The Coronation of Anne Boleyn

Alas! within “the hollow round” of that coronet —

Kept death his court, and there the antick* sat,
Scoffing* her state and grinning at her pomp.
Allowing her a little breath, a little scene
To monarchize, be feared, and kill with looks,
Infusing her with self and vain conceit,
As if the flesh which walled about her life
Were brass impregnable; and humoured thus,
Bored through her castle walls; and farewell, Queen.* [...]

Three short years have yet to pass, and again, on a summer morning, Queen Anne Boleyn will leave the Tower of London not radiant then with beauty on a gay errand of coronation, but a poor wandering ghost, on a sad tragic errand, from which she will never more return, passing away out of an earth where she may stay no longer, into a presence where, nevertheless, we know that all is well for all of us and therefore for her.*

Abridged.

Historical and other Sketches (?1883), by James Anthony Froude (1818-1894).

* ‘Antic’ in this context means a grotesque figure, viz. Death.

* ‘Scoff’ means scorn, laugh derisively. Death scoffs [at] the royalty of the one wearing the crown.

* These lines of verse are a parody of some lines from William Shakespeare’s Richard II, spoken by King Richard himself:

[...]: for within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits,
Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,
Allowing him a breath, a little scene,
To monarchize, be fear’d and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
As if this flesh which walls about our life,
Were brass impregnable; and humor’d thus,
Comes at the last, and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!

It will be noticed that in Froude’s parody, the second to last of Shakespeare’s lines has been omitted.

* Anne was charged with treasonous adultery and beheaded on May 19th, 1536.

Précis
Froude borrowed the famous ‘hollow crown’ speech from Shakespeare’s Richard II and applied it to Anne. Three years after her storybook wedding, she would make another journey from the Tower, this time to the gallows, and experience for herself how Death defies even royalty. Froude was nonetheless confident that like all men, Anne would find mercy in heaven.
Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

From where did Froude get his lines of verse describing Anne Boleyn?

Suggestion

He adapted them from Shakespeare’s Richard II.

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

Anne Boleyn was crowned on June 1st, 1533. She was executed on May 19th, 1536.

See if you can include one or more of these words in your answer.

IQueen. IIWear. IIIYear.

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