Richard II by William Shakespeare Read Free Book Online Page B

“mirroring.” Bullingbrook and Mowbray greet the king formally, emphasizing the importance of status and ceremony, but Richard responds that one of them merely “flatters” him, drawing attention to the secrecy and plotting under the surface. Bullingbrook calls Mowbray a “traitor and a miscreant,” an accusation he claims his “divine soul” will answer “in heaven,” establishing the religious aspect of Bullingbrook’s characterization and the play’s Christian framework. The furious Mowbray calls him a “slanderous coward,” at which Bullingbrook throws down his gage as a challenge to personal combat, and Mowbray accepts by picking it up.
    Bullingbrook outlines three charges. First, Mowbray spent money intended for paying Richard’s soldiers on “lewd employment.” Second, he has instigated “all the treasons” against Richard for the last “eighteen years.” Third, he is implicated in the Duke of Gloucester’s murder. Bullingbrook repeatedly refers to “blood,” a key motif in the play signifying both violence and lineage. His comparison between Gloucester’s blood and “sacrificing Abel’s,” however, perhaps implicates a family member, a hint at Richard’s involvement. Mowbray denies everything, although his arguments are ambiguous. He, too, throws down his gage.
    Lines 152–206: Richard tries to command peace, declaring “Lions make leopards tame,” revealing his awareness of the power andimportance of the king. He fails to reconcile them, however, reluctantly recognizing that their dispute can only be resolved through personal combat.
ACT 1 SCENE 2
    Gaunt is visited by his sister-in-law, Gloucester’s widow. He assures her that he grieves for Gloucester, but is unable to do anything, believing “correction lieth in those hands / Which made the fault,” a reference to Richard’s part in the murder. He says that they will have to place their faith in “the will of heaven.” The duchess argues that this is not enough and urges him to take action, reminding him of the ties of kinship through the metaphor of a tree, part of the play’s natural imagery. Gaunt argues though that “Heaven’s is the quarrel” and that Richard is heaven’s “deputy anointed on earth,” establishing the concept of the “divine right of kings” that is central to the play. Despite believing that Richard “Hath caused his death,” Gaunt will not avenge Gloucester since it would become an act of treason, introducing a recurring tension between personal feelings and traditional codes and duties.
ACT 1 SCENE 3
    Lines 1–137: The ceremony and formal language emphasize the protocols of the court that conceal the personal emotions beneath. Richard commands the Lord Marshal to ask “yonder champion / The cause of his arrival.” Mowbray declares his identity and cause: to defend his “loyalty and truth.” Bullingbrook in turn declares that he is there “To prove, by heaven’s grace,” that Mowbray is a traitor. Bullingbrook and Mowbray are given lances, but, as the charge is sounded, Richard stops proceedings. His motives are not entirely clear, although he argues that he does not wish blood to soil the “kingdom’s earth.” He announces that Bullingbrook is to be banished for a period of ten years while Mowbray is banished forever.
    Lines 138–201: Bullingbrook seems to accept his fate, taking comfort from the fact that the same sun that shines on England will“gild” his banishment. The sun, a recurring image in the play, is usually associated with kingship and juxtaposed with images of night/darkness. Mowbray complains at being sent where he may not use his “native English,” claiming that Richard has “enjailed” his tongue, implying that he has been banished to ensure his silence. Bullingbrook urges Mowbray to confess his “treasons” before he goes, but Mowbray continues to proclaim his innocence and warns that what Bullingbrook is, “heaven, thou and I do know,” and that