Journal 20

Okay, I guess I will start with Richard. What is x? Well, he is beaten and dethroned. They make him resign as king, and then send him off to the Tower. He really has nothing else left because the title of King was his identity. What does x do? Well, now that he has been given the boot, I suspect that there will be much lamenting, even more than what we have already seen. There really isn't much left for him to do. And finally what does x mean. Well, he is no longer king. Then there must be something wrong with the system. He was put there by God. As the King, he had nothing to fear because God was supposed to be on his side. But now he isn't the King. So it follows that he messed up too much and God deemed him unworthy for kingship, or God was never on his side. He must be very confused about the divinity of his former position, because the act of being dethroned goes against all that he has ever believed.
As for Harry, I think it is safe to say that x is the new king. He has succeeded in his rebellion, and conquered England. He is now the head of the state. What does x do? Well, as the new king, he starts off with trying to discover the truth about Gloucester's death. He then apprehends many of Richards courtroom men, and brings out the king to publicly read his sins. After Richard throws a fit (and the looking glass...), Harry sends him off to the Tower. What does x mean? Well, having successfully over the kingship, he has also proven that there is significantly less divinity in the position of king. If the Richard was placed there by God, then did Harry defeat Richard and God? Since it might be relatively difficult to overthrow an omnipotent, omniscient, and all powerful being, it might be thought that is not on the side of the King. Harry becoming could be a reason to assume that anyone can now overthrow the king, since it appears that God is not on the king's side.

Defeat

I love that you brought the King's connection to God into this. For all accounts and purposes, the beliefs of the time were that the King was God's anointed. So does Harry defeat God? Or is it a case of God anointing a new king and letting the other go? Either way, it's an interesting dynamic to bring in.

-Renee Ward

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