King Richard the 3rd- Act 1 Scene 2
LADY ANNE
Dost grant me, hedgehog? then, God grant me too
Thou mayst be damned for that wicked deed!
O, he was gentle, mild, and virtuous!
GLOUCESTER
The fitter for the King of heaven, that hath him.
LADY ANNE
He is in heaven, where thou shalt never come.
GLOUCESTER
Let him thank me, that holp to send him thither;
For he was fitter for that place than earth.
LADY ANNE
And thou unfit for any place but hell.....
GLOUCESTER
Your beauty was the cause of that effect;
Your beauty: which did haunt me in my sleep
To undertake the death of all the world,
So I might live one hour in your sweet bosom....
Nay, do not pause; for I did kill King Henry,
But 'twas thy beauty that provoked me.
Nay, now dispatch; 'twas I that stabb'd young Edward,
But 'twas thy heavenly face that set me on.
[Here she lets fall the sword]
Take up the sword again, or take up me.
LADY ANNE
Arise, dissembler: though I wish thy death,
I will not be the executioner....
GLOUCESTER
And wet his grave with my repentant tears,
I will with all expedient duty see you:
For divers unknown reasons. I beseech you,
Grant me this boon.
LADY ANNE
With all my heart; and much it joys me too,
To see you are become so penitent.
Tressel and Berkeley, go along with me.
Passage Analysis-
I chose this scene in Richard the 3rd because it gives the reader insight as to what is to come from Richard in the rest of the play. His well scripted and well executed pleas to Anne manipulates her into believing his apparent grief for the murders he has committed. These passages from the same scene show the parts to Richards plan, and how they work out so perfectly for him. At first Anne is distraught and very much upset, however through their conversation, she begins to give into his supposed sincerity and eventually gives in. Even though she is so adamant about her complete hatred of him, he somehow persuades her rather easily to believe him. This specific conversation foreshadows the abilities of Richards words to convince people of whatever he wants, and the enormous effect that they have over people in this play. Richard seduces Anne, because being married will bring him one step closer to the throne, and not because of love. He is fueled by his own bitterness and does not care about the length at which he will have to go to be King of England. It is not because of romance but because of furthering himself, in his journey to being all powerful. He uses flattery and compliments to win over Anne and she falls to his genuineness, even though it is completely false.
King Henry the 5th- Act 5 Scene 2
KING HENRY V
An angel is like you, Kate, and you are like an angel.
I am glad thou canst speak no better English; for, if
thou couldst, thou wouldst find me such a plain king
that thou wouldst think I had sold my farm to buy my
crown.
If thou canst love a
fellow of this temper, Kate, whose face is not worth
sun-burning, that never looks in his glass for love
of any thing he sees there, let thine eye be thy
cook. I speak to thee plain soldier: If thou canst
love me for this, take me: if not, to say to thee
that I shall die, is true; but for thy love, by the
Lord, no; yet I love thee too.
KATHARINE
Is it possible dat I sould love de enemy of France?
KING HENRY V
No; it is not possible you should love the enemy of
France, Kate: but, in loving me, you should love
the friend of France; for I love France so well that
I will not part with a village of it; I will have it
all mine: and, Kate, when France is mine and I am
yours, then yours is France and you are mine.
Passage Analysis-
I found this passage intriguing because it shows that really all that Henry wants is glory and honor. He wants to be very powerful and unite England and France. He really does not care about Katharine, however marrying her would help both countries come together, and that way he will have more influence. This passage even though not the same quality of his earlier speeches, still gives great recognition to his ability to get what he desires. He flatters her and says that it does not matter that they can not understand each other very well, which is ironic because he loves her, but yet he can not talk to her. Even though Henry makes himself out to be this plain soldier who is not good at communicating with anyone, he is lying. He is able to speak so commandingly and effectively that, you know this is all part of his plan to manipulate her into marriage. He makes it seem that he is less than he really is and that he would be very lucky to have Katharine as his wife. His backwards way of convincing her is so sly and clever that even though she only can understand part of what he is saying, she knows she can not deny his request.
Comparisons-
The connection that these two passages have is uncanny, because both men only have one thing in mind, and that is to gain as much power as they can. Neither Richard, nor Henry, care about the women they are seducing in these passages, they are only using them to get ahead. They want the glory of having the throne and will stop at nothing to get what they want. They both are able to be very convincing in similar ways to gain both Anne and Katharine's trust. They allow themselves to seem almost desperate for them to agree, and will stop at nothing to succeed in their plots. Both men use flattery and go to great lengths to please these women with compliments. Richard acts very remorseful for his crimes and makes it seem like it is partly Anne's fault for the death of her husband and his father. Forcing her to feel guilty and then switching from hostility towards Richard, to gratitude for his remorseful state. Henry just makes it seem that he would take care of Katharine and France, and that even though he is a plain man he will give her what she needs because he loves her.
Language plays a huge part in these two passages and in the plays in general. Richard and Henry are so very convincing in their manipulation of these two women, and winning them over. Anne hates Richard and Katharine can barely understand Henry, and yet somehow they are both are able to beguile them into courtship. Both are desperate for power and they each use their apparent skill and tactic with words to ensure the conquest at the given moment. Richard uses flattery and trickery to change Anne's mind, and make her somehow forgive him for the devastation that he had caused her. He uses reverse psychology to sway her from one side to another, and she falls victim to his deception. He repeats himself for one purpose and that is to make Anne really hear his sincerity. Henry uses somewhat of the same tactics in complementing Katharine and saying she is an angel and that he will protect her. He however, lowers his intelligence to seem plain and unable to say what he wants to in the way he wants to. The way they use their individual language to their advantage is a major theme throughout both plays. Without their speeches and just purely convincing nature the plays would be no where near what they really are. Language plays a pivotal role in King Richard the 3rd and King Henry the 5th.
Histories-
The fact that both of these plays have historical genres, make for some even more similarities. One similarity in both of these plays is the participation in battles, and being the leader of the army. Richard and Henry are the leaders of their armies and go and fight in violent battles to defend their power. Also death plays a huge part in the plays, contributing to both characters rise to power. And eventually Richard is killed in battle after falling off his horse, and dying somewhat surprisingly. Both kill innocent people, the people that they are supposed to be closest with, and make up their minds to do so. In both of these historical plays they deceive and turn against many people they should be loyal to, to further themselves. Even the language as I discussed before plays a huge role in each of these characters success, however it also can get them into trouble. The historical genre comes through with England's struggle for stability and a king that can produce that for them. Also the fact that Richard acts as a true villain and a very dishonest person adds to this genre. He is the bad guy who everyone ends up hating. However, Henry is seen as a hero and a motivator for his army. He is able to encourage his troops and he is a huge reason for the victory over France. Even their power hungriness, that shows the reader their political aims and intentions. They are desperate for power and honor, that they go to great lengths to achieve this.
Opinion-
My opinion of Richard is that of disgust, however in a strange way somewhat envious. I would never want to betray the closest people to me, and become so emotionless to be able to kill, as if it were just a game. However, Richard is able to control and influence so many people not by actions, but by his words. He is so very convincing that you can do nothing but commend him for his abilities to get what he wants when he wants it, evil as it may be. What I can not stand about him though, is his willingness to cast people aside if it means he can get ahead politically speaking. No one was safe and he would have anyone killed he had to, if it meant he could achieve more power over England. The way he goes about murdering his brother and his nephews is just so emotionless and thoughtless. He shows no remorse for the devastating occurrences that he had complete control over, until much later in the play when it was too late. With Henry it was somewhat different. He rose up from being lazy and doing nothing productive really, and became king, with all the responsibility thrust upon him. He wanted to prove that he was worth something and he wanted glory and honor in England. However, he did have to kill some people to gain this power, one being his close friend. I don't agree with this, but he is forced to choose between being a loyal friend or doing what he can for the country. Henry is able to rise to whatever occasion even though, some may have doubted him. I admire how persuasive he is just like Richard and he is a kinder person I think, however determined and brutal when he needs to be. He can change and adjust his mannerisms when he needs to and it proves very effective. I definitely think he is the better king and I think he does want whats best for his country and he truly is brilliant.
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