Richard II
Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
The story so far: King Richard, bereft of supporters, decides to sulk in Flint Castle and wait for Henry of Bolingbroke to arrive. Not really the greatest plan in the world, but I'm not sure what else he should have done. Gone back to Ireland, perhaps?
Richard seems to have severe mood swings throughout the Flint Castle scene. One minute he's declaiming "God omnipotent is mustering in his clouds on our behalf armies of pestilence, and they shall strike your children yet unborn and unbegot!" The next minute he's all "We'll do whatever you want."
"Down, down I come, like glistering Phaethon, wanting the manage of unruly jades" is another one of those quotes that should be used more often in real life, preferably bellowed melodramatically while standing on a footstool.
I previously addressed the hard task those poor ladies-in-waiting have in trying to cheer up the Queen. In her defense, she has a lot of reasons to be depressed, but she seems to be going out of her way to make her ladies-in-waiting feel totally inadequate.
Richard II is famous for being one of Shakespeare's only plays written almost entirely in verse. Even the gardeners speak in verse, with a couple rhymed couplets thrown in for good measure. However, I have to admit that I can't help giggling internally every time I hear "bind up yon dangling apricocks". It's not just me, is it?
Stay tuned: The big deposition scene is coming up on Monday!
Richard II
Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10