The Gardener's Speech
Kat Ford
Among the highborn cast of characters in Richard II, the appearance of the Gardener in Act 3, Scene 4 is out of place. Although he only appears for this brief scene, in the midst of the Queen’s broodings, he comes with a lot to say. In his speech, the Gardener acts as a voice for the common people. Since there are no other instances of a commoner in the play, the Gardener appears to inform the audience of the debacle going on in their government’s affairs and the deposition of the king. The Gardener gives his opinion veiled in talk of gardening and plants, which is what he would be expected to have knowledge of, not politics.
At first, the Gardener’s speech to the Servingman seems to be a listing of chores they must complete, but it quickly becomes focused blatantly on Richard II’s removal from the throne. He begins with "Go, bind thou up young dangling apricokes / Which, like unruly children, make their sire/Stoop with oppression of their prodigal weight" (III.iv.32-34), a logical course of action if fruits were weighing down the boughs of a tree. His use of the word "sire" does hint at a different intention for this statement. "Sire", by definition means "parent", which a tree is to its fruit, but one doesn’t think of a tree "Siring" fruit. The word "sire" is also a term to address a king, the king at this time would have been Richard II, before Henry Bolingbroke was crowned. Subjects are also referenced as "children" to the king, but not generally unruly. The "unruly children" in a speech about a recently deposed king would be the rebels themselves, who weighed down the monarchy like heavy fruit until its branches snapped, leading to the ascent of Bolingbroke.
In his rebellion, Bolingbroke removes King Richard from power, cutting him off from his allies or turning them against him. In some cases, Bolingbroke had supporters that Richard had amassed from his favoritism and generousity executed. This, the Gardener references in another veiled command to the Servingman, "Cut off the heads of too-fast-growing sprays" (III.iv.37), commenting on their rising in political standing, "fast-growing" from Richard’s influence. The Gardener expresses that he doesn’t feel bad for the heads of these noblemen for they "look[ed] too lofty in our commonwealth" (III.iv.38), portraying the public’s awareness that the monarchy gave little concern toward the poor.
After the veiled speech about the government, the Gardener references it directly, "All must be even in our government" (III.iv.39), saying that it was not even before Richard’s deposition. The wish for things to be even appears to be misplaced, since it was not the commoners who acted against the skewed wealth in the kingdom, but other nobles. At this time, the Gardener takes on a different role from being the voice of the common people to a voice of the rebels. Richard made enemies of those who had the influence to overthrow him and attracted those who were using him for a boost in power. His attention to one side over the other caused the imbalance the Gardener references.
This out-of-character moment fades when the Gardener begins again to use terms that are related to his trade and less to politics, "You thus employed, I will go root away/The noisome weeds which without profit suck/The soil’s fertility from wholesome flowers" (III.iv.40-42). For a garden, a "noisome weed", or a disagreeable and offensive weed, would be seen as an eyesore and a gardener’s job to remove it. The "noisome weeds" of the monarchy were treated the same way in Bolingbroke’s rebellion. He speaks about Richard again, this time referring to him as being like a tree, who’s "broad-spreading leaves" (III.iv.54) sheltered "the weeds" Bolingbroke was seeking to uproot. It is at this point in his speech that the Gardener demonstrates that he is aware of Richard’s supporter using him for their own gain, "[The weeds] That seemed in eating him to hold him up" (III.iv.55), meaning that the public had more knowledge of the whole affair than one would have previously thought. King Richard, having "suffered this disordered spring" (III.iv.52), lost all who he had put faith in when hearing about the rebellion by betrayal or being "plucked up, root and all, by Bolingbroke" (III.iv.57). The Gardener calls his deposition "the fall of leaf" (III.iv.53), comparing his situation to the loss of favorable climate to grow plants.
The Gardener slips out of character once more, to be blunt about the meaning of his speech, with the reference to Bolingbroke by name, as well as the names of the supporters of Richard he executed. He proclaims pity for the "wasteful king" (III.iv.61) as he "had not so trimmed and dressed his land/As we this garden!" (III.iv.62-63), comparing Richard’s failure as a monarch as if he were a failure as a gardener. The Gardener ends his speech with his belief towards the king’s failure, as he would see it from the gaze of a laborer knowing only about plants. For if Richard was a gardener like him and the kingdom his garden, he kept "too much" of the riches and squandered them fo himself instead of bettering his land. But had "he done so to great and growing men/They might have lived to bear and he to taste/Their fruits of duty (III.iv.67-69), again criticizing his choices of allies. Had such a mistake been made in his profession, the Gardener would have most likely lost his livelihood, explaining the unforgiving nature of the speech.
At first, the Gardener’s speech to the Servingman seems to be a listing of chores they must complete, but it quickly becomes focused blatantly on Richard II’s removal from the throne. He begins with "Go, bind thou up young dangling apricokes / Which, like unruly children, make their sire/Stoop with oppression of their prodigal weight" (III.iv.32-34), a logical course of action if fruits were weighing down the boughs of a tree. His use of the word "sire" does hint at a different intention for this statement. "Sire", by definition means "parent", which a tree is to its fruit, but one doesn’t think of a tree "Siring" fruit. The word "sire" is also a term to address a king, the king at this time would have been Richard II, before Henry Bolingbroke was crowned. Subjects are also referenced as "children" to the king, but not generally unruly. The "unruly children" in a speech about a recently deposed king would be the rebels themselves, who weighed down the monarchy like heavy fruit until its branches snapped, leading to the ascent of Bolingbroke.
In his rebellion, Bolingbroke removes King Richard from power, cutting him off from his allies or turning them against him. In some cases, Bolingbroke had supporters that Richard had amassed from his favoritism and generousity executed. This, the Gardener references in another veiled command to the Servingman, "Cut off the heads of too-fast-growing sprays" (III.iv.37), commenting on their rising in political standing, "fast-growing" from Richard’s influence. The Gardener expresses that he doesn’t feel bad for the heads of these noblemen for they "look[ed] too lofty in our commonwealth" (III.iv.38), portraying the public’s awareness that the monarchy gave little concern toward the poor.
After the veiled speech about the government, the Gardener references it directly, "All must be even in our government" (III.iv.39), saying that it was not even before Richard’s deposition. The wish for things to be even appears to be misplaced, since it was not the commoners who acted against the skewed wealth in the kingdom, but other nobles. At this time, the Gardener takes on a different role from being the voice of the common people to a voice of the rebels. Richard made enemies of those who had the influence to overthrow him and attracted those who were using him for a boost in power. His attention to one side over the other caused the imbalance the Gardener references.
This out-of-character moment fades when the Gardener begins again to use terms that are related to his trade and less to politics, "You thus employed, I will go root away/The noisome weeds which without profit suck/The soil’s fertility from wholesome flowers" (III.iv.40-42). For a garden, a "noisome weed", or a disagreeable and offensive weed, would be seen as an eyesore and a gardener’s job to remove it. The "noisome weeds" of the monarchy were treated the same way in Bolingbroke’s rebellion. He speaks about Richard again, this time referring to him as being like a tree, who’s "broad-spreading leaves" (III.iv.54) sheltered "the weeds" Bolingbroke was seeking to uproot. It is at this point in his speech that the Gardener demonstrates that he is aware of Richard’s supporter using him for their own gain, "[The weeds] That seemed in eating him to hold him up" (III.iv.55), meaning that the public had more knowledge of the whole affair than one would have previously thought. King Richard, having "suffered this disordered spring" (III.iv.52), lost all who he had put faith in when hearing about the rebellion by betrayal or being "plucked up, root and all, by Bolingbroke" (III.iv.57). The Gardener calls his deposition "the fall of leaf" (III.iv.53), comparing his situation to the loss of favorable climate to grow plants.
The Gardener slips out of character once more, to be blunt about the meaning of his speech, with the reference to Bolingbroke by name, as well as the names of the supporters of Richard he executed. He proclaims pity for the "wasteful king" (III.iv.61) as he "had not so trimmed and dressed his land/As we this garden!" (III.iv.62-63), comparing Richard’s failure as a monarch as if he were a failure as a gardener. The Gardener ends his speech with his belief towards the king’s failure, as he would see it from the gaze of a laborer knowing only about plants. For if Richard was a gardener like him and the kingdom his garden, he kept "too much" of the riches and squandered them fo himself instead of bettering his land. But had "he done so to great and growing men/They might have lived to bear and he to taste/Their fruits of duty (III.iv.67-69), again criticizing his choices of allies. Had such a mistake been made in his profession, the Gardener would have most likely lost his livelihood, explaining the unforgiving nature of the speech.