The Character of Richard in Shakespeare
Julia Snider
Richard II depicts the events that occurred in the last year of the king’s reign in 1398-99. Because Shakespeare is only giving attention to this dark period of Richard’s life, he leaves the audience with an impression of the king that is not representative of his entire reign. Shakespeare can hardly be blamed for offering a skewed view of the monarch. The conflict between Thomas de Mowbray and Henry Bolingbroke, and the ensuing events, were by far the most interesting portion of his reign and they offer the most entertainment to Shakespeare’s audience.
Shakespeare portrays Richard as a monarch who is weak, unkingly, and, ironically, too confident in his position as king. This interpretation is not entirely fabricated, though an analysis of sixteenth-centurysource texts for this play suggest that Shakespeare exaggerated some of Richard’s poorer traits without portraying any of his better ones. In reality, Richard was a sensitive man who supported the arts and enjoyed lavish feasts. He was a tall and handsome man, described as having a beautiful face and flowing golden hair (Saul, 447). Additionally, Holinshed presents him in the early part of his reign as being brave in the face of conflict.
He is also presented as being frivolous and extravagant. He himself describes his "gay apparel" and his seats which is "richly hanged and adorned," (III.iii.148). Based on the information about him in Holinshed, this isn’t much of an exaggeration. Richard taxed his subjects heavily and used much of the revenue not only for expeditions, but to host large and costly feasts.
Another characteristic of Richard that is emphasized in the play is his tendency to be easily swayed by flattery. The duke of York remarks:
Shakespeare portrays Richard as a monarch who is weak, unkingly, and, ironically, too confident in his position as king. This interpretation is not entirely fabricated, though an analysis of sixteenth-centurysource texts for this play suggest that Shakespeare exaggerated some of Richard’s poorer traits without portraying any of his better ones. In reality, Richard was a sensitive man who supported the arts and enjoyed lavish feasts. He was a tall and handsome man, described as having a beautiful face and flowing golden hair (Saul, 447). Additionally, Holinshed presents him in the early part of his reign as being brave in the face of conflict.
He is also presented as being frivolous and extravagant. He himself describes his "gay apparel" and his seats which is "richly hanged and adorned," (III.iii.148). Based on the information about him in Holinshed, this isn’t much of an exaggeration. Richard taxed his subjects heavily and used much of the revenue not only for expeditions, but to host large and costly feasts.
Another characteristic of Richard that is emphasized in the play is his tendency to be easily swayed by flattery. The duke of York remarks:
No; it is stopp'd with other flattering sounds,
As praises, of whose taste the wise are fond,
Lascivious metres, to whose venom sound
The open ear of youth doth always listen;
Report of fashions in proud Italy,
Whose manners still our tardy apish nation
Limps after in base imitation.
Where doth the world thrust forth a vanity--
So it be new, there's no respect how vile--
That is not quickly buzzed into his ears? (II.i.20-29)
Being swayed by flattery would have caused suspicion around the court and could easily cause Richard to be lead astray by flatterers with ill intent. John of Gaunt is suggesting that the king’s closest advisors are misleading him. Worse still, in imitating the "fashions in proud Italy," Richard's character is swelling with "vanity," which is giving him an undue confidence despite his shaky hold on the kingdom.
Another trait of Richard’s character that is heavily emphasized in the play is his inconstancy. He appears not only unsure of his decisions, but of his identity as well. In Act 4,Richard has a major identity crisis at his deposition. He says "I know not now what name to call myself," and "I must nothing be." He suffers this crisis because he has identified himself primarily as a monarch his entire life and now that the title has been taken away from him, he doesn’t know who he is. He’s also portrayed as being unsteady in his decisions. This is most evident in the Bolingbroke/Mowbray conflict, where he changes his decision to have them duel at the last moment.
Lastly, Richard is far too confident in himself and his position as king because he thinks he has been hand-picked by God himself. When he hears that Bolingbroke has come back to England, he makes no attempt to defend himself because he is so sure of his right to the throne and believes that no man could interfere with the will of God. There is evidence in contemporary texts of Richard's ideas of himself as an absolute monarch.
The first two Acts of Richard II present the king in a way that is unfavorable. However, the audience is able to sympathize with him later during his deposition because Shakespeare paints him in an emotional light. Though some of Richard’s personality traits are exaggerated for dramatic purpose, the character is not altogether inaccurate. What the playwright fails to acknowledge is Richard’s bravery and competence earlier in his reign, making the interpretation of the monarch incomplete.
Another trait of Richard’s character that is heavily emphasized in the play is his inconstancy. He appears not only unsure of his decisions, but of his identity as well. In Act 4,Richard has a major identity crisis at his deposition. He says "I know not now what name to call myself," and "I must nothing be." He suffers this crisis because he has identified himself primarily as a monarch his entire life and now that the title has been taken away from him, he doesn’t know who he is. He’s also portrayed as being unsteady in his decisions. This is most evident in the Bolingbroke/Mowbray conflict, where he changes his decision to have them duel at the last moment.
Lastly, Richard is far too confident in himself and his position as king because he thinks he has been hand-picked by God himself. When he hears that Bolingbroke has come back to England, he makes no attempt to defend himself because he is so sure of his right to the throne and believes that no man could interfere with the will of God. There is evidence in contemporary texts of Richard's ideas of himself as an absolute monarch.
The first two Acts of Richard II present the king in a way that is unfavorable. However, the audience is able to sympathize with him later during his deposition because Shakespeare paints him in an emotional light. Though some of Richard’s personality traits are exaggerated for dramatic purpose, the character is not altogether inaccurate. What the playwright fails to acknowledge is Richard’s bravery and competence earlier in his reign, making the interpretation of the monarch incomplete.