A weak, ineffective monarch who is deposed. Here, cousin seize the crown. Although richard ii is set in a distant past not all the water in the rough, rude sea can wash the balm from an anointed king. Announcer richard ii on shakespeare uncovered. Captioning made possible by friends of nci major funding for shakespeare uncovered is provided by. The National Endowment for the humanities. Exploring the human endeavor. The howard and Abby Milstein foundation. Shakespeare is an enduring treasure of western art. Bringing new audiences to his work is a key reason were funding shakespeare uncovered. Please join us in supporting your Public Television station. Announcer major funding is also provided by rosalind p. Walter; the polonsky foundation. Virginia and dana randt; the luesther t. Mertz charitable trust; and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. For gods sake let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings. Westminster abbey, for over a thousand years, graveyard of the great kings and queens of england. This is one of them, richard ii murdered, some say over 600 years ago. The inscription says here that he was tall in body and as sage as homer. It goes on to say that he laid low anyone who violated the royal prerogative. Well, that last bit perhaps flatters him. One man, Henry Bolingbroke duke of hereford not only violated the prerogative, he dismantled it. The play richard ii dares to imagine what it is to have supreme power and then lose it. Are you contented to resign the crown . Ay. No. No. Ay, for i must nothing be. This drama offers a ringside seat to one of the most scandalous and shocking moments in english royal history. Richard ii, a play about a weak, ineffective monarch who is deposed. The tragedy of the play and the theatrical dynamic of it comes from the fact that richard is the rightful king anointed by god, but hes an ineffective king. Bolingbroke is not the rightful king, but he is an effective politician. Jacobi its a brutal and forensic examination of richards catastrophic mental collapse. Garber the play is very powerful in the way that it deals with redefining where power comes from. Can it ever be right to dethrone a king . It was deeply threatening to elizabethan politics. Jacobi threatening, too to the man who wrote it. Bate if things had gone just a little bit differently, shakespeare could have been thrown in the tower or even executed. Jacobi beyond the politics, richard ii is also a powerful evocation of england and the only one of shakespeares plays written entirely in verse. This royal throne of kings this sceptered isle this earth of majesty, this seat of mars this other eden demiparadise, this fortress built by nature for herself against infection and the hand of war. I want to find out who the real richard ii was and how, long after richard was dead shakespeare was able to piece together his story. Ill show how actors bring poetry to life giving us one of historys most complex characters in a drama as fresh today as it ever was because its a warning to kings, president s and Prime Ministers anywhere who dare to believe in their own invincibility. [crowd cheering] we were not born to sue, but to command jacobi any actor would kill to play richard. Ben whishaw is the latest to take on one of actings greatest roles. Richard ii six frozen winters spent. Return with welcome, home from banishment. How long a time lies in one little word. Whishaw my understanding of him is of someone whos not really in the world. He doesnt consider himself to be a human being quite like other human beings. Goold for a long time actually i was really interested in richard ii as a sort of, um Michael Jackson figure sort of a sexually ambiguous separate playful, capricious diva. Theres a monkey in the piece which is the one echo still of that. Jacobi whishaw follows a clutch of actors who tackled the role each in their own unique way. A young ian mckellan wallowed in richards selflove. Richard ii not all the water in the rough, rude sea can wash the balm from an anointed king. The breath of worldly men cannot depose the deputy elected by the lord. [fanfare playing] jacobi mark rylance played the king as a spoiled child. Richard ii we were not born to sue, but to command jacobi stars like jeremy irons, ray fiennes, and kevin spacey have all tackled shakespeares masterpiece. What does the king do now . Must he submit . Jacobi i, too have worn the crown. Back in 1978, i played richard on bbc television. A king shall be contented. Must he lose the name of king . Its strange to see it. Its quite moving to watch it because ive never seen it and to see yourself 31 years younger is quite startling anyway. No deeper wrinkles yet. Of course, they tried to make me look like the pictures of richard as possible so they curled and frizzed my hair. O flattering glass like to my followers in prosperity, though it does beguile me. And there i am with this round moon face, which sort of works for the part. My richard also starred one of britains greatest actors, john gielgud. Jacobi in the 1930s gielguds own richard had been a critical triumph. This royal throne of kings this sceptered isle. Nearly 50 years later, gielgud, now playing the aged john of gaunt, dominates the early scenes with a blistering attack on richards misrule. This dear, dear land dear for her reputation through the world, is now leased out. Dying men flatter with those that live. Jacobi a huge row with richard follows. Thy deathbed is no lesser than thy land, wherein thou liest in reputation sick. A thousand flatterers sit within thy crown. Why, cousin, werent thou regent of the world . Landlord of england, art thou now not king . Now, by my seats right royal majesty, werent thou not brother to great edwards son . This tongue that runs so roundly in thy head should run thy head from thy unreverend shoulders jacobi i dont think richard is cruel and gaunt very much was a father figure to him. I think hes insensitive. We were not born to sue, but to command. Its a kind of inherent insensitivity to other people, to other peoples feelings to other peoples possessions, just. To other people. There is only one person thats of any importance in this room and that is me, richard. Shakespeares richard was, of course, a real king, named richard of bordeaux. He was crowned king of england in 1377 in Westminster Abbey and like his character in the play, he gloried in the trappings of power. He became the first king in english history to demand that his subjects call him majesty. But where did this arrogance come from . At the National Gallery in london, one of the real King Richards most intimate possessions is on display. Its an object that perfectly sums up his sense of divine destiny. This is the famous wilton diptych, 600 years old, and still so wonderfully vibrant and colorful and meaningful. This was richards own personal traveling altarpiece. Hed simply open it up, kneel down, and pray. You see him here. You see his curly golden hair, kneeling, with three saints john the baptist holding the lamb of god, saint edward the confessor and saint edmund. And they are all looking over to the right here where theres this wonderful representation of the virgin mary and the christ child surrounded by 11 angels, one of whom is carrying the flag of saint george and she seems to be offering or presenting it to richard. So there you have it. This is how richard sees himself in sole and divine possession of england. To be fair to richard, he wasnt the only one who thought himself divinely appointed. It was taken as read. Researching his subject in the early 1590s shakespeare would have turned to the standard history book of the elizabethan age. Champion its one of the great scholarly industries trying to identify precisely the sources for shakespeares richard ii, and there are a number of candidates. But the major one must be raphael holinsheds chronicles which devotes about 140,000 words to the entire life of richard ii. We can see that holinshed himself has a very clear moral position on the reign of richard ii. He is regarded as an evil man and these are evil times. Jacobi there reigned abundantly the filthy sin of lechery and fornication, with abominable adultery especially in the king. He goes on those who he chiefly advanced were readiest to control him which stirred such malice betwixt him and them that at length he could not be assuaged without peril and destruction to them both. Digging for as much dirt as possible shakespeares drama, written early in his career in the mid1590s is one of his greatest history plays. He both documents and embellishes richards painful overthrow at the hands of Henry Bolingbroke the future henry iv. These iconic figures from history would be brought back to life at londons globe theatre, an elizabethan playhouse. Today, a replica stands on the south bank of the river thames. Man i think you have to remember that despite the codification of their relationship, they are close relatives. Jacobi inside actors are discussing richards overwhelming arrogance. Man and richard is a bit like a thief. Hes come to rob the relative. Jacobi john of gaunt is now dead, and his son, the exiled Henry Bolingbroke, duke of hereford is his rightful heir. O, death, be poor. It ends a mortal woe. But for richard, himself desperate for cash gaunts tragic death is an enticing opportunity. The ripest fruit first falls, and so doth he. His time is spent. Our pilgrimage must be. So much for that. Now, for our irish wars. We must supplant those rough rugheaded kerns which live like venom, where no venom else but only they have privilege to live. 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. Whereof our uncle gaunt did stand possessed. Excuse me for interrupting. Im dropping in on the globe rehearsal. It all sounds fascinating. [laughter] i think youre making him much nicer than i did. [laugher] right. Ok. I remember when he said, the ripest fruit first falls. Its a kind of, oh, well theyre all gonna die. The ripest fruit. And hes old. Of course hes gonna die. Hes old. Im young. Right . Lets talk about that. Lets talk about these irish wars. Now, ive got to go do something about them. I dont want to. Its gonna cost money. Whos got any money . Hes got some money. Ill have his. And thats virtually what youre saying. Yeah. In theatrical terms, you know, if you want to set it up over the first two lines being very, you know. Very serious and somber. And then this thing bollix all that. Hes dead anyway. Who cares . And moving on, you know. Potentially you can get a lot. Did you ever do that or. Always one for the cheap gag, yes. Why, uncle whats the matter . Jacobi gaunts brother, though, cant believe his ears. To him, bolingbroke, duke of hereford has been royally ripped off. Seek you disease and gripe into your hands the royalties and rights of banished hereford . Doth not the one deserve to have an heir . Is not his heir a welldeserving son . For how art thou a king but by fair sequence and succession . Its not just that succession is right. Its that its right in this case as well. Well, hes questioning richard. He questions richard openly and says that what richard is doing is wrong. Yeah. The basic one is the fathers dead the sons alive. For how art thou a king but by fair sequence and succession . Jacobi shamelessly stealing bolingbrokes inheritance is the decisive act on which the entire play turns. Its vital that the audience understand this. And deny his offered homage. You pluck a thousand dangers on your head. Theyre hearing it for the first time most of them. So for them, the accessibility is triggered by your attitude. The situation, yeah. Your attitude. And they can hear, by your tonality or whatever, um, what youre thinking, because of the way it aint what you say, its the way they watch you say it. And prick my tender patience to such thoughts as honor and allegiance cannot think. Think what you will. We seize into our hands his plate, his goods his money, and his land. Its this divinity hedging this king. He could do anything. He can be wayward, and its a wayward thing to do, with little thought for the consequences. Yeah, shortterm. Which is his great tragedy. He doesnt think. He doesnt think things through. No. Ah, richard. With the eyes of heavy mind, i see thy glory like a shooting star fall to the base earth from the firmament. Thy sun sets weeping in the lowly west, witnessing storms to come, woe, and unrest. Exiled, his father dead, his inheritance stolen the duke of hereford Henry Bolingbroke, returns home to wage war against the king. Richard at first panics, but then comforts himself with the belief that whatever happens, god will save him. 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, for every man that bolingbroke hath pressed to lift shrewd steel against our golden crown god, for his richard hath in heavenly pay a glorious angel. And if angels fight, weak men must fall for heaven still guards the right. Jacobi so, who is shakespeares bolingbroke, the man who believes he can defeat both richard and his army of angels . I am a subject and i challenge law. Attorneys are denied me, and therefore, personally i lay my claim to my inheritance of free dissent. I dont think bolingbroke is the bad guy. He doesnt set out to replace richard in any way. And bolingbroke, when he comes back to england, is and continually says has only come back to regain what is his. He hasnt come back to be king. He hasnt come back to usurp richard. Hes come back to gain what is his. Now, the thing is, do you believe him . Man ok. Well, well spend a few minutes thinking about bolingbroke and the question of. Jacobi at the globe, actors are discussing bolingbroke as he captures two of richards closest allies. Man in this particular speech he appears to be punishing these men on behalf of richard and i think the key line in it is when you say, you know myself a prince by fortune of my birth near to the king in blood and near in love. This is bolingbrokes main problem is that he cannot make clear his objective because to do so would be treason. Bolingbroke at this moment is surrounded by lords and nobles. He has to make sure that he doesnt put a foot wrong and that seems to be like, his objective throughout the entire play. He is politic in a way that richard isnt. Yeah, thats right. Bolingbroke is a sort of realist. What are you trying to do . Youre trying to isolate richard. Jacobi bolingbroke is a politician. Only a politician could execute richards closet allies and claim hes only doing it to protect the king. You have misled a prince a royal king a happy gentleman in blood and lineaments, by you unhappied and disfigured clean. Jacobi bolingbroke himself says. All he is doing is seeking to remove these people to allow you again to be the king you should be and were before. Now, that may well force richard into an untenable position. But you said that this is oldstyle punishment. Hes gonna kill a number of people starting with these two. So he takes a pretty stern line. And i think it is intended to demonstrate strength. This. And much more much more than twice all this condemns you to the death. Jacobi today, battles for power in england are fought here at the palace of westminster. Most of the buildings date from the 19th century. One original building, though, survives westminster hall. In the 1300s, this was richards military headquarters. Some of the events recreated in the play actually happened here. The real richard had a huge timber roof built overhead. It was studded with wooden angels watching over him like a divine army. Now in the drama shakespeares richard is about to mobilize them. Yet know my master, god omnipotent is mustering in his clouds armies of pestilence and they shall strike your children yet unborn and unbegot that lift your vassal hands against my head and threat the glory of my precious crown. The central theme of shakespeares richard ii rings remarkably true across the centuries. Like richard, many despots from our own time have professed themselves amazed that anyone could challenge them. Although richard ii is set in a distant past and of course, even when it was first put on it was set in the past its hugely relevant to the present. The reality of regime change is something that the leader whos losing his grasp on power simply doesnt fully understand. They love me all my women with me. They love me all. Bate theyre often in a state of delusion. They think that people still love them, that they can still give orders, but it doesnt happen. Jacobi still waiting for gods reinforcements richard, now confronted by bolingbroke is running out of options. We are amazed. And thus long have we stood to watch the fearful bending of thy knee, because we thought ourself thy lawful king. And if we be, how dare thy joints forget. Whishaw i remember when we were preparing to film the play. It was the time when gaddafis regime was in its death throes, and i think it was actually gaddafis son was making these speeches about how if the people rose up in rebellion there would be rivers of blood. And richard stands on a rampart at one point and says exactly the same thing. Richard ii tell bolingbroke beyond methinks he stands, that every stride he makes upon my land is dangerous treason he has come to open the purple testament of bleeding war and bedew her pastures grass with faithful english blood. That felt incredibly. I mean, it was literally. You could sort of put the two speeches side by side, and they resonated so strongly. Jacobi the themes marbled into the text of richard ii dont just resonate with oneparty states and selfappointed dictators. 20 years ago england famously witnessed a Political Drama not unlike the one faced by richard. For 10 years, Prime Minister margaret thatcher, the iron lady, had like richard, been invincible, her leadership unchallenged but in 1990, an attempt to levy a new poll tax triggered violence on the streets of london and ultimately a rebellion deep within her own party. Itching to take over former minister Michael Heseltine challenged mrs. Thatcher for the leadership. For bbc journalist john sergeant, it was a battle of shakespearean proportions. Mrs. Thatcher, could i ask you to comment . Oh, good evening. Good evening. Wheres the microphone . Its here. This is the microphone. Hes pushing me you see . Yeah. Ive got more than half the parliamentary party. Disappointed that its not quite enough to win on the first ballot. So i confirm it is my intention to let my name go forward. [reporters shouting questions] thank you very much. The game is up. Within two days, shes gone. Its two days after this . Two days after this, shes finished. She resigns. Thats the end of it. And the comparison with richard ii is extremely close. It is amazing, the parallels between what happens when a Prime Minister of margaret thatchers stature is then brought down by the people who she would regard as traitors. Michael heseltine clearly was, in fact the most dangerous one. He was bolingbroke. And there was no question that he wanted the crown, and he was then going to attack her, as he did in the ballot of conservative mps. And even referring to her being stabbed. Yes, stabbed in the front. Oh, absolutely. But these are the death of kings arent they . Yes. And the richard ii quote let us sit around and discuss the death of kings. Are they deposed . Are they killed in battle . Man when mrs. Thatcher entered the chamber. Jacobi mrs. Thatcher described events leading to her fall as treachery with a smile on its face. And parliament seemed to agree. May i pay tribute to the Prime Minister and to her decision this morning . She showed by that that she amounts to more than those who have turned upon her in recent days. Ladies and gentlemen were leaving downing street for the last time after 11 1 2 wonderful years. Jacobi mrs. Thatchers empire had crumbled in just two days. But even the orderly transfer of Democratic Power comes with a double edge. President reagan on behalf of our nation, i thank you for the wonderful things that you have done for america. Jacobi outgoing american president s must always stand by while the incoming president ascends to power. Today we celebrate the mystery of american renewal. I salute my predecessor, president bush. Jacobi one mans rise is his predecessors political funeral. As i begin i thank president clinton for his service to our nation. Jacobi its a neverending cycle. I stand here today humbled. Jacobi what goes around comes around. I thank president bush for his service to our nation. Jacobi so far shakespeares richard has fought bitterly to deny the inevitable. Now, though, he appears to just give up, almost deposing himself. What must the king do now . Must he submit . The king shall do it. Must he be deposed . The king shall be contented. Must he lose the name of king, a gods name . Let it go. Its the sensitivity of richard. Its the vulnerability of richard behind the divinity, the impregnable man, the man with ostensibly total selfbelief and therefore total courage, and inside is this kind of boy this sensitive boy who actually cant cope. Ill be buried in the kings highway some way of common trade where subjects feet may hourly trample on their sovereigns head. For on my heart they tread now whilst i live, and buried once, why not upon my head . The pathos is simultaneously moving and annoying, as pathos sometimes is. Richard is selfindulgent, infantile, absurd in his tooeasy glorying and tooeasy despair. But at the same time, one feels the poignancy of it all. Jacobi what we feel is obviously heightened by the brilliance of the plays stunning poetry. Indisputably, its the work of a literary genius. But was it shakespeares genius . Some think not. Hedingham castle near london, is the ancestral home of the de vere family. In the course of his reign richard proved he was a very contentious king. He set many cats among many pigeons. And my presence here at Hedingham Castle may, like richard, set the fur flying. Edward de vere the 17th earl of oxford, once entertained elizabeth i here. Oxford was close to the queen. He had a reputation as a bit of a poet, too. But i believe his literary skills went way beyond dabbling in verse. I believe he and not William Shakespeare, wrote both richard ii and, in fact, all the plays attributed to the man from stratford. [indistinct conversation] hedinghams current incumbent agrees. Like me, Jason Lindsay believes oxford wrote the works anonymously, allowing shakespeare to stage the plays. And take all the credit. I am descended from edward, so i have a vested interest, its worth declaring. But i do feel that there is so little on the William Shakespeare of stratford there just isnt enough knowledge really that could be gained from a person who is educated in a local school. Why arent there any manuscripts . Um, there are only six signatures, i think, of william of stratford, and theyre barely legible. Yes. And why . Um. If he were the greatest writer, why did he keep his children illiterate . And if you had been involved, would you have had in your will surely youd have mentioned something to do with a theater or books. Theres not a mention at all. No, theres nothing, absolutely nothing. Its an amazing conspiracy. Jacobi denying shakespeare the authorship of. Shakespeare is, im well aware hugely controversial. Im always surprised that an actor, a great actor such as sir derek, should question the idea that shakespeares plays were written by William Shakespeare the actor from stratforduponavon, because the plays are so full of the actors way of looking at the world, so full of the Technical Knowledge of the theater. So many of the plays are collaborative. Theyre written for particular actors who were shakespeares friends and colleagues. They are insider plays. The argument is how could a mere middleclass grammarschool boy from the provinces have understood about courts and kings and politics. Well, of course, the answer is the actors went
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