But Richard is so self-absorbed that he ignores this proclamation, and proceeds, without even a beat for contemplation, to seize all of Gaunt’s property for himself, which should have rightfully gone to the exiled Bolingbroke. Yet he is utterly oblivious, even after Bolingbroke’s dying father, John of Gaunt (Patrick Stewart, in a great turn in this supporting role), warns him, “Landlord of England art thou now, not king”. Richard starts to lose the favour of his people when he creates outrageous taxes to support his lavish lifestyle and his wars in Ireland.
HOLLOW CROWN HENRY IV PART 1 SERIES
It is the first of a series of rash decisions made in a desperate attempt to protect his power without seriously considering the threats to it, which will lead to his downfall. To settle this, the King first proposes a duel, but grows scared and banishes them both just before the battle begins. When the play begins, Thomas Mowbray and Henry Bolingbroke (Kinnear) come to the King accusing each other of treason. Whishaw’s Richard has some of the camp of Michael Jackson, complete with pet monkey, but sees himself as a Christ figure, chosen by God to rule, and done an injustice when he is usurped. Born into royalty, Richard II starts off the play at ease, convinced of his divine right to govern. Whishaw also has an impressive ease with the language, which both emphasizes the poetry of it while seeming perfectly natural and even modern. All four plays deal with the burden of wearing the hollow crown and what it means to be a monarch and a politician watching “Richard II”, the story of the rightful but thoughtless king, helps give perspective on the stronger leadership styles of his usurper Henry IV and the usurper’s son, Henry V.Īs Richard II, Ben Whishaw is commanding, if effeminate, and working constantly to construct a complex performance, which deservedly won him the BAFTA for Best Actor on a television series. If you missed “Richard II” last week, you can still jump into “Henry IV Part 1” tonight, but it’s worth revisiting “Richard II” later, both to clear up the backstory and get a better sense of the themes. It’s unfortunate that the cast of “Richard II” differs from that of the latter three plays in the Hollow Crown series, which makes “Richard II” seem more like an enjoyable and important but not critical prequel, like The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings. He seems strong and authoritative, except when we cut to close-up and see the sweat and fear on his face. In the first episode, there’s a great, if heavy-handed, scene where Richard stands on a rampart to speak to Bolingbroke and his supporters.
HOLLOW CROWN HENRY IV PART 1 FULL
And for plays that are so much about playing parts and keeping up appearances, close-ups are invaluable for showing us the characters’ innermost thoughts, which are not on full display to their audience at court or in public. The Hollow Crown series is phenomenal, with beautiful photography and unparalleled acting: it wouldn’t be possible to assemble such an impressive cast on stage all at once. The series brings together Shakespeare’s history tetralogy – “Richard II”, “Henry IV Part 1”, “Henry IV Part 2”, and “Henry V” – which chart the changes in leadership of three English Kings: the rightful heir but weak King Richard II (Ben Whishaw), his usurper Henry Bolingbroke or Henry IV (Rory Kinnear and Jeremy Irons), and the usurper’s rightful heir, Prince Harry (Tom Hiddleston), who would become Henry V.
Executive Producer Sam Mendes had the idea to make a new television adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henriad plays shot on location. Rupert Goold’s screen adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Richard II opens with Richard II (Ben Whishaw) speaking this abridged monologue in voiceover, which augurs the tumultuous events to come in this four-part BBC miniseries, The Hollow Crown, about monarchs, leadership, and fathers and sons. Some poison’d by their wives: some sleeping kill’d Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed How some have been deposed some slain in war, Let’s talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs Īnd tell sad stories of the death of kings
Credit: Courtesy of Nick Briggs © Neal Street Productions The episodes first aired in June and July 2012 and were also available on BBC iPlayer.Ben Whishaw as Richard II in The Hollow Crown: Richard II directed by Rupert Goold. Aired over four segments, the BBC's The Hollow Crown includes adaptations of Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 & 2, and Henry V.
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