Richard II (28 page)

Preparation of “
Richard II
in Performance” was assisted by a generous grant from the CAPITAL Centre (Creativity and Performance in Teaching and Learning) of the University of Warwick for research in the RSC archive at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Thanks as always to our indefatigable and eagle-eyed copy editor Tracey Day and to Ray Addicott for overseeing the production process with rigor and calmness.

Picture research by Michelle Morton. Grateful acknowledgment is made to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for assistance with picture research (special thanks to Helen Hargest) and reproduction fees.

Images of RSC productions are supplied by the Shakespeare Centre Library and Archive, Stratford-upon-Avon. This Library, maintained by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, holds the most important collection of Shakespeare material in the UK, including the Royal Shakespeare Company’s official archive. It is open to the public free of charge.

For more information see
www.shakespeare.org.uk
.

John of Gaunt
was named after his place of birth, Ghent

²
Hast thou
have you—the familiar form used to intimates and inferiors
band
bond

³
Henry Hereford
i.e. Bullingbrook; he had been created Duke of Hereford (pronounced as two syllables) by Richard in 1397

⁴
boist’rous
violent
late
recent
appeal
binding accusation

⁵
our
Richard uses the plural royal pronoun
leisure
i.e. lack of leisure

⁷
liege
lord, superior entitled to feudal allegiance and service

⁸
sounded
inquired of

⁹
on ancient
out of long-standing

¹¹
ground
motive, cause

¹²
sift
find by questioning
argument
topic

¹³
apparent
manifest, obvious

¹⁴
inveterate
long-standing

¹⁸
High-stomached
proud/high-spirited/courageous/angry
ire
anger

²¹
gracious
full of divine grace, holy/benevolent

²²
still
always

²³
hap
fortune

²⁴
immortal title
i.e. immortality (in heaven)

²⁵
but
only

²⁶
well appeareth
is plainly apparent
you come
i.e. about which you come

²⁷
appeal
accuse of a crime which the accuser undertakes to prove (especially of treason)

²⁸
object
charge

³⁰
record
witness

³²
Tend’ring
cherishing

³³
misbegotten
wrongfully conceived

³⁴
appellant
(as an) accuser

³⁶
mark
note, pay attention to

³⁸
answer
answer for

³⁹
miscreant
wretch, villain

⁴⁰
good
high-ranking

⁴¹
crystal
clear, bright (heavenly bodies were thought to be contained within rotating crystal spheres)

⁴³
aggravate
emphasize, magnify
note
reproach, mark of disgrace

⁴⁵
ere
before

⁴⁶
right
justly, rightfully

⁴⁷
cold
deliberate, unimpassioned
accuse
i.e. diminish, cast doubt on
zeal
powerful feelings/loyalty

⁴⁸
trial
judgment, test

⁴⁹
eager
sharp, biting

⁵⁰
Can arbitrate
that can reach a judicial decision on
cause
matter of dispute
betwixt
between
twain
two

⁵¹
blood
anger, passion/bodily blood
cooled
calmed/let flow (either through medical bloodletting or in death)

⁵⁴
fair reverence of
proper respect for

⁵⁶
else
otherwise
post
hasten

⁵⁸
Setting … royalty
regardless of his royal blood (Bullingbrook is Richard’s cousin, and grandson to Edward III;
high blood
plays on the sense of “extreme anger”)

⁵⁹
let
supposing

⁶⁰
defy
challenge to combat

⁶²
odds
the advantage

⁶³
meet
encounter in combat
tied
obliged

⁶⁵
inhabitable
not habitable

⁶⁶
durst
dares to

⁶⁷
this
i.e. the following accusation, or possibly Mowbray indicates his sword

⁶⁹
gage
pledge signifying a commitment to combat (usually a glove or gauntlet, thrown down to challenge the opponent)

⁷²
except
set aside

⁷⁴
pawn
gage

⁷⁶
make good
prove

⁷⁷
thou canst devise
you can invent

⁷⁹
gently
nobly/kindly/softly

⁸⁰
in … degree
to any just, honorable extent

⁸²
light
alight, dismount (from my horse)

⁸³
unjustly
dishonorably/in an unjust cause

⁸⁴
lay … charge
accuse Mowbray of

⁸⁵
inherit us
put us in possession

⁸⁷
Look
attend to, note

⁸⁸
nobles
gold coins

⁸⁹
lendings
advances on payment

⁹⁰
lewd
improper/vile

⁹¹
injurious
harmful

⁹³
Or
either

⁹⁶
Complotted
plotted in conspiracy with others

⁹⁷
Fetched
drew/derived
head
source

¹⁰⁰
Duke of Gloucester
son of Edward III, hence Richard’s uncle and John of Gaunt’s brother; he was murdered in 1397 at Calais, while in the custody of Mowbray and, many believe, at Richard’s prompting

¹⁰¹
Suggest
tempt, incite

¹⁰³
Sluiced out
let flow, flooded out

¹⁰⁴
sacrificing
sacrificial
Abel
in the Bible, killed by his brother Cain, the world’s first murderer

¹⁰⁶
chastisement
correction, punishment

¹⁰⁹
pitch
height (literally, the highest point in a falcon’s flight)

¹¹³
slander of
disgrace to

¹¹⁸
my sceptre’s awe
the reverence due to my scepter

¹¹⁹
neighbour
neighboring, close

¹²⁰
partialize
make partial, bias

¹²⁶
receipt
amount received

¹³⁰
Upon … account
for the balance of a large debt

¹³¹
fetch
historically Mowbray was involved in marriage negotiations on Richard’s behalf, though Richard escorted the French princess Isabel to England

¹³⁵
lord of Lancaster
i.e. John of Gaunt

¹³⁸
trespass
sin

¹⁴⁰
exactly
in full detail/specifically

¹⁴²
appealed
with which I am charged

¹⁴⁴
recreant
cowardly (if an adjective)/coward (if a noun)

¹⁴⁵
Which
which accusation

¹⁴⁶
interchangeably
in exchange, reciprocally

¹⁴⁷
overweening
arrogant

¹⁴⁹
Even in
i.e. by shedding
chambered
enclosed

¹⁵⁰
In haste whereof
to hasten which

¹⁵³
purge
cure medically (by bloodletting)
choler
anger (literally yellow bile, the hot and dry “humor,” one of four fluids in ancient and medieval physiology, believed to govern physical and mental qualities)
letting
shedding; refers specifically to medical practice of phlebotomy (opening a vein so as to let blood flow)

¹⁵⁶
conclude
come to terms

¹⁵⁷
doctors
learned men, astrologers

¹⁶⁰
become
suit, befit

¹⁶⁴
boot
point, advantage (in refusing)

¹⁶⁵
dread
revered

¹⁶⁷
fair name
honorable reputation

¹⁷⁰
impeached
accused legally
baffled
disgraced publicly

¹⁷²
balm
ointment
his … breathed
the heart-blood of he who uttered

¹⁷⁵
Lions make leopards
the lion symbolized the king and featured on the royal coat of arms; Mowbray’s coat of arms bore a
lion leopard,
i.e. walking and showing the full face

¹⁷⁶
spots
leopard spots/stains of dishonor
Take
take responsibility for/take over

¹⁷⁹
away
gone