legitimacy in Richard II
Richard became king at the age of ten, taking over for his father, Edward the Black Prince, Edward III's oldest son, who predeceased his father. This elevation gave the boy authority over all nobles, including his uncles. Once crowned, Richard's right to rule and to have his commands obeyed was supported by the order of God, since it was believed that the king's power was issued directly from God. The king served as the representative of God on Earth, and to resist the will of the king was to onset oneself against the order of the universe and the will of God. Therefore, the king ruled by divine right, and it was this belief that served as Richard's primary weapon. Richard is a king and not simply a man and this play is about the claim of a king. Most of Richard's actions have to do with the act of kingly power or the failure to act. Richard is not just; the matter of Gloucester's death proves just that. As long as Richard is king he is just the landlord of England.
Not all the water in the rough rude seaCan wash the balm from an anointed king. There are many references to God in relation to Richard and divine right. Richard is unjust towards Gaunt and replies with rage and threat "A lunatic lean-witted fool. Henry banishes the knight from his presence and decides on a voyage to the Holy Land to compensate his guilt. Shakespeare is writing this play for the Queen's pleasure and his views cannot be so drastic or he could be beheaded. For every man that Bolingbroke hath pressedTo lift shrewd steel against our golden crown,God for his Richard hath in heavenly payA glorious angel. When King Richard lands on the coast of Wales, he is aware of the existence of the rebellion but convinced that the nature of the kingship will protect him. When Richard gives up his crown he also loses his identity, we should hate Richard for being a weak ruler and love Bolingbroke for being strong and able to take a stand on the many issues Richard could not, but the reverse happens at the end of this play. The implication is that only a lawful king can follow this ceremony, and Bolingbroke will never have such status, he will forever be smaller then Richard, who concludes his performance with a line of forgiveness. When Richard actually removes the crown, he does so with a poetic flair that intimates that he, a divinely ordained king, will always possess a majesty that Bolingbroke, forever a usurper, can only dream of: With mine own tears I wash away my balm, With mine own hands I give away my crown.
Common topics in this essay:
God Richard,
Holy Land,
God Earth,
England Richard,
King Richard,
Edward III's,
Duke Lancaster,
Legitimacy Richard,
Black Prince,
richard king,
Duke Hereford,
god king,
king sun,
belief divine,
shakespeare writing,
mine own,
wash balm,
writing play,
black prince,
shakespeare writing play,
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Acceptance Essays
