How far were the ambitions of Richard Duke of York responsible for the instability in England in the years 1455 to 1460? (30 Marks) In the years following the first battle of St Albans and leading up to the death of Richard Duke of York, his ambitions changed through time. This ranged from him wanting to be heir to King Henry’s throne to him wanting to get rid of Henry’s son Edward so that he could claim the throne for himself. In the battles between these two time periods, we see that Richard’s ambitions not only changed but were partially to blame for the breakdown of the structure within England. At this time Henry was experiencing mental fluctuations, his wife Margaret of Anjou was influencing his decisions and the division within the nobility all contributed to the instability of England economically, socially and politically.
The country faced religious struggles between Catholics and Protestants. According to the Catholics, Henry bigamously married Anne Boleyn while still married to Catherine of Eragon. Thus, they considered Elizabeth an illegitimate child and she did not deserve her place as Queen of England. Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London for a term because the Catholics feared that her ascension to the throne would make circumstances favorable for the Protestant population in England again. Many Catholics named her a heretic, and they conspired to kill her to avoid a Protestant revolution in the country.
Many thought he was impotent during his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Henry complained that Anne of Cleves breath was foul. Anne of Cleves knew of Anne Boleyn's fate. So, she most likely did not care to marry Henry either. 6 months later, Cromwell was arrested for treason and became a prisoner of the tower of London and executed.
However, Margaret was very hostile to York and pledged to completely destroy York, his family and all his forces. She then became the leader of the Lancastrians as Henry was too weak. In 1459, with the help of the Duke of Buckingham, she managed to persuade Henry that York was plotting against him and therefore should be branded as an enemy of the state. As a result this caused York and Warwick to mobilise their forces and launch a full scale rebellion against Henry and the Lancastrians. This bad political move meant that York had grown in considerable force and had no choice but to fight the Lancastrians, otherwise he would go to prison or even be executed.
Religion was a significant issue for Elizabeth, as England had been religiously divided between Catholicism and Protestantism. Whichever faith Elizabeth adopted would alienate the believers of those she did not. Protestants in England had suffered under many years of Catholic rule, including the burning of heretics at the stake. The Catholics, in any case, did not see Elizabeth as the rightful heir to the throne anyway after Henry VIII bigamously married Anne Boleyn whilst still married to Catherine of Aragon, instead believing her to be an illegitimate bastard; she had, in fact, only narrowly avoided execution because of her faith. Thus, at least at the beginning of her reign, Elizabeth was an unpopular monarch, not least because she was a woman.
However he had a tragic flaw but him confessing leads up to his tragic death that causes the audience to feel sympathy. John Proctor’s downfall is initiated by a human flaw which was his inability to control and resist his desire. When his wife Elizabeth got sick began to catch feelings for Abigail. When John Proctor stated “but I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach out for you” (page 15, act one) he shows how at one point he was having an affair behind his wife back and this lead up to all the madness in the town of Salem. When Abigail was talking to Proctor she says “She is telling lies to about me!
Compare and Contrast Essay Decline of the Han vs. Decline of the Roman Empire The collapse of the Han and the Roman Empires were both due to internal conflicts within the government and among their people. Both empires started to fall apart as disorganization and lack of a central government began to influence the whole empire. Political chaos led to the breakdown of the economy which spread to other things, and the spread of new religions came too late to save the crumbling empires from the destruction of themselves. The downfall of both civilizations began as their political rulers’ superiority became so disorganized and chaotic that everything just started to fall apart. Citizens began to revolt and in the Han dynasty in 220 C.E., the emperor was rebelled against among middle and lower class peasants and was eventually disposed of.
When Proctor realized that he was neglecting his wife, he broke his ties with Abigail. This caused her to vow revenge on Proctor and she tried to kill his wife Elizabeth. Abigail William’s struggle to gain power over others is a prime example of the play’s theme of jealousy. Abigail’s struggle for power over the Proctors and the people of Salem begins with
He hints that maybe his mother is associated with his father’s murder. His madness and anger that are the products of Gertrude’s activities make him act without thinking beforehand. Ophelia commits suicide following the news of her father’s murder. Laertes and Claudius plan Hamlet’s annihilation which ends in a tragic mess with the deaths of Queen Gertrude, Hamlet, Laertes, Guildenstern, Rosencrantz, and King Claudius. So, now, the Queen, King, and Price of Denmark are all murdered all because of
This shows how she is handicapped by the fact that she is a woman, in a society controlled by men. Her arrest is not justified by any suspicion; instead she is arrested simply by default after the murder of her husband, Camillo. In her trial Vittoria is similarly scolded by her social superiors for her ‘lavish