Transcript Richard II history

Richard II -- Printing history
Date:
• Probably no earlier than 1595
• First printing 1597. Printed twice
more before Elizabeth’s death in
March, 1603 (I think both times in
1598).
• Fourth printing 1608
Richard II -- Sources
• Primarily Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles, 1577, rev’d & enlarged
1587.
• Edward Halle’s chronicle The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre
Famelies of Lancastre and York (1548)
• The Mirrour for Magistrates (1559)
• Samuel Daniel’s First Four Books of the Civil Wars (1595)
• the anonymous play Woodstock (1591 - 5?)
• Froissart’s Chronicle, trans. 1523 - 5 by Lord Berners
• an anonymous French ms chronicle entitled Chronicque de la
TraVson et Mort de Richart Deux Roy Dengleterre (c. 1400)
• Créton’s Histoire du Roy d’Angleterre Richard (1399?)
• And possibly Marlowe’s Edward II as a dramatic model
Richard II -- Style
• “Written entirely in verse, Shakespeare
forgoes stylistic variety in favour of an
intense, plangent lyricism” (Wells, 367).
• The c20th actor Sir John Gielgud warns of
“the danger of monotony in a drama
whose ‘artificial’ and ‘tapestried’ style is
often more musical than revealing of
character” (Forker, 55 - 6).
Richard II -- Themes or topics of
interest
• Stanley Wells has written that “the subject-matter of Richard II
seemed inflammatorily topical to Shakespeare’s contemporaries.
Richard, who had notoriously indulged his favourites, had been
compelled to yield his throne to Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Hereford:
like Richard, the ageing Queen Elizabeth had no obvious successor,
and she too encouraged favourites—such as the Earl of Essex—
who might aspire to the throne. . . . In 1601, on the day before Essex
led [a] rebellion against Elizabeth, his fellow conspirators [including
the Earl of Southampton (Bloom Invention of the Human, 262)]
commissioned a special performance in the hope of arousing
popular support” (367). The Queen’s response to the 1601
production was “I am Richard II, know ye not that?” (Bloom, 262).
• I.e. the use of history in history, specifically the use of Richard II to
offer public comment on the reign and succession of Elizabeth I.
Richard II -- Themes or topics of
interest
• Pervasively lamenting, in the tradition of
Mediaeval & Renaissance complaint literature
(Forker, 56).
• I.e. the place of Richard II in the literary tradition
of complaint literature
• Harold Bloom writes of the play that “Since we
are not meant to like Richard, and no one could
like the usurper Bolingbroke, Shakespeare has
little trouble distancing us from the only actions
of the play, abdication and murder” (Invention of
the Human, 253).
Richard II -- Themes or topics of
interest
• The poem’s fourth printing in 1608 was the first to
contain the deposition scene (4.1.155 - 320). It was
probably previously suppressed “because of the
politically contentious subject of the queen’s succession”
(Drabble, Richard II, King, 826).
• I.e. closely exam this scene, possibly extend your
discussion to the broader cultural context
• The royal prerogative
• I.e. how far does the power of the Crown extend? What
limits are placed on it?
History of Richard II
• Richard II reigned from June 1377 to September 1399
• He became King while still a minor, at the age of 9
• John of Gaunt dominated royal affairs during this period,
and was the leader of a Lancastrian faction that sought
to influence, & ultimately control the crown
• In addition to the Lancastrian faction, there were two
others vying for power through Richard
• From 1386 - 89 Gaunt, a much more ambitious fellow
than Shakespeare makes him out to be, fought in Spain
in a failed attempt to enforce his own claim on the
Castillian crown
History of Richard II
• Starting just before this time, a second faction, made up of
friends & advisors of Richard’s own choosing, became more
influential, and “from 1383 on, parliament frequently
complained of the extravagance and instability of Richard’s
behaviour and the evil counsel of the favourites who
encouraged it” (Saccio, 20 - 1)
• After Gaunt’s departure for Castille, in 1386, a deputation of
lords led by Richard’s youngest uncle, the duke of Gloucester
(Thomas of Woodstock) rebuked Richard for misgovernment,
& parliament impeached one of Richard’s favourites, Michael
de la Pole
• Richard responded by touring in the north and consolidating a
Royalist following to condemn the impeachment as
treasonous behaviour violating the royal prerogative
History of Richard II
• This led to the birth of the third faction, the Lords
Appellant, led by Gloucester
• This faction gathered an army of their own
• Two who joined this faction were Henry of Bolingbroke
earl of Derby, and Thomas Mowbray earl of Nottingham,
later duke of Norfolk
• In 1388 the army of the Lords Appellant defeated the
Kings army, and in the so-called Merciless Parliament of
that year won their appeal against the King’s favourites,
with the result thatthe favourites were either executed or,
effectively, exiled
• The Lords Appellant ruled for about a year
History of Richard II
• In 1389 Richard announced his intention to rule
on his own, and the Appellants disbanded,
Gaunt returned from Spain, and peace broke
out, after a fashion
• In 1396 he secured a meaningful peace with
France, with whom England had been at war
since Edward III entered the Hundred Years War
in 1337
• In 1397 factional struggle recommenced, with
some new actors, and with some who were
involved before having shifted allegiances
History of Richard II
• The King’s friends now included Edward earl of Rutland, son
of the Duke of York. Edward was soon to be created duke of
Albemarle (Shpe’s Aumerle), Thomas Mowbray, and among
others three members of parliament named Sir John Bushy,
Sir William Bagot, and Sir Henry Greene
• The senior Appellants, Gloucester, Arundel, and Warwick
remained hostile to the king; Henry of Bolingbroke’s
allegiances are uncertain, but in any event he was mostly out
of the country on crusade or pilgrimage
• For reasons that remain unclear, Richard suddenly arrested
Gloucester, Arundel, and Warwick
• The three were convicted: Warwick confessed and was exiled,
Arundel remained defiant and was beheaded.
History of Richard II
• During the trial Gloucester’s guard, the
duke of Norfolk (i.e. Mowbray) announced
that his prisoner had died in custody
• Almost certainly this means murder, but
the question remains open as to the king’s
degree of complicity in this murder
• This brings us, pretty much, to curtain rise
on Richard II