Act IV scene 1 - Westminster Hall.
Enter, as to the Parliament, HENRY BOLINGBROKE, DUKE OF AUMERLE, NORTHUMBERLAND, HENRY PERCY, LORD FITZWATER, DUKE OF SURREY, the BISHOP OF CARLISLE, and LORD ROSS, Herald, Officers, and BAGOT
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Call forth Bagot.
Now Bagot, freely speak thy mind,
What thou dost know of Noble Gloucester's death:
Who wrought it with the King, and who perform'd
The bloody Office of his Timeless end. 5
BAGOT
Then set before my face the Lord Aumerle.
.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Cousin, stand forth, and look upon that man.
BAGOT
My Lord Aumerle, I know your daring tongue
Scorns to unsay what once it hath deliver'd.
In that dead time when Gloucester's death was plotted, 10
I heard you say, 'Is not my arm of length,
That reacheth from the restful English Court
As far as Calais, to my Uncle's head?'
Amongst much other talk, that very time,
I heard you say that you had rather refuse 15
The offer of an hundred thousand Crowns
Than Bolingbroke's return to England; adding withal
How blest this Land would be, in this your Cousin's death.
DUKE OF AUMERLE
Princes, and Noble Lords,
What answer shall I make to this base man? 20
Shall I so much dishonour my fair Stars,
On equal terms to give him chastisement?
Either I must, or have mine honour soil'd
With th’Attainder of his slanderous Lips.
There is my Gage, the manual Seal of death, 25
That marks thee out for Hell. Thou liest,
And will maintain what thou hast said, is false
In thy heart-blood, though being all too base
To stain the temper of my Knightly sword.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Bagot forbear, thou shalt not take it up. 30
DUKE OF AUMERLE
Excepting one, I would he were the best
In all this presence that hath moved me so.
LORD FITZWATER
If that thy valour stand on sympathies:
There is my Gage, Aumerle, in Gage to thine:
I heard thee say, and vauntingly thou spakest it, 35
That thou wert cause of Noble Gloucester's death.
If thou deny'st it, twenty times thou liest,
And I will turn thy falsehood to thy heart,
Where it was forged with my Rapier's point.
DUKE OF AUMERLE
Thou darest not, Coward, live to see the day. 40
LORD FITZWATER
Now by my Soul, I would it were this hour.
DUKE OF AUMERLE
Fitzwater thou art damn'd to hell for this.
HENRY PERCY
Aumerle, thou liest: his Honor is as true
In this Appeal, as thou art all unjust:
And that thou art so, there I throw my Gage, 45
To prove it on thee, to the extremest point
Of mortal breathing. Seize it, if thou darest.
DUKE OF AUMERLE
An if I do not, may my hands rot off,
And never brandish more revengeful Steel
Over the glittering Helmet of my Foe. 50
ROSS
I task the earth to the like, forsworn Aumerle;
And spur thee on with full as many lies
As may be holloa'd in thy treacherous ear
From sun to sun: there is my honour's pawn;
Engage it to the trial, if thou darest. 55
DUKE OF AUMERLE
Who sets me else? by heaven, I'll throw at all:
I have a thousand spirits in one breast,
To answer twenty thousand such as you.
LORD FITZWATER
As I intend to thrive in this new World,
Aumerle is guilty of my true Appeal: 60
Besides, I heard the banish'd Norfolk say,
That thou, Aumerle, didst send two of thy men
To execute the Noble Duke at Calais.
DUKE OF AUMERLE
Some honest Christian trust me with a Gage,
That Norfolk lies: here do I throw down this, 65
If he may be repeal'd, to try his Honor.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
These differences shall all rest under Gage
Till Norfolk be repeal'd: repeal'd he shall be;
And, though mine Enemy, restored again
To all his Lands and Signories: when he's return'd, 70
Against Aumerle we will enforce his Trial.
BISHOP OF CARLISLE
That honorable day shall ne'er be seen.
Many a time hath banish'd Norfolk fought
For Jesu Christ, in glorious Christian field,
And toil'd with works of War, retired himself 75
To Italy, and there at Venice gave
His Body to that pleasant Country's Earth,
And his pure Soul unto his Captain Christ,
Under whose Colors he had fought so long.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Why Bishop, is Norfolk dead? 80
BISHOP OF CARLISLE
As sure as I live, my Lord.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Sweet peace conduct his sweet Soul
To the bosom of good old Abraham.
Lords Appellants, your differences shall all rest under gage,
Till we assign you to your days of Trial. 85
Enter DUKE OF YORK, attended
DUKE OF YORK
Great Duke of Lancaster, I come to thee
From plume-pluck'd Richard, who with willing Soul
Adopts thee Heir, and his high Sceptre yields
To the possession of thy Royal Hand.
Ascend his Throne, descending now from him, 90
And long live Henry, fourth of that name.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
In God's name, I'll ascend the Regal Throne.
BISHOP OF CARLISLE
Marry, God forbid!
Worst in this Royal Presence may I speak,
Yet best beseeming me to speak the truth. 95
What Subject can give Sentence on his King?
And who sits here, that is not Richard's Subject?
Thieves are not judged but they are by to hear,
Although apparent guilt be seen in them:
And shall the figure of God's Majesty, 100
Be judged by subject, and inferior breath,
And he himself not present? Oh forbid it, God,
That in a Christian Climate, Souls refined
Should show so heinous, black, obscene a deed.
I speak to Subjects, and a Subject speaks, 105
Stirr'd up by God, thus boldly for his King.
My Lord of Hereford here, whom you call King,
Is a foul Traitor to proud Hereford's King.
And if you Crown him, let me prophesy,
The blood of English shall manure the ground, 110
And future Ages groan for his foul Act.
And in this Seat of Peace tumultuous Wars
Shall Kin with Kin and Kind with Kind confound;
Disorder, Horror, Fear, and Mutiny
Shall here inhabit, and this Land be call'd 115
The field of Golgotha, and dead men's Skulls.
Oh, if you raise this House against this House,
It will the woefullest Division prove
That ever fell upon this cursed Earth.
Prevent it, resist it, and let it not be so, 120
Lest Child, Child's Children, cry against you Woe.
NORTHUMBERLAND
Well have you argued Sir: and for your pains,
Of Capital Treason we arrest you here.
My Lord of Westminster, be it your charge,
To keep him safely till his day of Trial. 125
May it please you, Lords, to grant the Commons' Suit.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Fetch hither Richard, that in common view
He may surrender: so we shall proceed
Without suspicion.
DUKE OF YORK
I will be his Conduct.
Exit
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Lords, you that here are under our Arrest, 130
Procure your Sureties for your Days of Answer:
Little are we beholding to your Love,
And little look'd for at your helping Hands.
Re-enter DUKE OF YORK, with KING RICHARD II, and Officers bearing the regalia
KING RICHARD II
Alack, why am I sent for to a King,
Before I have shook off the Regal thoughts 135
Wherewith I reign'd? I hardly yet have learn'd
To insinuate, flatter, bow, and bend my Knee.
Give Sorrow leave awhile to tutor me
To this submission. Yet I well remember
The favours of these men: were they not mine? 140
Did they not sometime cry, 'All hail!' to me?
So Judas did to Christ: but he in twelve,
Found truth in all but one: I, in twelve thousand, none.
God save the King: Will no man say Amen?
Am I both Priest and Clerk? well then, Amen. 145
God save the King, although I be not he;
And yet Amen, if Heaven do think him me.
To do what service am I sent for hither?
DUKE OF YORK
To do that office of thine own good will,
Which tired Majesty did make thee offer: 150
The Resignation of thy State and Crown
To Henry Bolingbroke.
KING RICHARD II
Give me the Crown. Here Cousin, seize the Crown:
Here cousin: on this side my Hand, and on that side thine.
Now is this Golden Crown like a deep Well 155
That owes two Buckets, filling one another,
The emptier ever dancing in the air,
The other down, unseen, and full of Water:
That Bucket down, and full of Tears am I,
Drinking my Griefs, whilst you mount up on high. 160
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
I thought you had been willing to resign.
KING RICHARD II
My Crown I am, but still my Griefs are mine:
You may my Glories and my State depose,
But not my Griefs; still am I King of those.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Part of your Cares you give me with your Crown. 165
KING RICHARD II
Your Cares set up do not pluck my Cares down.
My Care is loss of Care, by old Care done,
Your Care is gain of Care, by new Care won:
The Cares I give, I have, though given away,
They ‘tend the Crown, yet still with me they stay: 170
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Are you contented to resign the Crown?
KING RICHARD II
Ay, no; no, ay: for I must nothing be:
Therefore no, no, for I resign to thee.
Now, mark me how I will undo myself.
I give this heavy Weight from off my Head, 175
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, 180
With mine own Breath release all duteous Oaths;
All Pomp and Majesty I do forswear:
My Manors, Rents, Revenues, I forego;
My Acts, Decrees, and Statutes I deny:
God pardon all Oaths that are broke to me, 185
God keep all Vows unbroke are made to thee.
Long mayst thou live in Richard's Seat to sit,
And soon lie Richard in an Earthly Pit.
God save King Harry, un-King'd Richard says,
And send him many years of Sunshine days. 190
What more remains?
NORTHUMBERLAND
No more, but that you read
These Accusations, and these grievous Crimes
Committed by your Person, and your followers,
Against the State and Profit of this Land:
That by confessing them, the Souls of men 195
May deem that you are worthily deposed.
KING RICHARD II
Must I do so? and must I ravel out
My weaved-up follies? Gentle Northumberland,
If thy Offences were upon Record,
Would it not shame thee, in so fair a troop 200
To read a Lecture of them? If thou wouldst,
There shouldst thou find one heinous Article,
Containing the deposing of a King.
Nay, all of you that stand and look upon me,
Whilst that my wretchedness doth bait myself, 205
Though some of you with Pilate wash your hands
Showing an outward pity: yet you Pilates
Have here deliver'd me to my sour Cross,
And Water cannot wash away your sin.
NORTHUMBERLAND
My Lord, dispatch; read o'er these Articles. 210
KING RICHARD II
Mine Eyes are full of Tears, I cannot see:
And yet salt Water blinds them not so much,
But they can see a sort of Traitors here.
Nay, if I turn mine Eyes upon myself,
I find myself a Traitor with the rest: 215
For I have given here my Soul's consent,
T’undeck the pompous Body of a King;
Made Glory base; a Sovereignty, a slave;
Proud Majesty, a Subject; State, a Peasant.
NORTHUMBERLAND
My Lord. 220
KING RICHARD II
No Lord of thine, thou haught insulting man;
No, 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, 225
And know not now what Name to call myself.
Oh 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, 230
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.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Go some of you and fetch a Looking-Glass. 235
Exit an attendant
NORTHUMBERLAND
Read o'er this Paper while the Glass doth come.
KING RICHARD II
Fiend, thou torment'st me ere I come to Hell.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Urge it no more, my Lord Northumberland.
NORTHUMBERLAND
The Commons will not then be satisfied.
KING RICHARD II
They shall be satisfied: I'll read enough, 240
When I do see the very Book indeed
Where all my sins are writ, and that's myself.
Re-enter Attendant, with a glass
Give me that Glass, and therein will I read.
No deeper wrinkles yet? hath Sorrow struck
So many Blows upon this Face of mine, 245
And made no deeper Wounds? Was this Face the Face
That every day under his Household Roof
Did keep ten thousand men? Was this the Face
That like the Sun, did make beholders wink?
Is this the Face that faced so many follies, 250
That was at last out-faced by Bolingbroke?
A brittle Glory shineth in this Face,
As brittle as the Glory is the Face,
Dashes the glass against the ground
For there it is, crack'd in a hundred shivers.
Mark silent King, the Moral of this sport, 255
How soon my Sorrow hath destroy'd my Face.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
The shadow of your Sorrow hath destroy'd
The shadow or your Face.
KING RICHARD II
Say that again.
The shadow of my Sorrow: ha, let's see,
'Tis very true, my Grief lies all within, 260
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 265
Me cause to wail, but teachest me the way
How to lament the cause. I'll beg one Boon,
And then be gone, and trouble you no more.
Shall I obtain it?
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Name it, fair Cousin.
KING RICHARD II
'Fair Cousin'? I am greater than a King: 270
For when I was a King, my flatterers
Were then but Subjects; being now a subject,
I have a King here to my flatterer:
Being so great, I have no need to beg.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Yet ask.
KING RICHARD II
And shall I have?
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
You shall. 275
KING RICHARD II
Then give me leave to go.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Whither?
KING RICHARD II
Whither you will, so I were from your sights.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
Go, some of you, convey him to the Tower.
KING RICHARD II
Oh good: convey: Conveyers are you all,
That rise thus nimbly by a true King's fall. 280
Exeunt KING RICHARD II, some Lords, and a Guard
AUMERLE
A woeful Pageant have we here beheld.
BISHOP OF CARLISLE
The Woe's to come; the Children yet unborn.
Shall feel this day as sharp to them as Thorn.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE
On Wednesday next we solemnly set down
Our Coronation: Lords, prepare yourselves.
Exeunt
This transition was driven by "APES**T" by The Carters. The trellis and bench were cleared away as Bolingbroke's supporters high-fived, patted each other on the back, and congratulated each other, entering with exuberant energy.
As the choreography finished, chairs were brought in and placed in a loose, tilted V; the throne was placed on the center platform. The crown rested on a pillow on the throne, an emblem that the crown's authority was present, even if Richard was not. As the transition finished, Bolingbroke entered USC; everyone landed in their spots as he arrived at the front of the center platform, starting the scene.
Bagot and Aumerle's conflict mirrors that of Bolingbroke and Mowbray at the beginning of the play. Bagot and Aumerle suddenly find themselves two survivors of a purge; they must ingratiate themselves with Bolingbroke, and decide to do so by discrediting the other.
One by one, all of Bolingbroke's followers pile on the accusations against and challenges to Aumerle. So many of them pile on that Aumerle has to ask to borrow another gage as he's run out of his own.
This is the first scene where we see Henry in power, and it provides a stark contrast to Richard's manner of handling conflict. Where Richard was aloof and harsh, Henry seems to be opting for a more egalitarian style of rule, wherein everyone has a say. But Henry has yet to develop the authority Richard was groomed for over 20 years; as a result, this conflict feels messier, more like a bar brawl than a formal political complaint. Henry's grasp on his power is tenuous, at best.
York enters from under the tall platform; this conflict has been hard on him, but he is eager to move on and settle the question of authority.
Henry is awfully eager to take the crown...at York's announcement, he stood and moved towards the throne and crown upon it.
The Bishop of Carlisle is a fascinating character, both in history and in the play. He only shows up a few times, but the argument that he gives here is critical. Shakespeare uses this monologue to position this play as the precursor to the tetralogy he had already written, the Wars of the Roses. Everything that Carlisle prophesies comes true under Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V, and Richard III. Carlisle is the last defender of Richard II's rule; his words get him arrested, suggesting what will happen to anyone who goes against Henry IV.
This is a calculated move on Henry's part, to bring Richard in front of the assembled lords. The only way to legitimately become king is to have Richard announce his own deposition. This move prevents anyone from saying Henry usurped Richard or from saying that Richard is still the legitimate king.
Historically, Parliament asked Henry for justification as to why he was legally king. First he claimed rule by conquest, which Parliament rejected in case anyone else got ideas about conquering England. Then he claimed next line of descent through both John of Gaunt and his mother, but Parliament rejected that as well; there were others who had a stronger claim, but they were underage, and no one wanted another young king (Richard was 9 when he was crowned). So finally Henry claimed that he only could have succeeded if God wanted him to succeed, therefore it was God's will. Parliament said okay to that one.
Lines 143-145 were delivered straight to Bagot and Aumerle. Bagot looked away, unable to hold Richard's gaze; Aumerle tried to apologize, though Richard wasn't willing to acknowledge it.
Henry's aide, the same herald from 1.3, stood guard on the top platform; at Henry's beckon, he went to the throne, picked up the crown on its pillow, and brought it to Richard.
This moment was played DSC, with Richard SR and Henry SL, with the lords arrayed behind them.
We experimented with this being performative, having Richard essentially walk through undoing the ceremony that made him king.
Right before spring break, we had decided to play with different readings. When we were only able to record a few things in our space, Zeke (who played Richard) and I decided to just strip it back for the sake of the camera. The simplicity served us well - one of the few gifts of this massive shift.
Way to kick a man when he's down, Northie.
A lot of this scene, for Richard, was played with careful control and moderated energy. It was his last chance to control his image. It's also typical in the history plays that the actor gets tired in the 4th act because the character is getting tired, so I wanted to find ways to let Zeke breathe.
But this Pilate line - Richard loses control a bit. Zeke let it grow, let the rage out for just a moment, building through "Traitors" until he turned the criticism inwards. He has no patience for the whims of Northumberland; but he is truly devastated by his own treason against himself.
Northie is kind of a dick! But she's justified - she's thinking about every possible complaint against Henry and is locking up an airtight case against Richard. With our female Northumberland and the sexual tension with Bolingbroke, we discovered that this is the first moment that their confederacy cracks. Henry is not willing to take what Northumberland sees as the necessary steps. Physically, Henry dismissed the small, female Northumberland in a way all too familiar to women in male-dominated workspaces, which she found to be unforgivable.
Henry's aide left to get the "mirror," which in our version was a cell phone. He handed it to Henry, who unlocked it.
Richard's monologue was eventually going to be filmed and projected onto the largest panels of stained glass in the background. Richard reflects on himself in the mirror, on what he wants to see. In our current world, that mirror is held up by social media - the curated, cultivated life that shows only what we want to be shown.
When Richard breaks the mirror, the social media images would have shattered as well, breaking the illusion of Richard's public persona.
This transition comes to us courtesy of "No Church in the Wild" by Jay-Z and Kanye West. The refrain perfectly embodies the paradigm shift happening when Henry takes Richard's place. For the first time, a king has been removed from power before his death and replaced with someone not designated as his heir. These acts signify the end of the Plantagenet line of rule.
The movement was strong, confrontational, and victorious, the physical equivalent of the victors on the field of battle juxtaposed with those unsure and resigned of what will come next.
Kelly Brown as the Lord Marshall, performing the choreography in quarantine. Cast members who were allowed to borrow their costumes before we went into quarantine. Please enjoy his energy and brilliant dance moves, and imagine the whole Bolingbroke team backing him up.
Valerie Cambron had one of the most thankless jobs in the show - Gardener's servant and dancer. But she was the epitome of the prepared actor - ready and engaged for all of her material, eager to contribute everywhere else, and taking charge of the dance transitions when we shifted online. Here she is rocking out the transition at the end of 4.1, minus the rest of Bolingbroke's supporters.