“Now mark me how I will undo myself”
Discuss the extent to which Shakespeare presents Richard II as being responsible for his own downfall in “Richard II”.
Printable View
“Now mark me how I will undo myself”
Discuss the extent to which Shakespeare presents Richard II as being responsible for his own downfall in “Richard II”.
Shakespeare works out the theory of the Divine Right of the king in the play. The medieval belief was that the King was the representative of God on earth and that he ruled on behalf of God himself. Having full faith in Divine protection in all situations the medieval kings sometimes fell easy victims to the traps of assassins and conspirators. RichardII also lives and rules under the same false sense of security and meets an untimely death. Strangely enough, Shakespeare supposes Richard an over confident believer in the divine right of kings.
As handled by Shakespeare, the story of Richard examplifies a kind of tragic subject which towards the middle of his career obiviously interested him the discord btween the life of thought and feeling pursued for themselves and the life of practical interests between the poet or the thinker, the philosopher, the lover and the world in which he assures or has thrust upon him a part he is not fitted to play. He follows momentary impulse, like a brilliant wayward dreamer, taking no account of the laws and limits of the real world and turning each rude collision with them merely into the starting point of the new dream. And these laws and limits are for him personified in Bolingbroke the representative of the people he murdered.
Richard laughed and mocked as he stole Bolingbroke's inheritance. He had too much confidence about making Bol. and the other guy (Norfolk) promise never to return to England, namely that it would actually be observed; well 6 or 8 years for Bolingbroke, I forget how many years he chopped it down to.
Richard clearly does not understand politics enough, and probably should have spent most of his time involved with playing musical instruments and singing; rule by art. And staying out of wars which he can't win (another big flub on his part).
He hopes beyond hope that even at the late date of this quote that somehow he can turn the nobles back into his corner; that he might be able to "act" himself out of his dilemma. But, alas, it is too late. Bolingbroke is too shrewd to allow him to talk his way out of the tower.