Finished: Richard II (Shakespeare). My first Shakespeare history! I really enjoyed it. :-) I had a few reservations about being able to understand such complicated history in the written word of Shakespeare's style, but my fears were squashed and I was truly able to enjoy the beautiful historical passages! Of course, I had to read up on the history of all the characters before I could at all understand the book, but that was interesting too. In reading about all the characters, I also referenced my extensive family genealogy chart and reaffirmed that I'm related to two of the main characters of the book. John of Gaunt, the third son of King Edward III, is my Great x 21 Grandfather. And...Thomas Mowbray, who is the subject of the opening conflict of the book, is my Great x 20 Grandfather! I know lots of people are related to the British royals if you go far enough back, but it is kind of neat to be reading a Shakespeare play about them. :-)

So...King Edward III (my Great x 22 Grandfather), had several sons, but it was his grandson, Richard II, who was his successor to the throne. Edward III's first son, Edward the Black Prince, had a first son as well...that was Richard II. Edward would have most likely been the next king and become Edward IV had he not died before Edward III died. As the rules would have it back then, the first son's first son had the claim to the throne before the king's second son. (Maybe that's the way it still is? I don't know.) So, Edward III died and Richard II, his grandson, became king.

As Shakespeare's story opens, King Richard has as his loyal advisers two of his uncles, John of Gaunt, and Edmund of Langley, both the younger brothers of King Richard's father. John is the Duke of Lancaster and Edmund is the Duke of York. John is also the father of Henry Bolingbroke, later to become King Henry IV. (I am not a descendent of King Henry IV, but of John's daughter and Henry's sister, Joan Beaufort.) Anyway...in the opening scene, Henry Bolingbroke and Thomas Mowbray are appealing to King Richard to settle a dispute. Henry Bolingbroke has accused Thomas Mowbray of treason...mainly for having a hand in the killing of the Duke of Gloucester. The Duke of Gloucester, also named Thomas, was another son of Edward III's and so another uncle of King Richard's. Unbeknownst to Henry Bolingbroke, King Richard himself had most likely more to do with Gloucester's death than Mowbray. Anyway...rather than see the men fight to the death over their honor, King Richard decides to banish both Henry Bolingbroke and Thomas Mowbray from England. Mowbray is banished for life, and Henry for only six years. They both accept their punishments in eloquent speeches.

John of Gaunt's heart is broken to see his son be banished and, in a few pages that truly took my breath away, he soon dies. As John dies, he rails against King Richard, accusing him of ruining England and being the one responsible for killing Gloucester. It's a truly brilliant scene! We never hear from Mowbray again, but we hear that he has gone on to fight crusades and dies later in Venice. As for Henry...he has many people behind him who would rather see him be king than Richard....including the "people". Richard has not been a good king, and has made the people and even his own royals poor by taking their money to pay for his war on Ireland. As a final slap, he strips Henry of his rightful titles, land and monies that he should inherit from his dead father, John of Gaunt, when he returns from exile. While Richard is away fighting in Ireland, Henry comes back to England with a huge army of men, including many of Richard's former supporters. Henry even wins his uncle, the Duke of York, over to his side. Richard comes back to England assuming he'll have a large enough army to fight Henry off, and soon concedes when his assumptions are dashed. In a few very intense, beautifully written pages, Henry tries to explain to Richard that if he'll just restore his lands, titles and monies to him, that he won't fight for the crown. Richard refuses and instead turns over the crown. Henry Bolingbroke becomes King Henry IV. After a thwarted attempt on his life and after the unplanned and unordered execution of Richard II, King Henry decides to travel to the Holy Land to cleanse his soul. So, that's where this book leaves off. I think the next two Shakespeare histories might both be about King Henry IV's reign. I'm trying to figure out if I want to read them all in a row!

Of course, I have some favorite lines...like the whole scenes mentioned above...but here are a few others. In these lines, Mowbray says he will fight a duel for his honor rather than be called treasonous or a liar:

The purest treasure mortal times afford
Is spotless reputation. That away,
Men are but gilded loam or painted clay.
A jewel in a ten-times-barr'd-up chest
Is a bold spirit in a loyal breast.
Mine honor is my life, both grow in one;
Take honor from me and my life is done.
Then, dear my liege, mine honor let me try.
In that I live, and for that will I die.

King Richard banishes Henry to six years from England:

King Richard: Six frozen winters spent,
Return with welcome home from banishment.

Henry: How long a time lies in one little word!
Four lagging winters and four wanton springs
End in a word. Such is the breath of kings.

Gaunt is distraught at the banishment of his son...especially since he was on the trusted counsel that helped the King come up with the punishment in lieu of the duel:

King Richard: Thy son is banish'd upon good advice,
Whereto thy tongue a party-verdict gave.
Why at our justice seem'st thou then to lower?

Gaunt: Things sweet to taste prove in digestion sour.

Just a few of Gaunt's deathbed words, these directed at King Richard:

O, spare me not, my brother Edward's son,
For that I was his father Edward's son!
That blood already, like the pelican,
Hast though tapp'd out and drunkenly carous'd.
My brother Gloucester, plain well-meaning soul ---
Whom fair befall in heaven 'mongst happy souls!---
May be a precedent and witness good
That though respect'st not spilling Edward's blood.
Join with the present sickness that I have,
And thy unkindness be like crooked age,
To crop at once a too long wither'd flower.
Live in thy shame, but die not shame with thee!
These words hereafter thy tormentors be!
Convey me to my bed, then to my grave.
Love they to live that love and honor have.

King Richard arrives back in England only to realize that most of his supporters have deserted him and he won't win a battle with Henry over the crown. He's tired of his few supporters giving him words of encouragement:

For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings---
How some have been depos'd, some slain in war,
Some haunted by the ghosts they have depos'd,
Some poison'd by their wives, some sleeping kill'd,
All murthere'd. For within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits, 
Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,
Allowing him a breath, a little scene,
To monarchize, be fear'd, and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
As if this flesh which walls about our life
Were brass impregnable, and humor'd thus
Comes at last and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!

King Richard's wife chastises him for not fighting harder for the crown:

Hath Bullingbrooke depos'd
Thine intellect? Hath he been in thy heart?
The lion dying thrusteth forth his paw
And wounds the earth, if nothing else, with rage
To be orepowr'd. And with thou, pupil-like,
Take they correction, mildly kiss the rod,
And fawn on rage with base humility,
Which art lion and the king of beasts?