Richard II
Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
It's time for the big deposition scene, everybody! Are you excited? I am!
The story so far: Abandoned by his friends, Richard has surrendered to Bolingbroke, who brings him back to London. While Bolingbroke initially insisted he only came back to reclaim his inheritance, it becomes increasingly clear that he is angling for a higher prize: the throne itself. Oooooooo.
This part of the scene is often cut from performances, as it doesn't really advance the plot at all. However, I find it fantastically amusing, especially when Aumerle cries out "Some honest Christian trust me with a gage!" It's like "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" only with gloves instead of horses. Anyways, moving on....
The "Aye no no aye" line is quite famous, and is the kind of thing people like to interpret in all sorts of ways. Just for fun, here's a quick supercut of various Richards' take on it:
0:00 - An Age of Kings, 1960, Tom Fleming & David William
0:29 - BBC Shakespeare, 1978, Jon Finch & Derek Jacobi
1:05 - The Hollow Crown, 2012, Rory Kinnear & Ben Wishaw
1:33 - Royal Shakespeare Company, 2013, Nigel Lindsay & David Tennant
And there we have the deposition scene. I really haven't done it justice: it's a masterpiece of political theatre and emotional manipulation on everyone's part.
Tomorrow brings us finally to Act 5, and we can begin to wrap up this whole sorry affair!
Richard II
Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10