Notesale: Turn your study into money

Document Preview

Extracts from the notes are below, to see the PDF you'll receive please use the links above

---

PLOT
Richard II, written around 1595, is the first play in
Shakespeare's second "history tetralogy," a series of four
plays that chronicles the rise of the house of Lancaster to the
British throne
...
) Richard II, set around the year 1398, traces the fall
from power of the last king of the house of Plantagenet,
Richard II, and his replacement by the first Lancaster king,
Henry IV (Henry Bolingbroke)
...
He spends too much of his time pursuing the latest Italian fashions,
spending money on his close friends, and raising taxes to fund his pet wars in Ireland and elsewhere
...

Richard has a cousin, named Henry Bolingbroke, who is a great favorite among the English
commoners
...
The dead uncle whose lands Richard seizes was the father of
Bolingbroke; when Bolingbroke learns that Richard has stolen what should have been his inheritance,
it is the straw that breaks the camel's back
...
The
commoners, fond of Bolingbroke and angry at Richard's mismanagement of the country, welcome
his invasion and join his forces
...
By the time Richard returns from
Ireland, he has already lost his grasp on his country
...
Richard is imprisoned in the
remote castle of Pomfret in the north of England, where he is left to ruminate upon his downfall
...
King Henry hypocritically repudiates the murderer and
vows to journey to Jerusalem to cleanse himself of his part in Richard's death
...


NOTES
-

-

-

-

-

-

A very early play based on a true story – not entirely sure when first performed but probably
around 1595
...
’
The play begins with a political disturbance as Richard II banishes his own cousin for treason
...

When does the tragedy actually happen? – when politicial power is lost or when death
actually occurs?
The play is both a tragedy and a history in terms of Shakespeare’s genres
...

History plays were the most popular to watch in Shakespeare’s day – the audience knew
what happened and were about ‘giving shape’ to history
...

Religious symbolism is very connected to royalty – as if God picks who should be in a state of
power as King
...
His natural,
humanised version vs
...

Act 4
...
158 – Richard makes a powerful speech by deconstructing what it means to be King
...
In this
sense, Richard becomes a Christ-like figure, accussing all of his men of complete betrayal
...
”
Henry IV replies with a flat submissive line while Richard dramatically says “I am the
crown” – Shakespeare’s use of language creates a lot of dramatic tension between Henry
and Richard but Richard clearly has the power throughout this scene
...

Shakespeare invents a new term ‘to king’ as if this expresses the ridiculousness of having this
much political power and what it truly means to be royal
...
1588 – The Spainish Amardour is defeated by the English fleet and from
then on, history plays become the most popular of Shakespeare’s
...

This scene is tense but exaggerated slightly and so can be seen as sarcastic – slightly synacle
...

Shakespeare responds to Edward II in this history play with the act of the protagonist being a
corrupt ruler
...
However, Richard II is a difficult character to empathsise
with at times because of his indecisiveness and his corruption as a ruler
...
Richard
II was staged as rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I – the play ultimately shows what talks to
be royal is and who truly has the power
...

Shakespeare purposely makes Richard II ambiguous as a leader as themes keep shifting back
and forth – Richard in this sense is a very humanised leader and naturally isn’t a perfect
leader
...

He used a white box for his staging
which allowed the audience to
completely depend on the actors – he
was able to reveal the dark themes of

the play: sexuality, rape, nightmare and violence
...
Shakespeare writes about himself in Act 5,
scene I, labelling himself as ‘the poet
...

The beginning of the ply shows sexism and abuse towards women, “I wooed thee with thy
sword and won thy love doing thee injuries” – essentially Theseus won Hippolyta’s love by
hurting her
...
She lets down her gender
strength as an Amazonian tribal leader and never protests or really speaks throughout
...
However, she is essentially risks ever life for
Lysander – could she be considered submissive?

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Helena is definitely the most gullible and weak female character who is purely meant to look
the fool throughout the comedy – she is in love with Demetrius that she is willing to betray
her best friend for him – she later even protests Demetrius to ‘strike her’ if it means he could
love her – her stupidity and foolishness is comical but deeply tragic
...
Through Pyramus and
Thisbe, Shakespeare mocks himself as it makes fun of his own ‘Romeo and Juliet
...
This couple represents every long lasting
relationship that are forced to conform to heterosexual marriage
...
At the end she says “We
are their parents” – this gives another dark image of her not being able to have children
...

By the end of the play – fairies bless the couples in their beds and Puck’s final speech is
charming and innocent and Shakespeare essentially says that if the play has offended
anyone – think of it as just a dream
...

Do the women really sustain power throughout the play? Which relationship will essentially
last?
Gender critics would argue that the heterosexual relationships shows an in balance or love –
there is some sort of homosexual undertone, eg: Titania and the Indian boy’s mother
...

One of the strongest bonds in the play is through Hermia and Helena
...

The Rude Mechanicals make fun of the idea of love by forcing the audience to laugh at the
silliness of it
...

It’s a play that continuously transforms itself and exposes the freedom of sexuality while
also returning to reality
...
One of
the key complexities is obviously the political elements
...

Like ‘Macbeth,’ the play is relatively short and deals with the conspiracy of the murder of
Julius Caesar very concisely and doesn’t show much else
...


-

-

-

-

-

Interestingly, indications of the play suggest that Shakespeare was transforming Caesar’s
Rome into Shakespeare’s London
...

The character of Brutus displays no real emotion throughout the play – he claims that he has
wishes to keep to himself
...
There is nothing cowardly about Brutus’s death – he claims
his own life in Act 5 – he shows courage in the face of adversity and throughout the play – he
shows honour and constancy
...

Portia is Brutas’s wife – she proves her constancy to her husband by diminishing and
wounding herself – she is left imputent when it comes to the critical moment of Brutas’s
death
...

Roman Constitution – money seems to hold the system together through briberies, as well
as physical support so essentially fighting for someone
...

Brutus is motivated by admirable actions – however, he makes several political mistakes
...


‘Measure for Measure’
-

-

-

-

One of Shakespeare’s dark comedies with one of the most prominent themes being the
‘bed-trick
...

Angelo is incapable of compassion and affection and doesn’t appear to be sexually as
romantically involved with anyone except Mary-Ann who he pushes aside completely
...

Isabella puts her virginity before her brother’s life and could definitely be seen as impulsive
and if anything, slightly irritating
...

The play is either a love story between Isabella and the Duke or between Isabella and
Angelo – there is clearly an attraction between them
...

Clendenstine marriage – a private and technical marriage – every marriage in the play is
based on money, if you didn’t have money, it seems you can’t get married at all
...

Angelo is accused of rape and murder – Isabella is completely manipulated throughout the
play by the Duke – he emotionally tortures her at so he can see if she’s worthy of him
...
’
A lot of homosexual tension is suggested is suggested in the play – shows that comforming
to a heterosexual marriage is masochistic

-

Why does Shakespeare portray relationships as masochistic and unhappy? To thisday there
is still discussions of Shakespeare’s possible homosexuality

---