Throughout the play we see that this commitment ends up being detrimental. The irony of the king’s compliment becomes more and more apparent as the reader begins to see the irrationality in Hotspur's concept of honor. The moments Hotspur shares with Lady Percy demonstrate his intense obsession with honor. His fixation on his chivalric duties make him unable to think of anything other than “… basilisks, of cannon, culverin, / Of prisoners' ransom, and of soldiers slain, / And all the currents of a heady fight” (2.3.53-55). Lady Percy sees that Hotspur's preoccupation prevents him from sleeping, and she begs him to tell her what weighs so heavily on his mind.
It was once said by a man called Harold W. Dodds that ‘each one of us requires the spur of insecurity to force us to do our best,’ and it will be seen in this essay whether or not this was true of Richard III. The only way for Richard III to secure the English throne and become King was through usurpation. However, one could argue as to whether Richard III really did ‘secure’ the throne of England. By usurping the throne, Richard III was bound to have problems; he forced himself into power when two healthy male heirs were living and well. Originally Richard III may have just wanted to be named Protector of his
In his play King Henry IV Part I, Shakespeare explores three different interpretations of honor, and ultimately asserts the importance of a realistic honor. Hotspur is Shakespeare’s depiction of the most extreme interpretation of honor, and it is shown to be crippling. In the first scene that we meet Hotspur, one sees exactly how intense his honor is. He is incensed that the king has refused to ransom his cousin Mortimer, and believes that Henry IV is actively antagonizing him, which leads Hotspur to feel as though he had insulted the honor of the Percy family. He describes the importance of honor and declares that “… it were an easy leap / To pluck bright honor from the pale-faced moon,” (1.3.206-207) as though he really would be willing
June 2012 Explain why Richard Duke of Gloucester made himself King of England? (12 marks) Richard was an ambitious man who wanted glory for himself as seen in the Princes in the Tower where he imprisoned both the soon to be King Edward V and his brother Richard. The Duke of Gloucester gave the impression that he would initially be the Protector for Edward as he was a minor. As Richard is the main suspect in the disappearance of the two princes in the tower, it is suggested that his ambitious way led him to possibly killing the two in order to secure the kingship for himself to assert his right to be king. The series of events seem pre-meditated and suggests that it was planned such as the attack on Anthony Woodville in Nottingham in April 1483 and the petition that parliament urged Richard to become King It could also be interpreted that Richard became King because he felt that the Woodville faction were plotting against him and that as the brother of the late king it was in his right to protect the monarchy from the Woodvilles.
The death of one’s father and a ghostly visitation thereafter are events that would challenge the sanity of anyone. The circumstances of King Hamlet’s death render it especially traumatic. The late King seemed to be an idol to his son; Hamlet looked up to him and aspired to have the same qualities. Hamlet doesn't like King Claudius and sees him as a swindling usurper who has stolen not only the dead King’s throne, but Hamlet’s as well(2.4). Hamlet shows Gertrude that she has lowered her standards by marrying Claudius, When he refers to old Hamlet as, “A combination and a form indeed / Where every god did seem to set his seal” (3.4.55-61).
Henry IV Part One is a play that explores the dreadful consequences and civil unrest that arose from Henry's usurpation of the legitimate King of England. To what extent do you agree. A major concern of "Henry IV Part One" is the question of rebellion against legitimate authority. The protagonist, Henry IV, has decisively broken with the traditional form of political authority; the common allegiance to a legitimate king. This allegiance derives the King's authority from his inheritance and the common knowledge that this is the way the political order in the country should be determined.
The trusting young are tricked into taking up arms believing that they are fighting for honour and glory. Family and politicians are responsible for this deceitful manipulation, which is successful because the young are unaware of the true horrors of war and death. War is ugly and futile. I will explore how these strong feelings about war are presented by three of Shakespeare’s tragedy and a selection of World War One poetry. War is honourable and as such particularly the young are persuaded to enlist.
79-82) King Henry cannot help but compare his son, who is spending time being corrupt, with Hotspur, who has been valiantly fighting for his country. In
The struggle to become a king and the issue of a ruler’s proper qualities lie at the centre of Shakespeare’s chronicle history play. Lear is the character that wields the most power; however he gradually begins to lose his power which means his effectiveness as king can be questioned. This essay will therefore analyze the extent to which Shakespeare presents Lear as an effective king. From the outset, Lear's language is forceful and the line, ‘Come not between the dragon and his wrath’, portrays his power as he compares himself to a dragon. As King, Lear's servants and courtiers attend to his every need.
Here, "robes" symbolizes the title of Thane of Cawdor that Macbeth thinks doesn't belong to him. Toward the end of the play, Angus says that Macbeth's kingly "title" is ill-fitting and hangs on him rather loosely, "like a giant's robe / Upon a dwarfish thief" (V.ii.2). Angus isn't accusing Macbeth of stealing and wearing the old king's favorite coat; he's accusing Macbeth of stealing the king's power by killing him and then strutting around with the king's title, which doesn't seem to suit him at all. We can also say that Macbeth's not worthy enough to fill the former king's shoes. Blood is a major symbol in Macbeth.