Introduction
In 1398, King Richard II, unpopular throughout his kingdom and fearing for his throne, ordered his cousin and rival Henry Bolingbroke to leave the country, together with Henry’s father John of Gaunt. As Shakespeare tells the tale, John did his best to bear Henry up under the blow, encouraging him to rock himself with fairy tales into a doze of happy acceptance.
John of Gaunt:
ALL places that the eye of heaven visits
Are to a wise man ports and happy havens.*
Teach thy necessity to reason thus —
There is no virtue like necessity.*
Think not the king did banish thee,*
But thou the king. Woe doth the heavier sit
Where it perceives it is but faintly borne.*
Go, say I sent thee forth to purchase honour,
And not the king exil’d thee; or suppose
Devouring pestilence hangs in our air,
And thou art flying to a fresher clime.
Look what thy soul holds dear, imagine it
To lie that way thou goest, not whence thou com’st.
Suppose the singing birds musicians,
The grass whereon thou tread’st the presence strew’d,*
The flowers fair ladies, and thy steps no more
Than a delightful measure or a dance;
For gnarling sorrow hath less power to bite
The man that mocks at it and sets it light.
* John of Gaunt was born in Ghent (hence his surname ‘of Gaunt’) in Belgium, and had spent much of his life abroad, winning for himself the titles of King of Castile and Léon, and of Duke of Aquitaine. His son knew only England.
* Already a common proverb. Necessity is of course not a virtue: a virtue is by definition a power that one chooses whether to exercise or not. John of Gaunt is in danger of uttering as many platitudes as Polonius in Hamlet, when he helped Laertes (also boarding a ship for France) to a generous helping of fatherly advice: see ‘To Thine Own Self Be True’.
* The line is short, resulting is a pregnant little pause at the end.
* That is, borne in a faint-hearted manner.
* The royal presence-chamber, which was typically strewn (scattered over) with rushes. John wants Henry to imagine himself back at court.
Précis
In William Shakespeare’s Richard II, John of Gaunt and his son Henry Bolingbroke have been banished from England by the King. Henry is fretful, so John recommends Henry take refuge in mind-games, pretending that he has banished Richard, or that he is going abroad for his health, or even that he is dancing at court rather than walking into exile. (60 / 60 words)
In William Shakespeare’s Richard II, John of Gaunt and his son Henry Bolingbroke have been banished from England by the King. Henry is fretful, so John recommends Henry take refuge in mind-games, pretending that he has banished Richard, or that he is going abroad for his health, or even that he is dancing at court rather than walking into exile.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, although, besides, may, must, otherwise, since, who.
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