The Search for "The Mirror of All Christian Kings"

The Search for "The Mirror of all Christian Kings"

Shakespeare's tetralogy of plays beginning with Richard II and concluding with Henry V presents an interesting look at the role of a king. England's search for "the mirror of all Christian kings" provided the opportunity to explore the many facets of kingship showing the strengths and weaknesses of both the position and the men who filled that position. Through careful examination, Shakespeare develops the "king" as a physical, emotional, and psychological being. By presenting the strengths and weaknesses of these characteristics, Shakespeare presents a unified look at the concept of "kingship" and demonstrates that failure to achieve proper balance in "the king versus the man" struggle, leads to the ongoing bloodshed examined in this tetralogy and the next.

Richard II demonstrates the extreme of the conceit of divine right. He abuses his power and position caring only for the regal image he projects. His desire is for the physical, majestic appearance accompanied by the power and wealth of royalty. Richard desires to "look" the part which he succeeds in doing. In Richard II III.iii, York says of Richard in line 68, "Yet looks he like a king!" Richard does not care if he truly is a king with regard to responsibility for his subjects. He has interpreted divine right to be an agreement from God to him with no obligations to the subjects over whom he has dominion. This is exemplified in his attitude toward his ailing uncle, John of Gaunt, when he says to his friends, "Come, gentlemen, let's all go visit him. Pray God we may make haste and come too late (RII I.iv.63-64)." Richard's only interest is in the estates Gaunt's death will vacate leaving open for the crown.

While Richard II is not concerned with the moral and political aspects of kingship, his actions and attitudes are contrasted by those of his cousin, Henry Bullingbrook, who at least on outward levels shows the concern and compassion for the English common man that Richard lacked. In Richard II I.iv, Richard describes how he and his friends have

Observ'd his [Bullingbrook's] courtship to the common people, How he did seem to dive into their hearts With humble and familiar courtesy, What reverence he did throw away on slaves, Wooing poor craftsmen with their craft of smiles And patient underbearing of his fortune, As 'twere to banish their affects with him. (24-30)

In taking his position for granted, Richard opens the English throne to Bullingbrook's usurpation and thus precipitates all the unrest that troubles England for another century. With the breaking of the glass in the mirror scene (RII IV.i), we see the symbolic destruction caused by Richard's failure to be "the mirror of all Christian kings." He has reflected a mere illusion without substance. If Richard had successfully filled his role as the "mirror of all Christian kings," Bullingbrook's usurpation would never have been a reality. This movement towards Richard's deposition through his failing as a king is begun in Richard II I.ii in the discussion between Gaunt and the Duchess of Gloucester. It continues in Richard II II.ii.104-108 where Gaunt and York discuss the king and Gaunt eventually says to Richard "O had thy grandsire with a prophet's eye Seen how his son's son should destroy his sons, From forth thy reach he would have laid thy shame Deposing thee before thou wert possess'd." A few lines later he tells Richard "Landlord of England art thou now, not king." (RII II.ii.113) The gardener's discussion of pruning and weeding (RII III.iv) again reinforces the inevitable need for Richard's deposition. This action will plunge England into a century of bloodshed that can ultimately be traced to Richard's failure as king.

As contrasted with Richard in the early scenes of Richard II, Henry Bullingbrook exhibits the qualities of concern and compassion for the English subjects that make up the moral and political aspects of kingship. However, in the act of usurpation and the murder of Richard, Henry IV's claim to kingship becomes tainted. England is plunged into civil war due to the political unrest and Henry IV's own failure to measure up as "the mirror of all Christian kings." In Henry IV's treatment of political adversaries he is uneven. He has Richard's friends immediately executed. Initially he spares Richard, but he ultimately allows a situation that makes Richard's murder possible and eventually a reality. He spares Aumerle who has plotted Henry's own murder. Henry is elated when his son John's destruction of his final stronghold of enemies is reported (2HIV IV.iv) even though this destruction was accomplished by a foul trick. To Hotspur's failure to deliver prisoners to the king, Henry IV displays his temper when he says, "Let me not hear you speak of Mortimer, Send me your prisoners with the speediest means, Or you shall hear in such a kind from me As will displease you (1HIV I.iii.119-122)." In allowing others to wear his "colors" in battle (1HIV V.iii and V.iv) his physical image as a king is marred. His emphasis upon physical strength begins to overshadow the compassion he had earlier exhibited. In some ways Henry IV's envy and praise of Hotspur over Hal help lead to Hotspur's rebellion by further inflating Hotspur's self opinion. Ultimately Henry IV also fails to measure up as "the mirror of all Christian kings" and his failure makes the shedding of blood an awful reality.

Contrasted with both of these extremes, Shakespeare shows us Henry V whom he describes as "the mirror of all Christian kings" in Henry V II.p.6. Shakespeare carefully dissects Henry V's character in an attempt to understand the making of a Christian king. This study begins with Henry IV's description of Hal as his "unthrifty son" (RII V.iii.1). It continues in 1 Henry IV where Hal's escapades with Falstaff seem to tarnish Hal's claim to royalty. However, in his soliloquy at the end of 1 Henry IV I.ii, Hal gives a glimpse of a bigger picture. He recognizes that to be king he needs to know all his subjects and he further recognizes the only way to truly understand the ways and thoughts of others is to walk in their shoes. He desires to become "the mirror of all Christian kings" and will take any steps and make whatever sacrifices are necessary to achieve this end. When he joins his father in battle against the Percies, Hal shows his up till now hidden strength and valor as he confronts Hotspur and eventually slays the enemy that till this time had been held as an image of what Hal had not been. In Hotspur's destruction the image of strength and valor become a reality in Prince Hal.

In 2 Henry IV Hal continues his journey to achieve his goal of being "the mirror of all Christian kings." Having made the first step in battle the time has come to begin distancing himself from the questionable activities that have served their purpose and could hinder his road to leadership if continued. Any doubts existing about Hal's attitude to kingship are laid aside in 2 Henry IV IV.v.21-45 where he ponders the weight of the crown. For Hal this weight goes beyond the physical weight of the crown itself to include the heaviness of all the cares and concerns of a kingdom. For Prince Hal these are now his own cares and concerns that he takes on with his subjects. This attitude toward the position of kingship is further shown in 2 Henry IV V.ii.129-133. "The tide of blood in me Hath proudly flow'd in vanity till now; Now doth it turn and ebb back to the sea, Where it shall mingle with the state of floods, And flow henceforth in formal majesty." Thus Hal, now as Henry V, rejects Falstaff in 2 Henry IV V.v.47-51. Although harsh, this action is necessary if Hal is to be the king he seeks to be. To be a true king he cannot allow himself to be used by others or for any to think he can be so manipulated in contrast with his uncle, Richard II. As Henry V he must establish an independent position from which he can see what must be done and act accordingly. In Henry V, he is shown to be able to lead and act in accord with the needs of England. This ultimately is what makes Henry V "the mirror of all Christian kings." His individual outlook has ceased to be. As Mistress Quickly states, "The King has kill'd his heart (HV II.i.88)." Still his sense of humor has remained intact as shown by the joke he plays on Williams (HV IV.viii).

Henry IV's dying advice to his son was "Be it thy course to busy giddy minds With foreign quarrels (2HIV IV.v.213-214)." This advice is designed to unify England once more in a common cause and distract the thoughts from the person wearing the crown and the way his father gained that crown to pass on to his son. But for Henry V the impending bloodshed becomes a great weight of care. Henry V can say of the execution of Bardolph for robbing a church, "We would have all such offenders so cut off (HV III.vi.107-108)" because the good of England demands that action. To successfully conquer the French, Henry V must not overly offend them. He threatens the people of Harfleur (HV III.iii) with unthinkable violence because he hopes for what he achieves--surrender without bloodshed. In Henry V IV.i, the king's concern for his people is shown as he seeks to get in touch with the honest feelings of his soldiers. He is only able to do so because of his youthful escapades where he learned to be common and thus win their confidence to speak openly with a stranger. He seeks to encourage them and he explores the doubts that he can have only in disguise where no one can identify them with the king. Henry V has the compassion that makes him rejoice not that he is victorioius but that so few of his soldiers had to pay for that victory with their lives. (HV IV.viii). Ultimately his wooing of Catherine in Henry V V.ii is for the good of all though there is hope for their individual happiness as well.

Ultimately, Shakespeare reveals that the cause of bloodshed for the English nation rose not from the single act of Henry Bullingbrook usurping the crown from Richard II but rather that the cause was to be found in examining the character of these men. Richard II was as responsible for the usurpation as Henry Bullingbrook because his failures opened the people to a discontent which sought a change and therefore welcomed Henry IV. Again, however, by showing that Henry IV also failed to measure up to the character of a Christian king, Shakespeare showed that the wrong of usurpation and murder could only stand as equally wrong beside the deposed king's selfishness, greed, and murder. In Henry V, we discover the necessary studied qualities to be king. However, even in his role as "the mirror of all Christian kings," Henry V is unable to avoid the bloodshed that has begun with the reigns of his two predecessors because of the political expediency which is one of a king's first concerns. He does manage to shift the site of the bloodshed from the home front and successfully limit the number of those paying with their lives, but even "the mirror of a Christian king" cannot overcome the taint of his ancestry that results in the loss of his subjects' lives.