a mirror hither straight, DUKE OF YORK That it may show me what a face I have, Away, fond woman! were he Since it is bankrupt of his majesty. twenty times my son, ... I would appeach him (5.2...?_) O, flatt'ring glass, Like to my followers in prosperity, Thou dost beguile me. (4.1.__
Gender
Appearance
YORK (re. King Henry)
YORK (re. King Richard) Yet looks he like a king. Behold, his eye, As bright as is the eagle's, lightens forth Controlling majesty. (3.3.4)
You would have thought the very windows spake, So many greedy looks of young and old Through casements darted their desiring eyes Upon his visage, and that all the walls With painted imagery had said at once20 'Jesu preserve thee! welcome, Bolingbroke!' (5.2.12)
Notable Productions More Information
2013 The Royal Shakespeare Co,
dir. Gregory Dorran, Richard: David Tennant
Scene from live performance: http://www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/richa
Interview with the director: http://www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/richard Review of the show: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/oct/1
2012 BBC “The Hollow Crown” dir. Rupert Goold Richard: Ben Whishaw Full video: http://vimeo.com/channels/551513/58737725
Review: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9365813/The-Hollow-Crown-Richard-II
2005 The Old Vic
dir. Trevor Nunn Richard: Kevin Spacey
“An aggressively modern-dress production that sees the play in political terms and makes full use of TV screens, videos, microphones and machine-guns. But this raises as many questions as it answers.” Review: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2005/oct/ 05/theatre.art
1997 The National Theatre
dir. Deborah Warner Richard: Fiona Shaw
Shaw performs role in drag; garners mixed reviews and much debate. Interview w. Fiona Shaw re. Richard II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyAB96nLVJ8
Academic article re. performance: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy1.lib.depaul.edu/stable/2871019?s NY Times review: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/27/theater/a-female-richard-ii-captivates-th
1973 Royal Shakespeare Theatre
dir. John Barton Richard: Ian Richardson / Richard Pasco
Richardson and Pasco alternate the roles of Richard II and Henry Bolingbroke. “Enforced the point, repeatedly made by Shakespeare, that the role of king dooms the person who takes it. Instead of seeing Richard as a weak king challenged by the stronger, ambitious Bolingbroke, as in most productions, Barton showed them to be mirror images of each other. The mirror in which Richard looks at himself in the deposition scene became the dominant image of 22 the production.
Review of the show: http://theshakespeareblog.com/2012/02/performance-history-and-the-critic
Iconic Richard II performance with videos http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2013/ja
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