• Research Paper on:
    Comparing Shakespare's 1 Henry IV and Richard II

    Number of Pages: 2

     

    Summary of the research paper:

    In two and a half pages this paper examines how '1 Henry IV' is vastly different in terms of content, theme, and structure from 'Richard II' despite being a sequel. Two sources are cited in the bibliography.

    Name of Research Paper File: TG15_TGhenric.rtf

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    Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
    Part I, hereafter referred to as 1 Henry IV, as a 1598 sequel to follow his 1596 play, Richard II. Thematically, there are similarities that link the two works  together, as there must be in order to have the single thread of the first play interwoven into the second to establish overall structural cohesiveness. Both are considerations of  kingship, which was a very important issue in Shakespeares time. There were contrasts in both between public spectacles and private interactions, but the structural differences that exists between the  works and the shifting emphasis distinguishes how these scenes are interpreted. The primary theme in Richard II is the way in which the protagonist failed to live up to the  responsibilities of kingship. He was more interested in the pomp and circumstance with the monarchy than he was in providing leadership to his subjects. He was an arrogant  aristocrat who demanded respect from his subjects but did nothing to earn it. 1 Henry IV, on the other hand, considered the events that took place after the aristocratic  Richard was overthrown and his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, the common mans popular choice, was crowned as his successor. However, instead of championing the people who had initiated his ascent  to power, Henry IV turned his back on them, and transformed himself into a distant and elitist ruler. There is a marked shift in emphasis from the monarchy in  Richard II to the subjects in Henry IV. Shakespeare conveys kingship with considerable structural formality in Richard II, which is illustrated by the Kings speech in Act III, Scene  ii, in which he denounces his rival, Bolingbroke, and compares himself as a part of the divine scheme of things, aligning himself with the sun: "But when from under this 

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