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Question
Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.
What are the causes for King Richard’s grief?
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Solution
King Richard II was a popular king. He had many nobles at the service. His rebellious cousin
Bolingbroke attacks him with 10,000 men on his side. He sends a message to the Welsh King. sending his army to defeat Bolingbroke. But to his shock, the Welsh army is not sent. He realizes with alarm the terrible fate he would suffer in the hands of his foe and his most impending death in captivity. King Richard is reminded of the power of death that overshadows everything else. Death scoffs at the power of rulers. Losing the battle, the non-receipt of the Welsh army, and the prospect of being jailed and killed worries Richard II.
He realizes that in the hollow crown death had reigned him. In fact, death, a jester had misled him to believe that he was monarchizing England. He can now own only a patch of barren land. He is not an impregnable castle of brass anymore. He is an ordinary mortal. He too needs friends and needs to taste grief and face death.
“Life and death are illusions. We are in a constant state of transformation.”
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