Richard II AP Essay

As the Queen overhears a conversation between two commoners in Richard II, she discovers the true reputation of her husband to the masses. The Queen hides with her ladies and the commoners speak to each other about the King’s current situation without knowing that the Queen is within earshot. The commoners speak figuratively about the King, dramatizing the situation. After stating that the King is about to be deposed, the two commoners make an extended metaphor to a garden that symbolizes the growth of the kingdom. This comparison eventually turns to include the Garden of Eden when the Queen addresses the subjects. She compares one of the commoners to Adam, insinuating that as a lesser man than the king, he does not know what he is talking about. The figurative language that the commoners and the Queen use to describe this situation makes the scene more dramatic and eccentric in explaining the ills of the King and his subjects.
Gard, one of the commoners, begins by stating the current position of the kingdom. The unruliness of the masses has erupted from the oppression that was forced upon them, and it seems that a war will begin in which all of these people will be killed. He then begins the comparison of the kingdom to a garden, stating in line 20, “When our sea-walled garden, the whole land,/ Is full of weeds, her fairest flowers choked up,/ Her fruit tress all unpruned, her hedges ruined, Her knots disordered and her wholesome herbs/ Swarming with caterpillars?” The passage describes the unrest of the land, showing that it is bound by the figurative walls that suppress the masses and the prosperity of the kingdom has lessened because of the disorderly ruins that now make up the area. After naming other important men that have been killed, Gard claims that the overthrowing of the King is inevitable.
When the Queen shows herself to the commoners, she expresses her disdain for their words. In lines 54-58, she says “What Eve, what serpent, hath suggested thee/ To make a second fall of cursed man?/ Why dost thou say King Richard is deposed?/ Darest thou, thou little better thing than earth, Divine his downfall?” Here, the Queen is explaining that someone that simply tends to the earth cannot possibly predict the downfall of the King. She speaks figuratively to describe Gard’s unimportance in society, but still questions how he is aware of such exclusive information. In the cases of both the commoners and the Queen, the language that is used makes the situation more dramatic, giving the scene a sense of importance. By speaking figuratively, the issue at hand and condition of the kingdom seems to be in dire need of salvation.