Conglomeration <--- Love That Word
I'm thankful for:
The tang of fresh air untainted by petrol
The soft press of the grass under my bare feet
The musty odour of milch and bracken
Beautiful adjectives.
The English language and its amazing intricacies
3 surveys on Guernsey - one for Disabled and two for Carers; my target is three and it's going to be REALLY tough from today.
2 surveys on a new project I've been briefed on that I have to get ten a day for.
God's returning of a kindness He once did through me today. A woman tapped my shoulder and handed me a packet of tissues, telling me to keep them all. She was so kind.
I've always liked Richard III. I feel like he was possibly one of the most ill-treated kings by history ever - his popularity certainly suffering a stunning blow, not only from his death on the field of Bosworth to the immediate crowning of his enemy Henry VII, but also through the mysterious loss of two Crown Princes in the Tower of London - and the wonderful life-changing (and perception changing) play RICHARD III as immortalised by William Shakespeare.
From a lover of art, as a play, RICHARD III is brilliant. From my fandom and stubborn loyalty view, it isn't.
However, one scene came to me while walking home today. I've copied it below for you.
Basically, it is the night before the Battle of Bosworth, while King Richard lies in his tent on one side of the field, and Harry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, does the same on the other.
"Enter the Ghost of Prince Edward, son to King Henry VI
Ghost
of Prince Edward
[To KING RICHARD III]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow!
Think, how thou stab'dst me in my prime of youth
At Tewksbury: despair, therefore, and die!
To RICHMOND
Be cheerful, Richmond; for the wronged souls
Of butcher'd princes fight in thy behalf
King Henry's issue, Richmond, comforts thee.
Enter the Ghost of King Henry VI
Ghost
of King Henry VI
[To KING RICHARD III]
When I was mortal, my anointed body
By thee was punched full of deadly holes
Think on the Tower and me: despair, and die!
Harry the Sixth bids thee despair, and die!
To RICHMOND
Virtuous and holy, be thou conqueror!
Harry, that prophesied thou shouldst be king,
Doth comfort thee in thy sleep: live, and flourish!
Enter the Ghost of CLARENCE
Ghost of CLARENCE
[To KING RICHARD III]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow!
I, that was wash'd to death with fulsome wine,
Poor Clarence, by thy guile betrayed to death!
To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeless sword: despair, and die!--
To RICHMOND
Thou offspring of the house of Lancaster
The wronged heirs of York do pray for thee
Good angels guard thy battle! live, and flourish!
Enter the Ghosts of RIVERS, GRAY, and VAUGHAN
Ghost of RIVERS
[To KING RICHARD III]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow,
Rivers. that died at Pomfret! despair, and die!
Ghost of GREY
[To KING RICHARD III]
Think upon Grey, and let thy soul despair!
Ghost of VAUGHAN
[To KING RICHARD III]
Think upon Vaughan, and, with guilty fear,
Let fall thy lance: despair, and die!
All
[To RICHMOND]
Awake, and think our wrongs in Richard's bosom
Will conquer him! awake, and win the day!
Enter the Ghost of HASTINGS
Ghost of HASTINGS
[To KING RICHARD III]
Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake,
And in a bloody battle end thy days!
Think on Lord Hastings: despair, and die!
To RICHMOND
Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake!
Arm, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake!
Enter the Ghosts of the two young Princes
Ghosts
of young Princes
[To KING RICHARD III]
Dream on thy cousins smother'd in the Tower:
Let us be led within thy bosom, Richard,
And weigh thee down to ruin, shame, and death!
Thy nephews' souls bid thee despair and die!
To RICHMOND
Sleep, Richmond, sleep in peace, and wake in joy;
Good angels guard thee from the boar's annoy!
Live, and beget a happy race of kings!
Edward's unhappy sons do bid thee flourish.
Enter the Ghost of LADY ANNE
Ghost of LADY ANNE
[To KING RICHARD III]
Richard, thy wife, that wretched Anne thy wife,
That never slept a quiet hour with thee,
Now fills thy sleep with perturbations
To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeless sword: despair, and die!
To RICHMOND
Thou quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet sleep
Dream of success and happy victory!
Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee.
Enter the Ghost of BUCKINGHAM
Ghost
of BUCKINGHAM
[To KING RICHARD III]
The last was I that helped thee to the crown;
The last was I that felt thy tyranny:
O, in the battle think on Buckingham,
And die in terror of thy guiltiness!
Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and death:
Fainting, despair; despairing, yield thy breath!
To RICHMOND
I died for hope ere I could lend thee aid:
But cheer thy heart, and be thou not dismay'd:
God and good angel fight on Richmond's side;
And Richard falls in height of all his pride.
The Ghosts vanish
KING RICHARD III starts out of his dream"
End quote.
The ghosts of his past rose up and confronted him that night with all the crimes he had done.
What strikes me about it?
And he got up the next morning and went out to fight.
(Yes, Shakespeare fans, I know I'm challenging the traditional view of WHY he went out to fight. It's just another way of seeing it that struck me.)
When the ghosts of our past and the fears of our present face us, what will we do? Turn tail and run in the hope of saving ourselves?
Or get out there and face the terrors, knowing that if we lose the battle, we have a God Who wins the war?
Your ghosts may tell you to despair and die. Mine are.
If you can't fix your blurry eyes anywhere, if your gaze is dull and glazed, if your soul is pressed into the mud and the blackness, just do one thing for me.
Look up. Whisper, "Help me." And remember, "Jesus loves me."
And live it like you believe He does.
~Siân
The tang of fresh air untainted by petrol
The soft press of the grass under my bare feet
The musty odour of milch and bracken
Beautiful adjectives.
The English language and its amazing intricacies
3 surveys on Guernsey - one for Disabled and two for Carers; my target is three and it's going to be REALLY tough from today.
2 surveys on a new project I've been briefed on that I have to get ten a day for.
God's returning of a kindness He once did through me today. A woman tapped my shoulder and handed me a packet of tissues, telling me to keep them all. She was so kind.
I've always liked Richard III. I feel like he was possibly one of the most ill-treated kings by history ever - his popularity certainly suffering a stunning blow, not only from his death on the field of Bosworth to the immediate crowning of his enemy Henry VII, but also through the mysterious loss of two Crown Princes in the Tower of London - and the wonderful life-changing (and perception changing) play RICHARD III as immortalised by William Shakespeare.
From a lover of art, as a play, RICHARD III is brilliant. From my fandom and stubborn loyalty view, it isn't.
However, one scene came to me while walking home today. I've copied it below for you.
Basically, it is the night before the Battle of Bosworth, while King Richard lies in his tent on one side of the field, and Harry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, does the same on the other.
"Enter the Ghost of Prince Edward, son to King Henry VI
Ghost
of Prince Edward
[To KING RICHARD III]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow!
Think, how thou stab'dst me in my prime of youth
At Tewksbury: despair, therefore, and die!
To RICHMOND
Be cheerful, Richmond; for the wronged souls
Of butcher'd princes fight in thy behalf
King Henry's issue, Richmond, comforts thee.
Enter the Ghost of King Henry VI
Ghost
of King Henry VI
[To KING RICHARD III]
When I was mortal, my anointed body
By thee was punched full of deadly holes
Think on the Tower and me: despair, and die!
Harry the Sixth bids thee despair, and die!
To RICHMOND
Virtuous and holy, be thou conqueror!
Harry, that prophesied thou shouldst be king,
Doth comfort thee in thy sleep: live, and flourish!
Enter the Ghost of CLARENCE
Ghost of CLARENCE
[To KING RICHARD III]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow!
I, that was wash'd to death with fulsome wine,
Poor Clarence, by thy guile betrayed to death!
To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeless sword: despair, and die!--
To RICHMOND
Thou offspring of the house of Lancaster
The wronged heirs of York do pray for thee
Good angels guard thy battle! live, and flourish!
Enter the Ghosts of RIVERS, GRAY, and VAUGHAN
Ghost of RIVERS
[To KING RICHARD III]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow,
Rivers. that died at Pomfret! despair, and die!
Ghost of GREY
[To KING RICHARD III]
Think upon Grey, and let thy soul despair!
Ghost of VAUGHAN
[To KING RICHARD III]
Think upon Vaughan, and, with guilty fear,
Let fall thy lance: despair, and die!
All
[To RICHMOND]
Awake, and think our wrongs in Richard's bosom
Will conquer him! awake, and win the day!
Enter the Ghost of HASTINGS
Ghost of HASTINGS
[To KING RICHARD III]
Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake,
And in a bloody battle end thy days!
Think on Lord Hastings: despair, and die!
To RICHMOND
Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake!
Arm, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake!
Enter the Ghosts of the two young Princes
Ghosts
of young Princes
[To KING RICHARD III]
Dream on thy cousins smother'd in the Tower:
Let us be led within thy bosom, Richard,
And weigh thee down to ruin, shame, and death!
Thy nephews' souls bid thee despair and die!
To RICHMOND
Sleep, Richmond, sleep in peace, and wake in joy;
Good angels guard thee from the boar's annoy!
Live, and beget a happy race of kings!
Edward's unhappy sons do bid thee flourish.
Enter the Ghost of LADY ANNE
Ghost of LADY ANNE
[To KING RICHARD III]
Richard, thy wife, that wretched Anne thy wife,
That never slept a quiet hour with thee,
Now fills thy sleep with perturbations
To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeless sword: despair, and die!
To RICHMOND
Thou quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet sleep
Dream of success and happy victory!
Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee.
Enter the Ghost of BUCKINGHAM
Ghost
of BUCKINGHAM
[To KING RICHARD III]
The last was I that helped thee to the crown;
The last was I that felt thy tyranny:
O, in the battle think on Buckingham,
And die in terror of thy guiltiness!
Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and death:
Fainting, despair; despairing, yield thy breath!
To RICHMOND
I died for hope ere I could lend thee aid:
But cheer thy heart, and be thou not dismay'd:
God and good angel fight on Richmond's side;
And Richard falls in height of all his pride.
The Ghosts vanish
KING RICHARD III starts out of his dream"
End quote.
The ghosts of his past rose up and confronted him that night with all the crimes he had done.
What strikes me about it?
And he got up the next morning and went out to fight.
(Yes, Shakespeare fans, I know I'm challenging the traditional view of WHY he went out to fight. It's just another way of seeing it that struck me.)
When the ghosts of our past and the fears of our present face us, what will we do? Turn tail and run in the hope of saving ourselves?
Or get out there and face the terrors, knowing that if we lose the battle, we have a God Who wins the war?
Your ghosts may tell you to despair and die. Mine are.
If you can't fix your blurry eyes anywhere, if your gaze is dull and glazed, if your soul is pressed into the mud and the blackness, just do one thing for me.
Look up. Whisper, "Help me." And remember, "Jesus loves me."
And live it like you believe He does.
~Siân
Wow, that went in a totally different direction than I expected. But that is a most intriguing view to take on that part about him continuing to fight despite the doubts and fears (putting aside the part of the bad fellow he was, of course. ;) )
ReplyDeleteThe last two paragraphs you wrote were so powerful...Wonderful reminders and encouragements.
Live it like you believe He loves you and helps you too, sis. ;)
'Cause he does. :)
<3 Pip