The Identity Crisis of Richard II
"I have no name, no title...And know not now what to call myself" (Richard: 4.1. 245-249). "My lord, my answer is to 'Lancaster,' and I am come to seek that name in England, And I must find that title in your tongue before I make reply to aught you say" (Bolingbroke: 2.3. 70-73). Who is who? Who is what? That seems to be the major theme in this play. Who is in the right, and who is in the wrong? Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist? Which title belongs to whom? And who deserves that title? I submit this play be retitled The Identity Crisis, for that is what it seems that each of the characters is going through. Possibly, a more accurate, in depth way of poising these same questions is what makes a man a "man?" This is a play of self-discovery and the induction into manhood. In the beginning we are presented with two foes and a question of divine authority VS. just action. King Richard II is a boy king- anointed by divine right, but none the less a boy. He neither has the gall to admit his murderous actions- where he could use his power as king to justify his act- nor the heart to send his scapegoat to death. Bolingbroke while an adult is not yet a man either. He has n
In the end the audience is left to wonder whom the true victor in the play was, if there was one. He seized power in the name of justice, yet he acts unjustly, and in the end he is aware of this, and left in utter turmoil. Ah, would the scandal vanish with my life, How happy then were my ensuing death! [. 65-80) John of Gaunt dies leaving a bit of a curse on Richard, leaving the others to choose for themselves between preservation and authority. Two boys struggling to become men, and neither will make it to manhood before the end of the play. "Lords, I protest my soul is full of woe that blood should sprinkle me to make me grow. They've all been raised to hold certain ideals about the divine right of kingship, however now they must choose between a spoiled child king and their own blood. Shakespeare leaves the audience to figure out the meaning of the play. One of the most beautiful talents Shakespeare possessed was his ability to write for humanity/ the masses not just an intellectual political forum. Boilingbroke, on the other hand does not die, but becomes less enlightened. March sadly here in weeping after this untimely bier" (5.
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Identity Crisis,
Holy Land,
William Shakespeare,
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