Question

(Richard II speaking to himself in third person-) What must the king do now? must he submit?143 The king shall do it: must he be deposed? The king shall be contented: must he lose The name of king? o' God's name, let it go: I'll give my jewels for a set of beads, My gorgeous palace for a hermitage, My gay apparel for an almsman's gown, My figured goblets for a dish of wood,150 My sceptre for a palmer's walking staff, My subjects for a pair of carved saints And my large kingdom for a little grave, A little little grave, an obscure grave; Or I'll be buried in the *king's highway,155 Some way of common trade, where subjects' feet May hourly trample on their sovereign's head; For on my heart they tread now whilst I live; And buried once, why not upon my head?159 (Richard II 3.3.143-159) *The king's highway is where those who committed suicide were buried. Read the passage on the left to answer the following questions: 6) In the play, King Richard is on stage with other characters as he delivers this speech. Such an extended speech in the presence of others is known as a A) monologue. B) reverie. C) soliloquy. D) sonnet. 7) Which statement BEST summarizes the passage? A) The king resigns himself to giving up his crown. B) The king mourns the loss of all his possessions. C) King Richard looks back on his reign with regret. D) King Richard declares his attention to overthrow the current ruler. 8) A little little grave, an obscure grave What is the BEST meaning for obscure in this line from the passage? A) ancient B) dark C) royal D) unknown 9) In line 149, what is the BEST definition for almsman's gown? A) women's dress B) minister's robe C) soldier's uniform D) poor man's clothing 10) Richard II was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. During Richard's first years as king, government was in the hands of a series of councils. The first major challenge of the reign was the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, which the young king played a major part in suppressing. In the following years, however, the king's dependence on a small number of courtiers caused discontent in the political community, and in 1387 control of government was taken over by a group of noblemen known as the Lords Appellant. By 1389 Richard had regained control, and for the next eight years governed in relative harmony with his former opponents. Then, in 1397, he took his revenge on the appellants, many of whom were executed or exiled. The next two years have been described by historians as Richard's "tyranny". In 1399, after John of Gaunt died, the king disinherited Gaunt's son, Henry of Bolingbroke, who had previously been exiled. Henry invaded England in June 1399 with a small force that quickly grew in numbers. Meeting little resistance, Bolingbroke deposed Richard and had himself crowned as King Henry IV. Richard died in captivity early the next year; he was probably murdered. How does Shakespeare's portrayal of Richard II differ from the historical description of him? A) Shakespeare humanizes Richard II and shows how he might have felt when he lost the crown. B) The historical record presents a very biased and unkind view of Richard II and his reign. C) Shakespeare presents a wide variety of points of view about Richard II's politics in this speech. D) The historical record gives a very up close and personal look at what Richard's inner life was like.

Answer 1

The correct answers for these questions about the excerpt from Shakespeare's "Richard II" are the following:

6) The extended speech delivered by Richard II in the presence of others is known as A)Monologue. In this speech, King Richard is revealing his thoughts and emotions while other characters are ON stage. If he were the only character onstage, it would have been a soliloquy.

7) The statement that best summarizes the passage is A) The king resigns himself to giving up his crown. As the first lines of the monologue show, he is resigned, submitting, but he does not mourn the loss of his possessions nor does he regret his reign. Furthermore, the monologue does not reveal any threat to overthrow Bolingbroke.

8) The best meaning for obscure in this line from the passage is D) Unknown. Following the previous binaries he uses in the passage surrendering his royal and notorious features and possessions for humble ones, he rejects his kingdom for a little and unknown grave with no trace of royalty.

9) In line 149, the best definition for almsman's gown is D) poor man's clothing. This definition follows the reasoning for the previous one.

10) Having read the historical description of Richard II and Shakespeare's portrayal of him, I would say that A) Shakespeare humanizes Richard II and shows how he might have felt when he lost the crown.

The historical account does not mention the reasons for his decisions, and it shows King Richard II tyranic government. In this portrayal, Shakespeare demystifies him and shows his thoughts and emotions in a dramatic way. Through this monologue, Shakespeare depicts him in a lighter way so the audience can sympathise with him.