Biblical Figures and Ideals in Shakespeares Richard II...

Biblical Figures and Ideals in William Shakespeares Richard II William Shakespeares Richard II tells the story of one monarchs fall from the throne and the ascension of another, Henry Bullingbrook, later to become Henry IV. There is no battle fought between the factions, nor does the process take long. The play is not action-packed, nor does it keep readers in any form of suspense, but rather is comprised of a series of quietly dignified ruminations on the nature of majesty. Thus, the drama lies not in the historical facts, but in the effects of the situation on the major characters and the parallels drawn by Shakespeare to other tales. The outrage felt by Richard and his fellow royalists is not due from a modern sense of personal†¦show more content†¦These characterizations fit perfectly into both the story and the underlying metaphor Shakespeare creates. Shakespeare utilizes both the actual language in the play and the events that take place on stage to create a vast and moving religious parallel. The poetry of Richard II and the relationships explored within it serve to bolster this parallel to unignorable heights. The characters in the play thus are not only their historical counterparts, but also representations of biblical figures, predominately Cain and Christ, making Richard II not only a retelling of facts, but also a morality play. Of the many image strains in the drama, perhaps the one that asserts itself first in the readers mind is that of the blood-stained ground. From act one to act five, this vision of blood spilling onto the soil of England appears again and again until it culminates in the death of Richard, the king, in his own country. The horror of blood on the soil is not simply a dislike of violence or mess, but rather stems back to the biblical tale of Cain and Abel. Cain, son to Adam and Eve, was a tiller of the ground (Gen. 4:2) who murdered his brother Abel in envy of his belovedness to God. Cain quickly buries his slain brother and when asked by God where Abel can be found, replies, Am I my brothers keeper? (Gen.4:9). God tells Cain that He knowsShow MoreRelatedCharacteristics of Drama1660 Words   |  7 Pagesa quarter that had traditionally opposed any form of theater: the Christian church. In the Easter service, and later in the Christmas service, bits of chanted dialogue, called tropes, were interpolated into the liturgy. Priests, impersonating biblical figures, acted out minuscule scenes from the holiday stories. Eventually, these playlets grew more elaborate and abandoned the inside of the church for the church steps and the adjacent marketplace. Secular elements crept in as the artisan guilds tookRe ad Moreâ€Å"the Spirit of Renaissance and Elizabethan Era†5448 Words   |  22 Pagesrecent past, such as belief in the Great Chain of Being, were still much in evidence. Second, during this period, certain significant political changes were taking place. Third, some of the noblest ideals of the period were best expressed by the movement known as Humanism. Fourth, and connected to Humanist ideals, was the literary doctrine of imitation, important for its ideas about how literary works should be created. Finally, what later probably became an even more far-reaching influence, both onRead MoreLiterary Group in British Poetry5631 Words   |  23 Pagesbreadth. Beowulf is the only heroic epic to have survived in its entirety, but fragments of others such as Waldere and the Finnesburg Fragment show that it was not unique in its time. Other genres include much religious verse, from devotional works to biblical paraphrase; elegies such as The Wanderer, The Seafarer, and The Ruin (often taken to be a description of the ruins of Bath); and numerous proverbs, riddles, and charms. With one notable exception (Rhyming Poem), Anglo-Saxon poetry depends on alliterativeRead MoreBob Dylan and Popular Music3164 Words   |  13 Pagesfather Abraham Zimmerman. His father worked as a department supervisor at the local standard Oil in Duluth, however after world war II there was low demand for standard oil products and the family moved to Hibbing, seventy five miles north-west of Duluth. Iron ore had been discovered in Hibbing and there was popular demand for iron ore during and after World War II, this caused an economic boom, and created plenty of jobs with much better wages. Robert Zimmerman grew up in the town of Hibbing, andRead MoreElizabethan Era11072 Words   |  45 PagesFrance and England was largely suspended for most of Elizabeths reign. The one great rival was Spain, with which England clashed both in Europe and the Americas in skirmishes that exploded into the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585–1604. An attempt by Philip II of Spain to invade England with the Spanish Armada in 1588 was famously defeated, but the tide of war turned against England with an unsuccessful expedition to Portugal and the Azores, the Drake-Norris Expedition of 1589. Thereafter Spain provided some