Richard II Essay, Research Paper
The problem with Richard is that he is not really a man of action; he confronts and deals with difficulties by internalising and talking about them.
Richard is not at all a man of his action. Whenever a problem arises, he internalises and talks to himself or the surrounding people, but does not do anything to resolve the problem. He is not ready to stand up and do something about it, and instead complains about the situation to himself. I think that it is because of this trait that Richard loses the kingship of England, and Bolingbroke, a man who is always ready to take action when a problem arises wins the throne over Richard.
In the first scene, where Bolingbroke accuses Mowbray of killing Gloucester, Richard plays a major part in the action and at first look, I think that the reader could think that Richard is in fact a ‘man of action’ because of his handling of the Mowbray-Bolingbroke situation. When Richard pronounces that Mowbray and Bolingbroke shall fight to the death “At Coventry upon St. Lambert’s Day” (I, i, 199), the reader could mistake this act of ’showmanship’ as the act of a leader who was ready to stand up and take action when a problem arose. However, as we see later, in Act 1 scene 3, Richard’s order for Mowbray and Bolingbroke’s lives to answer their accusations was only to fuel Richard’s own desire to be the centre of attention; it was his ’showman’ quality that lead him to do this, not his ability to take action when a situation that required good leadership skills arose.
In Act 3, scene 2, Richard, on his return to England, finds that his ‘favourites’ (Bushy, Bagot and Greene) have all been killed by Bolingbroke. Richard is struck down with immense sorrow and self-pity and illustrates very clearly his passive nature. Instead of becoming extremely angry and wanting revenge for his friends’ deaths, he says that they should “sit upon the ground / And tell stories of the death of Kings” (III, ii, 155-156), and talk only of death and other morbid topics. When someone is murdered, people that knew them usually become very angry towards the murderer and often try to seek revenge. In ‘Richard II’, Richard, the king of England, has had his best friends, his ‘favourites’ killed by his worst enemy, a person he had banished from the country, a person who is clearly trying to steal the throne from Richard, and all Richard can do is sit around and tell sad stories and speak about death. Bolingbroke has done so much to Richard and yet even after he has killed his friends, Richard still makes no attempt to stop Bolingbroke, or at the very least avenge his death of his friends. This short speech by Richard shows the reader that Richard is certainly not a man of action.
I believe that a true ‘man of action’ would not simply accept what was happening to him as fate; he would fight back and try to do something about it instead of just accepting it and letting it happen. In the play, we see Bolingbroke take the above action. He is banished by Richard for a crime he did not commit, but instead of accepting it and making a new life for himself, he fights back and returns to England to take back what was rightfully his. Richard, on the other hand, who is not a man of action, accepts what is happening to him as fate, as something he cannot stop, and so he just lets Bolingbroke continue. “Our lands, our lives and all, are Bolingbroke’s, / And nothing can we call our own but death” (III, ii, 151-152) Richard says when he discovers that his ‘favourites’ have been murdered by Bolingbroke. He has clearly given in to Bolingbroke and accepts what is happening, instead of making a stand and fighting against Bolingbroke. Later, in Act 4, Scene 1, when Richard meets Bolingbroke and his supporters, he finally hands the crown over to Bolingbroke. He does this without even trying to do anything about Bolingbroke, he talks about the problems he has with Bolingbroke and his leadership, but never does anything about it. He then gives up the crown himself, without being forced at all – “Now, mark me how I will undo myself” (IV, i, 203). The hand-over of his leadership is totally his decision.
Throughout the play, Richard becomes less a man of action and more passive, a man who thinks about the situation and internalises his thoughts, instead of making a stand. He accepts what is happening to him as fate, as something he cannot change, and I think, gives in too easily. These qualities that Richard has makes him an inadequate and poor king, not ready to make a stand against the people that threaten his country and its people. A king cannot simply accept what is happening to his country if it is being invaded or overrun, he must enable armies and fight the intruders to stand up for his country and actually rule the country. Richard does not do this. His country is being ‘taken over’ by Bolingbroke and Richard simply gives in to him, handing over the crown himself.
Richard is a passive man, and an inappropriate king. He internalises his thoughts and thinks about his situation, making him a poor ruler. People want to see their ruler making a stand against what is wrong and what is against the people’s morals. Richard, instead thinks about problems and does nothing about it. Throughout the play, Richard deals with problems badly and suffers because of the decisions he makes. He is certainly not a man of action, but a passive man, who internalises his feelings and thoughts.
Другие работы по теме:
Richard The Iii Essay Research Paper Richard
Richard The Iii Essay, Research Paper Richard the III In the play, Richard the III, by William Shakespeare, the character Richard (Duke of Gloucester) is a very manipulative and deceiving person. Richard acts like this in order to fulfill his dream to become King. And since he is at the bottom of a long, long list to be King, he has a lot of people to deceive.
R Buckminster Fuller Essay Research Paper Richard
R. Buckminster Fuller Essay, Research Paper Richard Buckminster Fuller was an enginer, mathemitican, and an architect. Twice expelled from Harvard University, buisiness disasters and the death of his four year old daughter brought him close to suicide. He decided to devote his life to proving that technology could save the world from itsself, providing it is properly used.
Richard Iii Essay Research Paper Richard IIIIn
Richard Iii Essay, Research Paper Richard III In Richard III, Shakespeare invites us on moral holiday. The early part of the play draws its readres to identify with Richard and thereby to participate in a
Richard Iii Essay Research Paper Richard was
Richard Iii Essay, Research Paper Richard was a bad guy. This was one of his speeches: Was ever woman in this humor wooed? Was ever woman in this humor won? I?ll have her, but I will not keep her long.
Was Richard The Third Evil Essay
, Research Paper Was Richard the Third Evil Richard the Third was thought to be an evil mastermind here are three main reasons as to why. The primary reason he was thought to be evil, is on his accession to the throne, a few of is relatives were died and he was later accused of murdering them. The Princes in the Tower were killed but no evidence was ever found to pin Richard to their deaths.
Richard Cory Essay Research Paper The poem
Richard Cory Essay, Research Paper The poem “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson, is a poem that shows that people cannot determine another person s happiness by their appearance. The author
Richard Cory Essay Research Paper In the
Richard Cory Essay, Research Paper In the poem ?Richard Cory? by Edwin Arlington, the theme of the poem is just because a person is rich does not make that person happy. When Richard Cory goes down town every person on the pavement looks at him. Somehow Richard seems to be a gentleman all the time and Richard is always clean and slim.
Black Boy Essay Research Paper Most young
Black Boy Essay, Research Paper Most young people have a dream of what they want to become. Maybe it doesn’t have to be a dream, but some kind of goal that they reach for. In the book, Black Boy, Richard, the main character, also had a dream, even though he lived in the South with strong white discrimination, pressure and a bad relationship with his relatives.
The Terrible Trins Essay Research Paper What
The Terrible Trins Essay, Research Paper What the book is about: The book is about a mother mouse named Dolly and three baby mice named Thomas, Richard and Henry. Together they try to defeat the cats in the farmhouse where they live. The mice are taught by their mother on what not to get into like mouse traps and poison.
Unfair Justice Essay Research Paper Unfair Justice
Unfair Justice Essay, Research Paper Unfair Justice? In spite of the horrible results the newly acquitted Mr. Elliot’s actions had, he didn’t do anything “wrong”. It is thisdilemma the U.K. have raged over the past few weeks after thejuvenile delinquent killed the father to three, Mr. Osbourne. Thereal problem here is that the people have felt deceived by theirown law, so what consequences are we now facing? No matter how unfair the acquitting of Mr.
LOTF Essay Research Paper Introduction
LOTF Essay, Research Paper Introduction The first main problem the boys have in the novel Lord of the Flies is that they are unprepared for survival on an uninhabited
Black Boy Essay Research Paper Richard has
Black Boy Essay, Research Paper Richard has many different ideas on how to deal with racism. Throughout the entire first part of the book he makes many references as to what he believes could help the problem. Although the most frequent method he practiced to deal with racism was acceptance, Richard does not believe this is the best way to handle it.
Richard Wright Essay Research Paper In his
Richard Wright Essay, Research Paper In his development of this theme, Richard Wright alludes to several stories from classical Greek mythology, most notably the stories of Oedipus of Thebes. Like Sophocles’ stories of Oedipus, Native Son intertwines the idea of hubris (”excessive pride”) with the idea of blindness.
Richard Wright Essay Research Paper The Man
Richard Wright Essay, Research Paper The Man Who Was Almost a Man In The Man Who Was Almost a Man by Richard Wright, the main character Dave expresses his needs to be acknowledged as an adult. Yet he also exhibits his immaturity and the fact that he is not yet an adult and can not handle adult problems. His actions lead him into trouble that proves the fact that he is still an adolescent who can not handle problems of the adult world.
Maya Angelou 3 Essay Research Paper The
Maya Angelou 3 Essay, Research Paper The readings from “Graduation Day” by: Maya Angelou and “On Becoming A Chicano” by: Richard Rodriguez were different but they the same point across. They were of different cultures, race, and time era, and they both overcame adversity to excel in their schooling.
Richard Cory Essay Research Paper EssayIn the
Richard Cory Essay, Research Paper Essay In the poem, ?Richard Cory?, Robinson describes the character, Richard Cory, as being wealthy, generous, handsome, and courteous. Regardless of his social status,
Learning Language Essay Research Paper People will
Learning Language Essay, Research Paper People will face a lot of difficulty, when they learn a language that is not his first language. One of the big obstacles is that there is a culture gap that makes the language is even more difficult to learn. The essays Hunger of memory and Mother Tongue contain good and bad examples on how to learn a new language.
Richard Cory Essay Research Paper In
Richard Cory Essay, Research Paper In “Richard Cory”, Edwin Arlington Robinson explores the deception of appearances. Richard Cory was a wealthy man, admired and envied by those who
Richard Corey Essay Research Paper Money can
Richard Corey Essay, Research Paper Money can t buy happiness and “You can’t judge a book by its cover” are two old adages that echo through time; however, they seem to echo so softly that they are quite often disregarded. For men, in their search for contentment and fulfillment, only see money as the main vehicle.
Adhd Essay Research Paper ADHDUnderstanding the ProblemUnderstanding
Adhd Essay, Research Paper ADHD Understanding the Problem Understanding the Problem | Getting Help | Sustaining Hope This three-part article provides an excellent overview of the current state of knowledge regarding a disorder that is often called the most “over-diagnosed” mental problem–attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD.
Contrast Of Richard
’s Homes Essay, Research Paper This diorama is a contrast between Richard?s original home, at his grandma?s house, and where he moves to later, with Mr. and Mrs. Moss and their daughter Bess.
King Richard Ii Essay Research Paper Richard
King Richard Ii Essay, Research Paper Richard II Richard II was one of Shakespeare’s political works depicting the rise and fall of King Richard II. Richard became king of England as a boy at 10 years of age, although his advisors made most of the political decisions of the kingdom until he matured. During this maturation period, Richard was more interested in learning about aesthetic things in life rather than things more responsible to the monarch.
Analyze The Poem
– Richard Cory Essay, Research Paper Description: Analyze the poem “Richard Cory” and prove themes and ideas with MLA style writing. Why does everyone want to be like someone else? It is human nature to want to be admired and honored. This is not right, though. Each and everyone person should be happy with who they are because just imagine if everyone were perfect and the same.
Black Boy Paper Essay Research Paper Black
Black Boy Paper Essay, Research Paper Black Boy Paper When put into a foreign environment animal s adept, so do humans when they need to learn they ways of life. Richard Wright, due to his surroundings, had to adapt and become independent early in his life. In the book, Black Boy, Richard shows how he progressively became independent in his writings.
Suicide Essay Research Paper Social Problem Teen
Suicide Essay, Research Paper -Social Problem: Teen Suicide -Social Problem- Any problem that may cause pain and may affect a person?s life. ? Teen Suicide- Intentional and self-inflicted death.
Black Boy 2 Essay Research Paper Black
Black Boy 2 Essay, Research Paper Black Boy Essay In the book Black Boy Richard had a bad upbringing. He had to deal with many negativities with his father abandoning him, his mother abusing him, the anxiety moving from place to place and the racial prejudice of his time. Richard grew up in the 1900 s in the most racially separated part of America, the South.
Black Boy Analysis Essay Research Paper Black
Black Boy Analysis Essay, Research Paper Black Boy From the early days of Richard s childhood, Richard was always alienated from his environment. Even though he tried to distance himself from the prejudice all around him, the white people still tried to turn him into the stereotypical southern black person.
Guns Problem Essay Research Paper These activists
Guns Problem Essay, Research Paper These activists are also taking the guns out of the wrong peoples hands. They work to pass laws that would take the guns from the law-abiding citizens. When we give people the right to defend themselves, criminals start looking for victims who are unable to do so. For this reason we must work to reduce crime in America and look at the problem realistically. develop plans that would address the real problem of crime.
Recycling Essay Research Paper Why The Kids
Recycling Essay, Research Paper Why The Kids Won’t Recycle There are a few reasons why kids don’t think too highly of recycling. The first reason, haunting most of us, is the fact that we are lazy. Most kids will just throw their garbage away in the nearest garbage, no matter what it happens to be for. Another problem is that the paper recycling bins have the largest opening.
ProblemSolution Essay Essay Research Paper Have you
Problem-Solution Essay Essay, Research Paper Have you ever received a problem-solution essay where you cannot think of anything to write? Although many of the forty million students in America go through this at one time or another, don?t despair! There are several systematic ways to find a writing topic.
Child Abuse Essay Research Paper Child AbuseIn
Child Abuse Essay, Research Paper Child Abuse In this country the problem of child abuse is very serious. Child abuse can happen to almost any child. The abuser and the child may seem