Shakespeare's historical plays tend to focus on the drama of the rise and fall of kings, as we see in both Richard II and Henry IV Part 1. While the outcome of these stories was known to viewers of his time, Shakespeare told these stories not only to dramatize historical events, but also to draw and present the themes that emerge from them. In all of these plays, Shakespeare uses the image of the sun to represent the glory of kingship and, furthermore, to represent the frequent pattern of rise and fall that is inevitable in the life of every king: Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V. Precisely as the sun rises in the east each morning and sets in the west each evening, we can see that the rise and fall of these kings are inevitable. The comparison between kingship and the sun is significant as it highlights how quickly and suddenly fortune can change, a theme which is evident in many of Shakespeare's plays including Richard II and 1 Henry IV, and which is examined in this series of kings emerging and decayed. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Richard II, images of the sun are used primarily to represent the sudden but inevitable downfall of King Richard, on which the play is centered. The play opens with King Richard's throne appearing secure, but by Act II we readers see that the tide has changed rapidly and that his kingship is in danger, and by Act III, King Richard realizes it too I count. When Lord Salisbury visits Richard to give him the news that his army has abandoned him, he tells King Richard: A day too late, I fear, noble lord, has overshadowed all your happy days on earth. Oh, recall yesterday, wait for the time to return, and you will have twelve thousand fighting men! Today, today, unhappy day, too late, overthrow your joys, your friends, your fortune and your state... (III. ii. 67-72). Lord Salisbury tells Richard here that just the day before, his army of twelve thousand men fled and now it is too late because Bollingbrook has gained the support of the people. The image used by Lord Salisbury is interesting when he says that that very day "has overshadowed all your happy days on earth", those happy days being those of his reign, of course (III. ii. 68). This unhappy day when Richard's men abandoned him is described as the cloud, therefore, because it prevents him from shining like the sun as king. Lord Salisbury realizes the magnitude of it all when he says that this day "overthrows your joys, your friends, your family and your state", which exemplifies the theme of how quickly life can change, with the same rapidity with which the sun rises and sets (III. ii. 72). This is a crucial turning point in both Richard II's life and the play, as it marks the beginning of his deposition (or the rise of the House of Lancaster) and Richard's transformation from vain king to sad poet. The sun imagery used subtly in these lines highlights the theme of sudden transformation: on this crucial day, Richard's fortunes have changed as Bollingbrook approaches kingship and the sun is beginning to set on the reign of Richard II. Richard II reminds us that as soon as one king falls, another rises. In their first meeting since Bollingbrook's return, Bollingbrook uses the metaphor of the sun to describe Richard in a new light: "See, see, King Richard himself appears, / As the sun blushes and displeased / From the fiery portal of the East, / When he perceives that the envious clouds are bent / To dim his glory..." (III. iii. 62-66). Unlike the previous prediction ofRichard in scene ii of Act III, in which Bollingbrook would be the one blushing when his "sun" rose due to his treacherous acts, Bollingbrook is defiant and defiant towards Richard, expecting to usurp the throne and "overshadow "Richard's glory. Shortly afterwards, during their meeting, Richard realizes that he is too late and his cousin will soon take the throne, and says to a distracted Bollingbroke: “Down, down I go, like glittering Phaeton” (III. iii. 178). In this single verse, Richard captures the metaphor of the sun always rising and setting like kings, and simultaneously accepts responsibility for his fall by alluding to Phaethon, the sun god, who caused his own death. Quickly this image of the glittering sun is transferred, along with the glory of kingship, to Henry. We first see the language of the sun referring to Henry IV in Act IV, scene i, when Richard complains bitterly to Henry during the deposition, accordingly: "God save King Henry, says Richard no king, / And the send many years of sunny days." !” (IV. i. 220-221). Richard II wishes King Henry a long and glorious reign by sending him “many years of sunny days.” Bollingbrook is no longer depicted as a “cloud,” but because he now essentially holds the throne, he is compared to the sun. From the beginning of Henry IV, the metaphor of the sun is apparently used to describe Prince Harry in his transformation and ascension to the throne. In Henry IV, both Harry and King Henry use the ubiquitous image of the sun blocked by clouds to describe themselves. Harry uses the metaphor of the sun quite explicitly in his first soliloquy to indicate his anticipated rise to power and the glorious and dramatic transformation that he himself orchestrates by frequenting taverns with a group of lowly thieves: Yet here I will imitate the sun, Who permits that the low contagious clouds should smother his beauty from the world, so that when he likes to be himself again, being desired, he may be more amazed by breaking the foul and horrible mists of vapors which seemed to strangle him? (I.ii.173–) In this monologue Hal only reveals to the audience that he is using these lower class people and deceiving them for his own benefit, creating great dramatic irony and anticipation. Harry compares himself to the sun blocked by clouds (these men who go to the tavern), but despite this he can "break through" these lower class "friends" of his and rise to power when necessary. It is interesting to note the difference in Harry's use of the sun metaphor: Harry, unlike Richard II, believes that as a metaphorical sun, he has control over the actions of the sun and clouds. Rather than the clouds undesirably blocking his light, Harry says he intentionally lets those clouds do so when he says he "allows the low contagious clouds / To choke his beauty from the world" (Act I. ii. 75). Just as the sun allows itself to be covered by clouds so that people who miss its light will be even happier when it reappears, Harry too plans to emerge from the clouds of his lower-class friends sooner or later. Although King Henry believes himself to be an immature reveler, wasting his time in taverns, Harry sees great opportunity in spending his time with the people of the lower classes. Henry is simply biding his time to right all the wrongs of his father's reign with a well-timed return to glory, which happens as expected when he defeats Hotspur in battle. Richard II's usurpation of the throne left little room for his father's success, so Hal realizes that he must create a way to win the hearts and minds of the English people and create peace under one ruler. After demonstrating.