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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page paper characterizing Henry IV in Shakespeare's play, 'Richard II'. Shows Henry's rite of passage in his determination to right the wrongs perpetrated by Richard II in stealing Henry's family land and fortune, as well as his determination to rid England of a despotic king. Three additional sources cited.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Henrite.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
people that perceptions of their actions and motivations were forever changed. Whether Shakespeare was employing dramatic license or actually presenting an accurate view of historical people is subject for
debate. But, nevertheless, his deeply personal portrayals of these people continue to strike an emotional chord with readers and audiences, because their realistic and very human struggles are those
with which everyone can easily identify. While Richard II is, of course, the chief protagonist in William Shakespeares The Tragedy of King Richard the Second, it is his nephew,
Henry Bolingbroke (later known as Henry IV), who commands the most attention, because the play is primarily a chronicle of his rite of passage between an aimless boy of blind
faith to a man of great vision and determination. Commenting on Henrys passage from boyhood to manhood, noted Shakespeare critic Northrop Frye wrote, "Bolingbroke begins and ends the
play, and the beginning and ending are in a most symmetrical relationship" (61). Circumstances at the beginning of the play force a transformation, and at its conclusion, the metamorphosis is
complete, and in the process, the monarchy and history of England have been altered. Henrys life forever changes when the paranoid King Richard banishes his brother, John the Gaunt
(Henrys father) and his family from the land of their birth. Henry, initially, does not protest the banishment, as he has been raised to believe in the divine right
of kings. He continues to pledge allegiance to his ruler, Henry remarks, "In the devotion of a subjects love, / Tendring the precious safety of my prince, / And
free from other misbegotten hate, / Come I appellant to this princely presence" (I.i.31-34). Unfortunately, however, banishment is not enough for Richard II. After Johns death, the
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