Richard II (Shakespeare Project Lecture) (Patreon)

'For God’s sake let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings...'

Our journey through the works of William Shakespeare continues with the play that marks the beginning of the bard's glorious rise: Richard II.

We’re discussing dangerous drama, lyrical plays, existential crisis, anagnorisis, mortality, sycophancy, sympathy, love letters to the English language, and much more.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 ‘I am Richard the Second’
• 3:00 Richard II as dangerous play
• 4:45 Shakespeare’s glorious rise
• 5:17 lyrical & historical tetralogies
• 6:57 written with sequels in mind?
• 8:20 what do we mean by lyrical play?
• 9:30 prose vs verse in Shakespeare
• 11:00 the first performances of Richard II
• 12:00 Shakespeare plays the poet king
• 13:20 monarch of metaphor and simile
• 16:10 love letter to the English language
• 16:45 is Richard II a patriotic play?
• 17:30 on living in turbulent times
• 20:30 the wisdom of John of Gaunt
• 22:30 how Shakespeare endured his pain
• 24:00 ‘this earth, this realm, this England’
• 28:00 ‘a thousand flatterers sit within thy crown’
• 30:00 appreciating the Hollow Crown
• 33:00 the anagnorisis of Richard II
• 35:00 the King’s existential crisis
• 36:45 on the comic & the ritualistic
• 38:00 dramatic irony, sympathy & pity
• 39:00 the tragic substance & fatal flaws
• 39:45 anxiety of time & mortality
• 40:34 sad stories of the death of kings
• 43:30 jester, death & hollow crown
• 45:20 ‘mock not flesh and blood’
• 47:57 ‘my large kingdom for a little grave’
• 51:30 ‘God save the king, although I be not he’
• 54:00 experiencing an identity crisis
• 55:50 a joyful period in Shakespeare’s life
• 57:20 pain & suffering forge great art
• 58:00 Shakespeare continues to rise
• 59:00 what did you make of Richard II?

Recommended Resources:

• The Hollow Crown: Rupert Gould's Richard II is one of my personal favourite screen adaptations of Shakespeare. Ben Wishaw gives a phenomenal performance as King Richard. One wishes all productions were of this high quality. 
• Memorisation Challenge: We broached the subject of memorisation with Richard III, and now I encourage you to find another speech to learn by heart from Richard II. John of Gaunt's 'sceptred isle' speech would make for a splendid choice. You can experience four different versions, from the likes of Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir John Gielgud here. Richard's 'of comfort no man speak' is another great choice. There are four great interpretations of Richard's speech here.
• Arden Edition: The Arden is certainly one of the chunkiest editions of Richard II, but it's stuffed with fascinating information and extensive annotations. Try not to get too bogged down in the footnotes, only looking up the things that most intrigue you.
• The King's Two Bodies: Ernst Kantorowicz's classic work on medieval political theology makes for interesting exploration for those interested in the historical symbols, ritualistic tone, and identity crisis at the heart of Richard II. 
• Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty: Dan Snow has another superb documentary here if you're interested in learning more about King Richard II.
• The Real Face of History: Following who the characters are in Shakespeare's histories can pose a real challenge. Putting faces to names always helps. And this channel has recreated what historical personages like Richard II, John of Gaunt, and Henry IV would have actually looked like.

Questions for You:

1) Do you like this more lyrical Shakespeare? 

2) Do we sympathise with Richard?

3) What line, passage, or idea most resonated with you? And what is your personal grading for Richard II?

Happy reading, Bardolators!