Within Shakespeare s play Richard II there are many questionable and un trusting characters. Truth and duty are only illusions within the play. Lust for power and control override the order of England and its ordained king. It s believed that it is by the will of God that Richard is king.
No mortal man can come between what God has set before them as rule. The final decision is God s and the only way that God s choice can be changed is by God himself, and no one else. God takes the Garden of Eden from Adam, and like Adam, England is taken from Richard. It is questionable if Bolingbroke acts against God s will or through God s will.
Richard is king, and though a sad choice, he has been ordained by God as king and ruler of England. It is not for his followers to decide if he is to be replaced by someone that they feel would be a better caretaker of the garden. In Richard II, by overtaking the crown and replacing Richard with Bolingbroke, society is going against its own belief that Richard is ordained by God. From an Englishman s point of view it could be argued that God is somewhat responsible for the state that England is in, because they believe Richard was chosen by God. Within Richard II, God is believed to be forsaken so that England can become a great kingdom again, and this is done in hope that Richard s wrongs can be made right by Bolingbroke. Richard s opposition – York, Bolingbroke, and Northumberland – believe that what they are doing is done to regenerate the badly tended garden.
The Essay on Richard The Lionheart King Henry
Richard Plantagenet (Richard the Lionheart) was a king of England. He was born on September 8, 1157, at Oxford. Richard was the third son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He had an older brother named Henry and two younger brothers named John and Geoffrey. When Richard was born, King Henry gave Richard the Duchy of Aquitaine which belonged to his mother Eleanor. So Richard's full name became ...
They want to replant it with Bolingbroke as king, and this they believe will restore England to order. By judging and replacing Richard they are going against what their society believes is God s will. This is the worst mistake of all, because as the saying goes two wrongs don t make a right. They are playing against a power far greater than anything they could imagine Richard being able to do. Their worries should not be of what Richard will do to them if they do not succeed, but what God will do to them at any given time. Northumberland tells of how the kingship will be restored and the garden revived.
“If then we shall shake off our slavish yoke, / Imp out our drooping country s broken wing, / Redeem from broking pawn the blemished crown, / Wipe off the dust that hides our scepter s gilt, / And make high majesty look like itself,’ (Richard II II. i. 302-306) He makes this statement as if he has a choice in the matter and as if God plays no role in what will happen. He ends up acting on his words by supporting Bolingbroke to overthrow Richard as king. York is handed the kingdom to maintain in the absence of Richard. He allows the kingdom to fall into the hands of Bolingbroke by siding with him.
“Because my power is weak and all ill-left. But if I could, by Him that gave me life, I would attach you all and make you stoop/Unto the sovereign mercy of the King. /But since I cannot, be it known unto you well- /I do remain as neuter. (Richard II II. iii.
159-163).
He believes that what he is doing is not only going against Richard, but also and most importantly, against God. He should stand up to Bolingbroke and go against his rebellion. He should die rather than giving in so easily. It is not Richard that they fear, but God s wrath.
Richard would not have lasted as king for so long if he did not have the anointment of God to put fear in his fellow Englishman. The most important social belief that Richard has is that of being chosen by God, not by mortal man. Richard believes that his presence is enough to restore order and put an end to the rebellion. The belief that God ordained of Richard as king does not work when the fear of God is no longer present. There is little worry about the rebellion as Richard immediately returns from Ireland. Fear not, my lord.
The Dissertation on God, King of Hell
Sarah Kuehl Mr. Fisher AP English 12 19 October 2010 God, King of Hell In the medieval age, Catholicism was a dominant, unifying force. All people of the Catholic faith are members of the Roman Catholic Church, with the mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. A brilliant poet, Dante Alighieri, lived during the medieval age and used his works to accomplish many things, including spreading ...
That power that made you king/ Hath power to keep you king in spite of all (Richard II III. ii. 28-29).
Richard believes that his presence and the belief that he is chosen by God will uns park the rebellion. “But self-a frighted, tremble at his sin. /Not all the water in the rough rude sea /Can wash the balm off from an anointed king.
/The breath of worldly men cannot depose/ The deputy elected by the Lord.’ (Richard II III. ii. 54-57) His ignorance and belief that he is above mortal man leads to his own downfall. He relates himself to God as being of God and from God. It can be thought that he considers himself God s own son, a new Jesus with a golden crown instead of one made of thorns. His own flatteries, blinded by gold, take him farther away from his true duties as king, and in turn take him further from God.
God can also be considered at fault for the state that England is in because it is believed that God ordained Richard to rule the throne. This statement is never directly stated in the play, but can be examined to some degree. Since Richard is believed to be the choice of God as ruler of all England it should go without saying that Richard s mistakes are also God s mistakes. Bolingbroke and others would never use this as reasoning for overtaking Richard, because it would be a death sentence for themselves. The thought of God s reasposibility of closing Richard as being a bad one would never be seen as even closely justifiable. The truth, although not accepted, is that if God truly does ordain rulers than their actions should also be judged as the actions of God himself.
If this does hold, than all that precede against Richard in any form also will be going against God. God takes the Garden of Eden from Adam and has the power of taking England away from Richard. Adam was not a good keeper of the Garden of Eden, as Richard is not a good keeper of England. God giveth, and God taketh away. Adam lets the Garden go by not looking out for weeds (Satan / sin ) that needed to be plucked out. England needs to kill Richard in order to save the rest of the garden.
Richard ignores weeds that threaten his own throne, such as Bolingbroke and Northumberland. He should get rid of Bolingbroke permanently before he becomes too large in popularity to kill. It can also be seen that God uses Bolingbroke and Northumberland as pawns in order to rid England of a corrupt king. Bolingbroke fears that the events that have given him power are not by the grace of God. I pardon him, as God shall pardon me (Richard II V. iii.
The Essay on Fate In "King Lear"
In the play King Lear fate decides where each person will go, how they live and how they die. Each character in the play believes in god or a higher power that is responsible for the good and unfortunate events in their lives. Fate places situations on each of them and it is up to the characters to decide how they will play out the situation. Each character blames the gods for their ill fortunes ...
138).
He fears that he is going against God s will and in the end will be no better off than Richard, or possibly worse. Choices sometimes have to be made within a community that go against tradition and the traditional role of God within society. Change occurs by force.
Without change and risk one will never know what is truly right and what is truly wrong. Society can place their own rules often using God as the final power. This style of ruling is very intelligent. It gives the ruling party more than an army to impose authority, but also it uses an unseen threat that holds societies beliefs sacred and untouchable. This is how Richard depends upon rule within England. Without this threat Richard is easily discarded.
Overthrowing Richard is a risk that Bolingbroke takes, and he can only hope that God will see that Richard has taken advantage of his people and God himself. It is a risk that must be taken in order to restore the garden.
