Shakespeare's historical plays tend to focus on the drama of the rise and fall of kings, as we see in Part One of Richard II and Henry IV. If any of these stories were known to theatergoers of his day, Shakespeare told them not only to dramatize historical events, but also to draw and present the themes that emerge from them. Throughout these plays, Shakespeare uses the image of the sun to represent the glory of kingship and, further, to represent the frequent pattern of rise and fall that is inevitable in the life of every king: Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V. Just as the sun rises in the east each morning and sets in the west each evening, we can see that the rise and fall of these kings is inevitable. The comparison of royalty to the sun is significant in that it highlights the speed and suddenness with which luck can change, a theme evident in many of Shakespeare's plays, notably Richard II and 1 Henry IV, and which is examined in this series of ascending and descending kings. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Richard II, imagery of the sun is primarily used to describe the sudden but inevitable downfall of King Richard, on which the play centers. The play opens with King Richard's throne appearing secure, but by Act II we, the readers, see that the tide has quickly turned and his kingship is in danger, and by Act III, King Richard realizes this too. When Lord Salisbury visits Richard to tell him that his army has left him, he says to King Richard: One day too late, I fear, noble lord, that I have darkened all your happy days on earth. O, recall yesterday, ask time to return, and you will have twelve thousand fighters! Today, today, unhappy day, too late, overthrow your joys, your friends, your fortune and your state… (III. ii. 67-72). Lord Salisbury here tells Richard that just the day before his army of twelve thousands of men fled and now it is too late as Bollingbrook has won the support of the people. The imagery used by Lord Salisbury is interesting when he says that a single day "has darkened all thy happy days on earth", these happy days being of course those of his reign (III. ii. 68). This unfortunate day when Richard's men abandoned him is therefore described as the cloud, because it prevents him from shining like the sun as king. Lord Salisbury realizes the magnitude of it all when he says that this day "overturns your joys, your friends, your family and your state", which illustrates the theme of how quickly life can change - as quickly as the sun rises and sets (III. ii. 72). This is a crucial turning point in both the life of Richard II and the play, as it marks the beginning of his deposition (or the rise of the House of Lancaster) and Richard's transformation from a vain king into a sad poet. The sun imagery subtly used in these lines highlights the theme of sudden transformation: on this pivotal day, Richard's luck has turned around as Bollingbrook approaches royalty and the sun begins to set on the reign of Richard II. Richard II reminds us that as soon as one king falls, another rises. In their first meeting since Bollingbrook's return, Bollingbrook uses the metaphor of the sun to describe Richard in a new light: "See, see, King Richard himself appears, / Like the sun blushing and displeased / From the fiery gate of the East, / When he perceives that the envious clouds bend / To obscure his glory…” (III. iii. 62-66).Contrary to Richard's previous prediction in Act III Scene II, in which Bollingbrook would be the one to blush when his "sun" rises due to his treasonous actions, Bollingbrook is defiant and defiant towards Richard, hoping to usurp the throne and “tarnish” Richard’s glory. Shortly afterward, upon their meeting, Richard realizes that it is too late and that his cousin will soon seize the throne, and says to an inattentive Bollingbroke: "Down, down I go, like glittering Phaethon." (III. iii. 178). In this single line, Richard captures the metaphor of the sun rising and setting like kings, and simultaneously accepts responsibility for its fall by alluding to Phaethon, the sun god, who brought about his own death. Quickly, this shimmering image of the sun is transferred, with the glory of royalty, to Henry. We first see the language of the Sun refer to Henry IV in Act IV, Scene I, when Richard laments bitterly to Henry during the deposition, as a result: "God save King Henry, said Richard no king,/And send him many years of sunny days. ! » (IV. I. 220-221). Richard II wishes King Henry a long and glorious reign by sending him “many years of sunny days”. Bollingbrook is no longer depicted as a "cloud", but as he now essentially owns the throne, he is compared to the sun. Since the beginning of Henry IV, the metaphor of the sun has apparently been used to describe Prince Harry in his transformation and ascension to heir to the throne. In Henry IV, Harry and King Henry use the omnipresent image of the sun blocked by clouds to describe themselves. Harry uses the metaphor of the sun quite explicitly in his first monologue to indicate his intention to rise to power and transform himself gloriously and dramatically by hanging out in taverns with a group of lowly thieves: Yet here I will imitate the sun, Who allows the vile contagious clouds to smother his beauty from the world, so that when it pleases him to be himself again, being desired, he may be more amazed in breaking the foul and ugly mists Of vapors that seemed to strangle him (I.ii.173–) In this monologue, Hal only reveals to the audience that he is using these lower class people and deceiving them for his own benefit, creating great irony and dramatic anticipation. Harry compares himself to the sun blocked by clouds (those men who go to taverns), but can nevertheless "break through" his lower class "friends" and rise to power when needed. It is interesting to note the difference in Harry's use of the sun metaphor: Harry, unlike Richard II, believes that as the metaphorical sun, he controls the actions of the sun and the clouds. Rather than the clouds undesirably blocking his light, Harry says that he deliberately lets these clouds do so when he says that he "allows the base contagious clouds/to smother his beauty from the world" ( Act I. ii. Just as the sun lets itself be covered by clouds so that people who miss its light will be all the happier when it reappears, Harry too plans to one day emerge from the clouds of his lower-class friends. Although King Henry thinks he is an immature party animal, wasting his time in taverns, Harry sees great opportunity in spending his time with the people of the lower classes. Henry is simply biding his moment to right all the wrongs of his father's reign with a perfectly timed return to glory, which happens as planned when he defeats Hotspur in combat. The usurpation of the throne from Richard II did not leave much room for his father's success. Hal therefore realizes that he must find a way to win the hearts and minds of the.