Richard II | Bollingbroke

In the following essays, Baines and Thayer both examine Bolingbroke's silence regarding the motivations for his actions. Baines argues that Shakespeare's sympathetic portrayal of Bolingbroke stresses that the dominant theme of the play is not Bolingbroke's ambition, but rather Richard's incompetence.

Although Bolingbroke accepts a crown that legally belongs to Richard, Bolingbroke is often seen in a heroic light, as the man who rescues the kingship and the commonwealth from Richard's weak and ineffective hands. Critics such as Lewis J. Owen (whose essay appears in the Kingship section) and Arthur Suzman (whose essay appears in the Language, Imagery, and Symbolism section) argue that despite Bolingbroke's political rise, he experiences a personal or spiritual decline. Owen explains that Bolingbroke loses dignity when he takes the crown which is rightfully Richard's.

Barbara...

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