#6 - Grass is Greener, Richard II & Sonnet 15

Richard II Blog – Grass is Greener

Sonnet 15 describes the fleeting perfection of life, “holds in perfection but a little moment”, and the innate desire to live despite its impermanence. It describes, the world taking away from youth coming closer to expiry, and concludes “I engraft you new” which will, in its own way, sustain something that is technically unsustainable. This preservation in the form of writing is precisely what we can call history. Shakespeare has embodied the engrafted through his history plays which preserve the encapsulation of his society, people, and politic.

He has found solidity within the world’s instability, but most importantly the importance of living a fulfilling life and not one we see will play out in Richard II:

“Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease,

And wear their brave state out of memory;”

While time is decaying, Richard II is decaying himself and the realm with it.

In Richard II, everyone is longing for something else, someone else’s (fill in blank), or something that is not there. No one is truly content. From the beginning, Richard has banished his own cousin Bolingbroke out of sheer jealousy. This type of illegitimate and weak-minded decisions rots his kingship and engulfs his politic with personal desires (body). By allowing his own desire for control come before his own subjects he loses the people’s trust in him and ultimately leads himself to his death. Bolingbroke/Henry IV fills in this space by catering to the needs of the common people, gaining him kingship that is created by legitimacy over birthright. Bolingbroke, at a time, actually desires not only for kingship but also for Richard’s death. When Richard takes money to finance a war in Ireland, we see he has completely disowned any sort of desire for a good society, instead only his own immediate, fleeting, needs. Which raises important and rebellious political questions and promotes a focus upon capability rather than inheritance where they become kinged strictly by tradition rather than actual desire to rule.  John of Gaunt’s comparison to the tending of the garden reveals the work that is entailed, he curses Richard on Gaunt’s own desire for good politic. The people desire this good politic as well.

The microcosm speech in the prison in Act V.4 at Pomfret Castle cell metaphorically parallels the isolated feeling that Richard is experiencing due to his previous actions. He reflections on the dissatisfaction of everyone:

 “Thus play I in one person many people, and none contented.”

His inhibited thoughts are at war with his desires. He feels the tear between his individuality “I” and his Kinged “I.”  In the end, he concludes, “Til nothing shall be pleased Til eased with being nothing.” Exton murders him, and now Henry IV is to lead, but we will see that his desires will get in the way as well. Though his desire is fulfilled as king, he now has to live/act in the way he promised.