Which Queen? Richard II's Confusing Chronology
Mary Purnell
In his Richard II, Shakespeare remains faithful to history in his representation of Richard's relationship with his queen – for the most part. His main point of departure is in the convergence of Richard’s two wives. Based on her age, personality and relationship with her husband, there’s every indication that this queen is meant to be Richard’s first wife, Anne of Bohemia, except for one line from Thomas Mowbray that unravels the whole thing: "I went to France to fetch his [Richard’s] queen" (I.i.135).
This seemingly trivial detail actually tells us quite a bit. Richard’s second wife, Isabella of Valois, was from France, while his first, Anne of Bohemia, hailed from the modern day Czech Republic. If Mowbray "fetched" this lady from France, then no doubt we’re looking at Isabella. But there’s a slight problem: Isabella of Valois didn’t make it to ten before her husband died (she was a mere child of six when they married) and the queen we see here is an adult. Clearly, Shakespeare is taking some artistic liberties.
So why did he match Isabella’s identity with Anne’s character? Better yet, why do we care? Well, we can infer from this information that Shakespeare was indeed trying to deliver an accurate picture of history, as Isabella was the queen who lived throughout the events of Richard II. And yet, one hundred percent commitment to the truth would have cost him the fascinating love that the real Richard and Anne shared – a price he was apparently not willing to pay.
Shakespeare clearly saw something valuable in Richard and Anne’s relationship, because he was willing to sacrifice historical accuracy for the sake of the plot. By deciding to part ways with historical authenticity and to portray Richard through the lens of a loving marriage, Shakespeare preserved a more sympathetic side to the king that would otherwise have been lost on audiences.
That side of Richard complicates his character. Here we have a king who has been saturated in luxury since he was born, who makes poor decisions for the state with no concern for the consequences, and who steals money like it’s going out of style. But this apparently selfish, heartless ruler is full of surprises when it comes to his queen, whom he appears to love dearly and to whom he demonstrates nothing but fondness and compassion. There’s more to Richard than his poor politics, and Shakespeare knew that. He deliberately broke one rule of the genre of historical narrative in order to convey the real history of the life of King Richard II – a history that would be incomplete without his beloved Anne.
This seemingly trivial detail actually tells us quite a bit. Richard’s second wife, Isabella of Valois, was from France, while his first, Anne of Bohemia, hailed from the modern day Czech Republic. If Mowbray "fetched" this lady from France, then no doubt we’re looking at Isabella. But there’s a slight problem: Isabella of Valois didn’t make it to ten before her husband died (she was a mere child of six when they married) and the queen we see here is an adult. Clearly, Shakespeare is taking some artistic liberties.
So why did he match Isabella’s identity with Anne’s character? Better yet, why do we care? Well, we can infer from this information that Shakespeare was indeed trying to deliver an accurate picture of history, as Isabella was the queen who lived throughout the events of Richard II. And yet, one hundred percent commitment to the truth would have cost him the fascinating love that the real Richard and Anne shared – a price he was apparently not willing to pay.
Shakespeare clearly saw something valuable in Richard and Anne’s relationship, because he was willing to sacrifice historical accuracy for the sake of the plot. By deciding to part ways with historical authenticity and to portray Richard through the lens of a loving marriage, Shakespeare preserved a more sympathetic side to the king that would otherwise have been lost on audiences.
That side of Richard complicates his character. Here we have a king who has been saturated in luxury since he was born, who makes poor decisions for the state with no concern for the consequences, and who steals money like it’s going out of style. But this apparently selfish, heartless ruler is full of surprises when it comes to his queen, whom he appears to love dearly and to whom he demonstrates nothing but fondness and compassion. There’s more to Richard than his poor politics, and Shakespeare knew that. He deliberately broke one rule of the genre of historical narrative in order to convey the real history of the life of King Richard II – a history that would be incomplete without his beloved Anne.