Richard II · Chapter
Scene IV explained
Salisbury and the Welsh Captain await news of King Richard in a camp in Wales.
What happens
Salisbury and the Welsh Captain await news of King Richard in a camp in Wales. After ten days without tidings, the Captain decides to disperse his men, convinced by ominous natural signs that the king is dead. Salisbury laments Richard's fall, foreseeing storms and unrest ahead.
Themes in this chapter
Order and Chaos
The natural world reflects political disorder: meteors, a bloody moon, and fearful signs foretell the collapse of Richard's reign and the onset of chaos.
Grief and Mortality
Salisbury's lament for Richard's 'glory like a shooting star' falling to earth underscores the theme of mortality and the sorrow of a king's downfall.
Characters to notice
- Earl of Salisbury
Desperately tries to keep the Welsh army together, hoping for news of King Richard, but ultimately witnesses their dispersal.
- King Richard II
Referenced as the absent king whose presumed death leads to the army's dispersal; Salisbury mourns his falling glory.
Key passages
“The bay-trees in our country are all wither'd And meteors fright the fixed stars of heaven; The pale-faced moon looks bloody on the earth And lean-look'd prophets whisper fearful change;”
The bay trees have withered, meteors terrify the stars, the moon appears blood-red, and gaunt prophets murmur about ominous transformations.
The Captain interprets these natural omens as signs that Richard is dead or about to fall.
“Ah, Richard, with the eyes of heavy mind I see thy glory like a shooting star Fall to the base earth from the firmament.”
Oh Richard, with my sorrowful thoughts I see your splendor plummet like a meteor from the sky to the ground.
Salisbury foresees Richard's downfall as a catastrophic fall from grace.