Motifs & Symbols

Motifs and symbols in Richard II

Provisional draft Draft generated by an AI editor; awaiting human review.

The patterns Shakespeare keeps returning to in Richard II — images, objects, and recurring ideas that hold the play together at the level beneath the plot.

motif

Names and Titles

Richard's identity collapses when his title is stripped away. In Act 1, he commands through his name alone—"Is not the King's name forty thousand names?"—believing the word 'king' carries inherent power. But by Act 4, deposed, he cries: "I have no name, no title." He becomes obsessed with naming: Lancaster, Hereford, Henry, Rutland. The play traces how a person's essence seems to live entirely in what he is called. Once names change hands, identity becomes fluid and negotiable. The self dissolves into language.

We were not born to sue, but to command; Which since we cannot do to make you friends Be ready, as your lives shall answer it, At Coventry, upon Saint Lambert's day: There shall your swords and lances arbitrate The swelling difference of your settled hate:

We weren't born to beg, but to rule; And since we can't make you friends, Be prepared, as your lives will depend on it, At Coventry, on Saint Lambert's day: There, your swords and lances will settle The growing conflict of your long-standing hatred:

King Richard II · Act 1, Scene 1

No lord of thine, thou haught insulting man, Nor no man’s lord; I have no name, no title, No, not that name was given me at the font, But ’tis usurp’d: alack the heavy day, That I have worn so many winters out, And know not now what name to call myself! O that I were a mockery king of snow, Standing before the sun of Bolingbroke, To melt myself away in water-drops! Good king, great king, and yet not greatly good, An if my word be sterling yet in England, Let it command a mirror hither straight, That it may show me what a face I have, Since it is bankrupt of his majesty.

No lord of yours, you arrogant, insulting man, Nor anyone’s lord; I have no name, no title, Not even the name I was given at baptism, But it’s been taken from me: oh, what a heavy day, That I’ve lived through so many years, And now I don’t know what name to call myself! Oh, I wish I were a mock king of snow, Standing before the sun of Bolingbroke, To melt away into water-drops! Good king, great king, and yet not truly good, And if my word still holds any value in England, Let it call for a mirror here immediately, So it can show me what face I have, Since it’s bankrupt of any majesty.

King Richard II · Act 4, Scene 1

symbol

The Crown as Burden

The crown appears as both prize and weight. Richard removes it himself in the deposition scene, narrating the act: "Now mark me how I will undo myself." He describes it as a "heavy weight" lifted from his head. Yet kingship itself is a burden he cannot escape—even in prison, he performs it. Bolingbroke seizes the crown expecting relief, but instead finds himself cursed by the blood on his hands. The crown grants no comfort, only anxiety. It is a symbol of power that simultaneously enslaves whoever holds it.

Now mark me, how I will undo myself; I give this heavy weight from off my head, And this unwieldy sceptre from my hand, The pride of kingly sway from out my heart; With mine own tears I wash away my balm, With mine own hands I give away my crown, With mine own tongue deny my sacred state, With mine own breath release all duty's rites:

Now watch me as I undo myself; I take this heavy weight off my head And this awkward scepter from my hand, The pride of royal power from my heart; With my own tears, I wash away my crown, With my own hands, I give away my crown, With my own words, I deny my royal state, With my own breath, I release all duties:

King Richard II · Act 4, Scene 1

What must the king do now? must he submit? 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:

What must the king do now? Must he submit? The king shall do it: must he be deposed? The king will accept it: must he lose The title of king? For God's sake, let it go:

King Richard II · Act 3, Scene 3

motif

Time and Waste

Richard wastes time through idleness and indulgence; in prison, he becomes acutely conscious of time's passage. Gaunt warns: "Light vanity, insatiate cormorant, / Consuming means, soon preys upon itself." Richard later grieves: "I wasted time, and now doth time waste me." He transforms into a clock—his thoughts are minutes, his sighs and groans mark hours. The play charts how a king who squandered years governing poorly is eventually consumed by the very time he ignored. Temporal awareness becomes a form of torture.

I wasted time, and now doth time waste me; For now hath time made me his numbering clock: My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch, Whereto my finger, like a dial's point, Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears.

I wasted time, and now time wastes me; For now time has made me its ticking clock: My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they strike Their clocks against my eyes, the external watch, To which my finger, like a clock's hand, Continues pointing, wiping away my tears.

King Richard II · Act 5, Scene 5

O that I could forget what I have been, Or not remember what I must be now! Swell'st thou, proud heart? I'll give thee scope to beat, Since foes have scope to beat both thee and me.

Oh, that I could forget who I was, Or not remember what I must now become! Are you swelling, proud heart? I'll let you beat, Since our enemies have beaten us.

King Richard II · Act 3, Scene 3

symbol

England as Garden

Gaunt calls England a "demi-paradise," a precious garden. The Gardener's scene explicitly develops this: he tends his small plot with order and care while England under Richard grows choked with weeds and caterpillars. The garden is a microcosm of the state. Richard's failure to prune, trim, and maintain his realm mirrors horticultural neglect. By Act 5, the land itself seems diseased and dying. England's beauty depends on careful stewardship; Richard's carelessness poisons the entire nation.

This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings, Fear'd by their breed and famous by their birth, Renowned for their deeds as far from home, For Christian service and true chivalry, As is the sepulchre in stubborn Jewry, Of the world's ransom, blessed Mary's Son, This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land, Dear for her reputation through the world, Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it, Like to a tenement or pelting farm:

This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This nurse, this fertile womb of royal kings, Feared by their kind and famous for their birth, Renowned for their deeds far beyond our shores, For Christian service and true chivalry, As famous as the tomb of Jesus in stubborn Judea, This land of such dear souls, this beloved land, Loved for her reputation worldwide, Is now rented out, I die saying it, Like a cheap rental property or shabby farm:

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster · Act 2, Scene 1

motif

Descent and Falling

Richard descends physically and metaphorically throughout. From the throne, he walks down to the "base court" at Flint Castle—a pun on his moral degradation. He speaks of his sun setting, his glory falling like a "shooting star / Fall[ing] to the base earth." By Act 5, in the "base court" of Pomfret prison, he is finally still. Every major scene involves stepping down, bowing, or sinking. The play measures Richard's fall through literal and figurative descent, until he reaches the lowest possible place: the grave.

For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground And tell sad stories of the death of kings; How some have been deposed; some slain in war, Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed; Some poison'd by their wives: some sleeping kill'd; All murder'd: for within the hollow crown That rounds the mortal temples of a king Keeps Death his court and there the antic sits, Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp, Allowing him a breath, a little scene, To monarchize, be fear'd and kill with looks, Infusing him with self and vain conceit, As if this flesh which walls about our life, Were brass impregnable, and humour'd thus Comes at the last and with a little pin Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!

For God's sake, let's sit on the ground And tell sad stories about the death of kings; How some have been overthrown; some killed in battle, Some haunted by the ghosts of those they deposed; Some poisoned by their wives; some killed in their sleep; All murdered: because within the hollow crown That circles the mortal head of a king Death keeps court, and the fool sits there, Mocking his state and grinning at his power, Allowing him only a brief moment to rule, To be feared and kill with a glance, Filling him with arrogance and pride, As if this flesh that surrounds our life Were made of solid brass, unbreakable, But in the end, a tiny pin Pierces the castle walls, and the king falls!

King Richard II · Act 3, Scene 2

Say that again. The shadow of my sorrow! ha! let's see: 'Tis very true, my grief lies all within; And these external manners of laments Are merely shadows to the unseen grief That swells with silence in the tortured soul; There lies the substance: and I thank thee, king, For thy great bounty, that not only givest Me cause to wail but teachest me the way How to lament the cause.

Say that again. The shadow of my sorrow! Ha! Let me see: It's very true, my grief is all inside; And these outward signs of sadness Are just shadows of the unseen grief That swells in silence inside the tortured soul; There lies the real pain: and I thank you, king, For your great kindness, that not only gives Me reason to weep but also teaches me how To mourn the cause.

King Richard II · Act 4, Scene 1

motif

Performance and Theater

Richard sees kingship as theater and becomes obsessed with watching himself perform. He narrates his own deposition, treats his mirror like a scene, and notes: "Thus play I in one person many people." He understands that all identity is role-play. Bolingbroke, by contrast, acts without self-consciousness—he performs loyalty so well it becomes real. In prison, Richard still plays: king, beggar, madman, clock. The play suggests that in a world where power is performance, the one who acts least self-consciously wins.

Thus play I in one person many people, And none contented: sometimes am I king; Then treasons make me wish myself a beggar, And so I am: then crushing penury Persuades me I was better when a king; Then am I king'd again:

In this way, I play many roles in one body, And none are happy: sometimes I am king; Then, when treason strikes, I wish I were a beggar, And in that case, I am: then crushing poverty Makes me think I was better off as king; Then I am king again:

King Richard II · Act 5, Scene 5

My lord, I am too young to be your father, Though you are old enough to be my heir. What you will have, I'll give, and willing too; For do we must what force will have us do.

My gracious lord, I am too young to be your father, Though you are old enough to be my heir. I'll give you what you ask, willingly, For we must do what force demands.

King Richard II · Act 3, Scene 3

In the app

Hear the play, narrated.

Synced read-along narration: every line read aloud, words highlighting in time. The fastest way to hear a motif return.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play