Student Question
Describe the characters Young Henry and Richard in A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver.
Quick answer:
In A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver, Young Henry and Richard are rivals from an early age. Henry is less serious and more witty. He likes to win but is content to bargain when he loses. Richard, however, is a serious young man with a quick temper and a quick sword. Henry is boisterous and easily bored. Richard develops an iron fist when it comes to ruling.
E. L. Konigsburg's A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver presents the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine in a creative and interesting fashion. Eleanor's second husband is Henry II of England, and they have eight children, including Young Henry and Richard.
The first glimpse we see of Young Henry and Richard occurs when they are small boys and their father is playing with them, getting "down on all fours" and chasing them so that they think their father must be a centaur. He catches them and swings them onto his lap, and we can imagine the little boys giggling with delight.
As Young Henry and Richard grow older, a rivalry develops between them. Richard is more skillful at tournaments and combat than Henry, and he is also much more serious. Henry is happy to participate and enjoy himself. He certainly likes to win, but he doesn't take himself too...
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seriously and even makes a show of bargaining when he loses. Richard does not. Henry, we learn, develops "his wit to deal with people," while Richard sharpens his sword. Richard, too, has wit and even writes poetry in his later years, but he lacks spontaneity. The brothers could make "the perfect team," but they end up disliking each other, and their jealousy grows.
We also hear a bit about the appearance of the brothers. Young Henry is tall and blond, and Richard is broad and strong with "hair the color of candlelight." Richard often travels with his mother and learns about government from her. Young Henry tends to be boisterous (as when he and his friends ride their horses right into the dining hall), and when he travels with his father, he actually doesn't learn much about government. He gets tired and bored easily with the tasks of a ruler. The rivalry between the two brothers extends over the question of land and ruling styles. Young Henry especially wants a court of his own (since he has already been crowned) and some independence, while Richard rules in Aquitaine with a firm hand, even an iron fist.
Eventually, war breaks out between the two brothers as they continually insult each other, and their parents have a difficult time getting the situation under control. When Young Henry dies, however, Richard becomes the heir to the English throne.