Shakespeare’s Richard II Essay Search for Identity in...

Search for Identity in Richard II Shakespeares Richard II tells the story of Richards fall from power. Being dethroned by Bolingbroke forces Richard to confront the limitations and nature of his power as king. As audience members, we follow Richard on his journey of self-discovery, which enlightens him even as his life is shattered by Bolingbrokes revolt. Paradoxically, it is in utter defeat that Richard comes closest to understanding what it is to be human. Unfortunately he is unable to accept life as an ordinary subject after having tasted what it means to rule. For Gods sake, let us sit upon the ground, And tell sad stories of the death of kings- How some have been deposed, some slain in war, Some haunted†¦show more content†¦Devastated by the news because he realizes it signals the now inevitable end to his rule, Richard reconsiders what it means to be a king. He first states his newfound ideas regarding the true nature of the power of kings, then laments that he can no longer be numbered among the ranks of monarchs. Finally he searches for a new role he can fill, now that he can no longer be king; he realizes there is no such role as an ordinary person that he would be content to accept. This soliloquy expresses first Richards new conceptualization of the origin and form of kings power; it stands in sharp contrast to his earlier view of kings as innately born to rule. At the opening of the play Richard firmly believed that as king he was infallible, that he was chosen by God to rule and that he had been born possessing those characteristics necessary to enable him to rule effectively. He states with conviction in I.i.196: We were not born to sue, but to command. When Bolingbroke first challenged his authority, Richard was confident that as king as must be in the right: The breath of worldly men cannot depose The deputy elected by the Lord. For every man that Bolingbroke hath pressed To lift shrewd steel against our golden crown, God for his Richard hath in heavenly pay A glorious angel. (III.ii. 52-57) However, now that hisShow MoreRelated Essay on Narcissism and Metadrama in Richard II2800 Words   |  12 PagesNarcissism and Metadrama in Richard II  Ã‚  Ã‚      Over the last thirty years, Shakespeare criticism has demonstrated a growing awareness of the self-reflexive or metadramatic elements in his works. Lionel Abel’s 1963 study, Metatheatre: A New View of Dramatic Form, provided perhaps the first significant analysis of the ways in which Shakespeare thematizes theatricality, in the broadest sense of the term, in his tragedies, comedies, and histories. In his discussion of Hamlet, he makes the observation—perhapsRead More William Faulkners Use of Shakespeare Essay5388 Words   |  22 Pagescarrying around with me† (FIU 67). Faulkner’s recorded interviews and conversations contain references to a number of Shakespeares works and characters, including Hamlet, Macbeth, Henry IV, Henry V, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo and Juliet, the sonnets, Falstaff, Prince Hal, Lady Macbeth, Bottom, Ophelia, and Mercutio. In 1947 he told an Ole Miss English class that Shakespeare’s work provides â€Å"a casebook on mankind,† adding, â€Å"if a man has a great deal of talent he can use Shakespeare as a yardstick†Read More Subverting the Conventional: Combining Genre in Kellys Donnie Darko6339 Words   |  26 Pagesaudiences to make decisions about complex genres, as formula films have become an accepted form of entertainment. Cinema must look to Independent film then to help create new forms, specifically in genre. Donnie Darko, an Independent film directed by Richard Kelly, successfully poses questions about hybrid films and complex genres. Donnie Darko transcends the typical conventions of genre to redefine cinema and set a new precedence for independent filmmakers interested in breaking the rules of traditionRead MoreCleanth Brookss Essay Irony as a Principle of Structure9125 Words   |  37 PagesHistory and Class Consciousness Preface THE collection and publication of these essays in book form is not intended to give them a greater importance as a whole than would be due to each individually. For the most part they are attempts, arising out of actual work for the party, to clarify the theoretical problems of the revolutionary movement in the mind ,of the author and his readers. The exceptions to this are the two essays Reification and the Consciousness of the Proletariat and Towards a MethodologyRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesupdated: April 26, 2016 Logical Reasoning Bradley H. Dowden Philosophy Department California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA 95819 USA ii iii Preface Copyright  © 2011-14 by Bradley H. Dowden This book Logical Reasoning by Bradley H. Dowden is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. That is, you are free to share, copy, distribute, store, and transmit all or any part of the work under the following conditions: