In what ways does John of Gaunt's speech from Act 2 scene 1 develop your understanding of both his character and his place in the play's consideration of "England and "Englishness"?

The monologue of John of Gaunt delves into the perilous nature of unbound autocracy. Gaunt proclaims that King Richard should relinquish his crown because he has figuratively raped mother England by exploiting the loyalty of his subjects and debasing the importance of this blessed plot for his own personal glory. The speech enables the proofreader to look into the character of Gaunt and his relationship with Richard. The central symbolic image centres around England and the relationship between England and the kings and then gives us practically to think ab come forth with regard to this issue.

The first member of the monologue deals with the nature of Richards vices. The staccato like verbal meter brings a firmness and urgency to Gaunts exhortations. When he utters, His rash, fierce perdition of riot cannot last; For violent fires soon burn out themselves, he warns Richard that the fierce blaze of riot that he has gift through the kingdom will inevitably consume him as well. Shakespe be attacks the traditional belief that the monarch is able to hide by from such tremors, as Gaunt says,

With eager feeding forage doth choke the feeder.

Light vanity, insatiate cormorant,

Consuming means, soon preys upon itself. (37-39)

Gaunts own son, Bolingbroke was feasted upon by Richards unquenchable desire for control.



Richard does not realise that men like Bolingbroke, who are unjustly victimised, will not be digested and disposed of easily. By continuing to rule in the same manner, each negative decision Richard makes will eventually resurface to prey upon him. This is thus a way of portraying the imagery of Richard consuming in an obsessive nature, leading to choke the feeders who feed him, being the country.

There is much in the speech which portrays a mythological view of England and the precondition of the country in Gaunts...

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