One thing that really stood out to me in watching the play rather than reading it was in the conversation between Bolingbroke and King Richard. It seemed like Bolingbroke had an attitude of "are you sure you want to give me the crown" or "are you sure you're okay with this" while King Richard kept basically saying that yes he was okay with it but he definitely did not act okay with it. Why would Bolingbroke act like that in the first place? He wanted to take the crown and the kings possessions and there were so many people standing behind him, so why didn't he do what every bad guy does and just take it by force and proudly stand as king? And the other side to that is why was King Richard constantly saying (basically) "fine, take the crown" when he wanted it so bad and he felt so awful for not having it anymore?
I think there is kind of a background political thing going on here that isn't super obvious in the text, and although a little more present in the play, it is still somewhat missing. It seems like the people were more pushing for King Richard to no longer be king and they needed someone else to be that and that was Bolingbroke's position. But in the moment when they are finally face to face and it appears to be a conflict solely between the two of them, neither of them seem very firm about their decision to take or leave the crown. That shows even more that they felt influenced in someway, probably politically, to make the choices that they made. In the play, Bolingbroke seemed apologetic, and he gave in to the kings wishes of not reading the list of claims against him, bringing a mirror, and allowing him to leave when and how he wished. To some extent, Bolingbroke still treated him in a kingly way while he was taking the kingship from him.
Maybe this is a way of Shakespeare portraying the idea that even with a king established, the people ultimately have the say. The political sphere runs off of the people and not necessarily the king. That is how a king can be dethroned and a new king put into place.
I like how you pointed out the difference between what Richard and Bolingbroke want personally and what the people are essentially forcing them to do. It does seem at times that neither one is really in control of the situation but they are simply going along with what's expected of them.
ReplyDeleteTrue. They even let decisions up to other people and then follow through as if it was their idea. Responsibility is such an interesting theme in the play.
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