Richard II by Wm Shakespeare and Framed by Tonino Benacquista

Richard II pub. Bliss, Sands & Co, MDCCCXCVIII (1898)
Richard II banishes two nobles: Mowbray, the Duke of Gloucester and Bolingbroke, son of his uncle, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. They have been bickering and accusing each other of treason. While Bolingbroke is in exile, his father John of Gaunt dies and Richard II tries to take over Gaunt's estates.

It is John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, dying, but waiting to see his King and in the company of the Duke of York, who reflects on his admired country and its noble kings (but not the current one) in Act II, scene 1.
The speech often set for schoolboys to learn begins:
"This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars..."

Gaunt's son, Bolingbroke, returns to England and it turns out that most of the nobles support him against the King, who only has the Duke of York and the Bishop of Carlisle on his side. Bolingbroke therefore prevails, deposes Richard and becomes King while one of his fans overdoes things. There is always one, right! Saying that Bolingbroke had wished the King was dead, this ONE sets off and does the deed, thus starting a slow fuse to the scattered bush fires known as the Wars of the Roses.

There is more duplicity in the average episode of a 'soap' like East Enders
than in this story but there is no resonance quite like that on the grand scale of Kings, Earls and Dukes with titles corresponding to huge swathes of the kingdom.

However, the play is not a great read. It is after all a script for a play. But it is worth reading slowly, to linger over some of the speeches, e.g."This earth, this realm, this England".
Is this indirectly the inspiration of potential immigrants trying to get across under a lorry from Calais?

I bought this copy years ago because it was already old and looked curious. With just over 100 small pages, in small print and some of the pages still uncut, it seemed more like a book to own rather than read. I finally succumbed and cut the necessary pages to enjoy the whole thing. ....at least eight out of ten. I wish I hadn't cut the pages, though. I have a feeling it might have been more valuable as an object to own with this handicap as a book.


Framed by Tonino Benacquista, 2006, BITTER LEMON PRESS, was translated from French by Adriana Hunter. It is about a picture hanger belonging to a team which prepares exhibitions of works of art. Antoine always leaves the team at 6pm to hurry to his secret passion: playing billiards in a hall where he is keenly coached and respected for his ability. Crucial to his billiards he is injured trying to prevent a thief from stealing a painting. We learn how the writer views the Art World in a murder mystery that failed to really grip me. Six out of ten.