Act 3, scene 2

Act 3, scene 2

1. Richard invokes power of England only, not common people

   • Thinks England will help him
   • The common people support Henry

2. Carlisle reassures Richard has divine right to throne

3. Richard uses figurative language

   • Describes the way his detractors appeared during his absence in Ireland.
   • According to his metaphor, his return will shine light on the evil men, revealing them as traitors and securing his position on the throne.

4. "Not all the water in the rough rude sea Can wash the balm from an anointed king."

   • Richard expresses divine right
     • No human can depose king anointed by God

5. Sailisbury enters: Welsh army has dispersed

   • Richard's kingly body is more aligned with the people, as their blood is figured as the blood within his face
     • Unkingly
       • ⬅︎ Reminds himself of this
         • No human can depose king anointed by God

6. Richard deflated by bad news

   • Scroop tells him
     • Bagot, Bushy and Green executed
       • The people are joining the rebellion

7. "For heaven’s sake let us sit upon the ground And tell sad stories of the death of kings."

   • begins to grasp the inevitability of defeat
   • meta-theatrical moment
     • referencing tales about kings dying, some of which sound like other Shakespeare plays.

8. "Our lands, our lives and all are Bolingbroke’s, And nothing can we call our own but death And that small model of the barren earth Which serves as paste and cover to our bones."

   • a morbid image suggesting the despair he feels in this situation.

9. "But now the blood of twenty thousand men 1485 Did triumph in my face, and they are fled;"

   • Richard compares himself to the people

10. Earlier imagery, Richard was considered as the sun, now he admits to be:

    • "Cover your heads and mock not flesh and blood "

11. Carlisle encourages Richard, though he knows the situation is still utterly dire.

    • The pattern of Richard’s spirits rising and falling (which mirrors the continuous thematic imagery of rise and fall surrounding Henry and Richard) continues, as Richard is again deflated by the news that York has defected.
      • At this point he is devoid of hope, and he gives up any attempt of waging war to defend his crown.