Positing Pillars at the Globe

Abstract

When he says 'I thank thee, king' to Bolingbroke in the abdication scene (1. 299), it's wholly without irony. He's saying 'Thank you. You've taught me the biggest lesson in my life. You've taught me betrayal.' It's a sad thing to thank him for. He could do without the burden of it. But poor old Bolingbroke. If God really is sitting on top of the cosmic structure, then God's cruelty is that he makes Bolingbroke, who is Richard's biggest champion, also Richard's killer. The Shaw/Warner Richard II was the National Theatre's most talked-about production in a decade, but after playing the role for over a year in London, Paris, and Salzburg, Fiona Shaw's verdict on her performance was characteristically laconic: came. It went. It was a little gift, I hope, to the cultural world.' '22