From Impenetrable to Imprisoned: King Richard’s Fall from Grace

In William Shakespeare’s Richard II, we meet King Richard, an English ruler who seemingly considers himself to be God’s chosen and impenetrable stand-in for the English people. Though Richard originally displays plenty of this audacious bravado, he soon begins to change his tune, eventually coming to terms with the play’s larger message that succession can get you so far in life, but it is wisdom and human behavior that allows one to continue in success.

Richard originally feels he is divinely protected in his role as king, an idea shared by many people of his time. In act 3, scene 2, Richard says, “Not all the water in the rough rude sea / Can wash the balm off from an anointed king. / The breath of worldly men cannot depose / The deputy elected by the Lord” (Richard II, 3.2.55-58). Richard feels God has chosen him to rule through succession, so he has nothing to fear. No human being can defy God’s will and remove Richard from the throne. This idea was widely circulated in his time due to something Saint Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans. Paul writes, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God” (New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, Romans 13:1). This verse, though it is often interpreted differently by today’s believers, led many historical Christians to espouse the idea that kings were direct representatives of God, a concept we see Richard and other characters supporting in Richard II. This idea leads Richard into unwise and quite rash actions. Perhaps the best (and most ironic) example of this behavior from Richard occurs in act 2, scene 1. In this scene, Richard decides to seize everything from his late uncle upon his death, leaving none of his cousin Henry’s rightful inheritance intact. Richard says, “And, for these great affairs do ask some charge, / Towards our assistance we do seize to us / The plate, coin, revenues, and movables / Whereof our uncle Gaunt did stand possessed” (2.1.167-170). Richard, full of rash confidence, commits this unfair act without regard for his cousin’s supposed God-given right to his own noble position. We can see here that Henry's noble birth gave him some advantages in life, but the actions of his cousin stripped him almost bare for a time. Not only is this behavior ironic and demonstrative of a pattern of double standards from Richard, it also proves to be disastrous for the king when his allies begin questioning his judgment. The Duke of York turns on Richard, saying, “I’ll not be by the while. My liege, farewell. / What will ensue hereof there’s none can tell; / But by bad courses may be understood / That their events can never fall out good” (2.1.220-223). In these lines, the Duke refuses to stand by Richard as he rules so unfairly. He warns Richard that bad behavior such as this can never lead to a good outcome. The Duke ends up being correct. With both nobles and commoners turning against Richard, he is left despised and vulnerable. 

While we first meet a very confident and self-assured Richard, this attitude begins unraveling as the play progresses. By the time the play reaches act 3, scene 3, Richard is expressing some serious doubts. He expresses his previous stance in past tense, saying, “Because we thought ourself thy lawful king” (Richard II 3.3.76). In using the past tense of “thought,” Richard demonstrates that his opinion is changing. Richard notes that nobody should be able to defeat a rightful king, but acquiesces, “His noble cousin is right welcome hither, / And all the number of his fair demands / Shall be accomplished without contradiction” (3.3.124-126). In these lines, we can clearly see Richard letting go of his previous ideas about what it meant to be king. God is not stepping in to maintain Richard’s throne. His power is quickly slipping away to someone who is not even his rightful heir. As Richard realizes he may not be so impenetrable after all, he sees how little his birthright actually means when it comes to maintaining his throne.

In William Shakespeare’s Richard II, we see the progression of Richard from a powerful, confident ruler to a scared, uncertain man. This change is due to his loss of allies and power caused by his foolish actions as king. This situation points to the play’s larger theme that birthright power can only get you so far. A ruler’s ultimate success and ability to maintain his power is determined by his own amount of wisdom, allies, and even actions from others that are out of his control. In Richard’s case, this led him to his ultimate demise, however, Shakespeare’s message remains alive for readers today.