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Literature & Language
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Shakespear's Play The Tragedy of King Richard the Second
Essay Instructions:
Shakespeare calls his play the Tragedy of King Richard the Second. Traditionally, following the theory of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, a 'tragedy' is thought to be a story of a downfall-the fall from good fortune into ill fortune-of a 'tragic hero' with that downfall caused at least in part by the hero's hamartia (which may mean mistake, or tragic flaw-or perhaps a mistake made because of a personal flaw), and the audience is assumed to be emotionally moved by the fall into misfortune of the protagonist, because in spite of the hamartia the protagonist is essentially a person of noble character. Think about Richard the Second. Does this play fit the bill? Why or why not?
For this essay, Richard the second does fit the title. Talk about how throughout the play Richard was leading to his own downfall. how it is a tragedy. Richard was an overly confident king who abused his high power and in the end faced the ill fate of an untimely death.
Clearly state in the intro and conclusion the fact that richard the second does fit the title of a tragedy.
Absolutely no resources or references. However you can use some sentences from the given paragraph above.
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Shakespeare's Play the Tragedy of King Richard the Second
During the Shakespearean era, a play that was presented as a tragedy featured the downfall of the tragic hero who had captivated the audience with his valor and other admirable virtues. This said downfall was supposed to be the result of a tragic mistake that this heroic protagonist made in the course of his or her life. For an audience in the 16th Century, the general expectation would be that King Richard, the main character would be portrayed as a man who performs noble acts throughout the play up until a grave misfortune, well beyond his control happens to him. The manner in which Shakespeare presented this play goes against this rule of thumb. The actions of King Richard II are a far cry from those of the expected 'darling' of the audience. This hence disqualifies this play from falling into the category of tragedy.
The first indication that denies King Richard II the status of being a hero is his extravagant ways. This King was mostly concerned with adorning himself in clothes that reflected the latest fashion. He had an insatiable taste for clothes that comes from Italy. He also spends money carelessly on the friends, Bushy, Green, Bagot and the Duke of Amerle all of whom he has surrounded himself with. These friends also misguide him when it comes to advice regarding the running of the Kingdom. King Richard's extravagance is also seen in the way he carelessly goes to war, all at the expense of the kingdom's coffers. This is well illustrated in the baseless war he fights in Ireland. These acts greatly angered the nobility and hence played a critical role in turning the tide against him.
The king's downfall is also fueled by the malice with which he rules. His ill willed nature comes to the limelight when he banishes Henry Bowlingbroke and Thomas Mowbray for six years and forever respectively. This unjustified moves comes just when they are about to solve their dispute through a jousting match. This is a very spiteful thing to do to people who came to him to seek his counsel regarding the dispute they had. They probably do this out of respect for his office. Without any rational reasoning, he ejects both of them from his kingdom. The reason he evicted Mow...
Student number
Tutor name
Date
Shakespeare's Play the Tragedy of King Richard the Second
During the Shakespearean era, a play that was presented as a tragedy featured the downfall of the tragic hero who had captivated the audience with his valor and other admirable virtues. This said downfall was supposed to be the result of a tragic mistake that this heroic protagonist made in the course of his or her life. For an audience in the 16th Century, the general expectation would be that King Richard, the main character would be portrayed as a man who performs noble acts throughout the play up until a grave misfortune, well beyond his control happens to him. The manner in which Shakespeare presented this play goes against this rule of thumb. The actions of King Richard II are a far cry from those of the expected 'darling' of the audience. This hence disqualifies this play from falling into the category of tragedy.
The first indication that denies King Richard II the status of being a hero is his extravagant ways. This King was mostly concerned with adorning himself in clothes that reflected the latest fashion. He had an insatiable taste for clothes that comes from Italy. He also spends money carelessly on the friends, Bushy, Green, Bagot and the Duke of Amerle all of whom he has surrounded himself with. These friends also misguide him when it comes to advice regarding the running of the Kingdom. King Richard's extravagance is also seen in the way he carelessly goes to war, all at the expense of the kingdom's coffers. This is well illustrated in the baseless war he fights in Ireland. These acts greatly angered the nobility and hence played a critical role in turning the tide against him.
The king's downfall is also fueled by the malice with which he rules. His ill willed nature comes to the limelight when he banishes Henry Bowlingbroke and Thomas Mowbray for six years and forever respectively. This unjustified moves comes just when they are about to solve their dispute through a jousting match. This is a very spiteful thing to do to people who came to him to seek his counsel regarding the dispute they had. They probably do this out of respect for his office. Without any rational reasoning, he ejects both of them from his kingdom. The reason he evicted Mow...
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