11th English : The Hollow Crown
Unit 6.2 > The Hollow Crown
Warm Up
a. Work with a partner and take this short quiz to find out how well-informed you are about history.
Name a few wars and battles you have read about.
- The First World war
- The Indo-Pak War
- The Second World war
- The Karkil War
- The Indo-Chinese war
- The Battle of Panipet
- The Vietnam War
- The Battle of Trafalgar
What is the difference between a war and a battle?
Battle
a fight between opposing armies, groups of ships, group of people etc. especially one that is part of a larger war.
War
a period of fighting between two or more countries or between opposing groups within a country.
Why do rulers wage wars and battles?
- To prove military supremacy.
- To plunder the wealth of other nations.
- To establish or control trade and commerce.
- To prove establish supremacy.
Is the outcome of a war always fair?
Everything is fair in love and war. So in war the soldiers would not follow any human rules. So it is not always fair. It destroys and disorients the lives of innocent people. It makes them rootless and plunges them into abysmal poverty.
Do you think rulers understand the true meaning of life – in defeat or in victory?
Usually success does not end in itself. The victim would try to wage a war against the victor and the victor would try to wage war against others. History proves this. The rulers do not understand the meaning of life. They want only victory even if the war destroys people. Of course Emperor Ashoka learnt the true meaning of life in victory by observing how destructive the war had been.
Can you name a few kings and leaders who have fallen from glory to disgrace?
- Mark Antony
- Napoleon
- Julius Caesar
- Hitler
- Nero
- Mussolini
- Charles II
GLOSSARY
- epitaph – short pieces of writing inscribed on tombstones in memory of the dead
- executors – persons who put someone’s terms of will into effect
- bequeath – pass on something to the next generation by means of a will
- deposed – removed from office or power
- slain – killed
- antic – someone who draws attention through silly or funny acts (here a court jester)
- scoffing – expressing mockery
- grinning – smiling wildly
- monarchize – rule , carry out the duties and functions of a ruler
- impregnable – impossible to pass through
- ceremonious – being very formal
A. Fill in the blanks using the words given in the box to complete the summary of the poem.
King Richard second surrendered to his (a) rebellious cousin, Bolingbroke. He experienced deep distress at the horror of his circumstances. In that desperate situation he spoke of (b) graves, (c) worms, (d) epitaphs and other things connected with death. He spoke of how people leave nothing behind and can call nothing their own, except for the small patch of (e) barren-earth, where they will be buried. King Richard yielded to dejection and talked of all the different ways in which defeated kings suffer how some had been deposed, (f) slain in war, (g) poisoned by their wives and so forth. He attributed this loss of lives to (h) death who he personified as the jester who watches over the shoulder of every ruler, who mocks kings by allowing them to think their human flesh was like (i) impregnable brass. However, Death penetrates through the castle walls, silently and unnoticed like a sharp (j) pin thus bidding (k) farewell to him and all his pride forever. Finally, Richard appealed to his soldiers not to mock his mere flesh and blood by showing (l) reverence and respect to him. He added that he too needed bread to lice, felt want, tasted (m) grief and needed (n) friends, He concluded thus, urging his men not to call a (o) king as he was only human, just like the rest of them.
| barren-earth | friends | graves | slain | rebellious |
| poisoned | worms | grief | impregnable | epitaphs |
| death | farewell | reverence | king | pin |
B.
a. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words from the box and complete the statements suitably.
| bequeath | antics | monarchise | impregnable | hollow |
1. Shravan never keeps his promises. His friends know that his words are hollow.
2. The spectators died laughing at the antics of the clown.
3. The business woman wished to bequeath all her riches to an orphanage after her death
4. The fortress was impregnable and could not be conquered by the enemies.
5. Alexander the great, wished to conquer many lands and monarchise the entire world.
b. Complete the passage given below with suitable words from the box.
Lima was a (a) vain and (b) conceited woman, kept (c) scoffing at her colleagues and went
on taxing them with hard labour. Though they were (d) ceremonious to her, she being their head,
they were offended and filled with (e) sorrow. It so happened, that Lima was (f) deposed from her
high position due to a serious blunder she had committed. Lima, having lost all her (g) reverence
and glory, realised how arrogant she had been. She gave up her pride and with (h) pomp sought an
apology from everyone. She thus turned over a new leaf and bid (i) farewell to them.
| farewell | ceremonious | deposed | reverence | vain |
| pomp | conceited | sorrow | scoffing | |
C. From your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions briefly in a sentence or two.
1. What do the three words, ‘graves’ worms and epitaphs’, refer to?
The words, ‘Graves, worms and epitaphs’ refer to death.
2. What does the executor mentioned in the poem do?
The executor will execute the will.
3. Who is Bolingbroke? Is he a friend or foe?
Bolingbroke is a cousin of Richard II. He is a foe to Richard II.
4. Are all the deposed kings slain by the deposer?
Yes, all the deposed kings are slain by the deposer.
5. What does the crown of rulers stand for?
The crown of rulers stands for the power of the king.
6. What hides within the crown and laughs the king’s grandeur?
The hollow hides within the crown and laughs at the king’s grandeur.
7. What does ‘flesh’ mean here?
‘Flesh’ means body here.
8. What are the various functions and objects given up a defeated king?
The defeated king should not expect any reverence from his followers. He throws away respect, tradition, form and his ceremonious duty.
9. How does the king establish that he and his subjects are equal in the end?
The king lives with bread, feels lack of something, tastes grief and needs friends as all other subjects. So he is equal to his subjects.
10. Bring out King Richard’s feelings when he was defeated.
King Richard suffered from dejection and fear of death. He understood that the victorious king would come and get his life. He was in no way different from his subjects.
D. Explain the following lines with reference to the context in about 5 to 8 lines.
i. “Our lands, our lives, and all, are Bolingbroke’s,
And nothing can we call our own but death.”
Reference:
These lines are taken from the poem ‘The Hollow Crown’ which is an excerpt from Shakespeare’s Richard II.
Explanation:
His cousin Bolingbroke attacked him and he knew that he would be defeated. He was with his loyal followers. At the time of utter dejection he uttered these words. He says now nothing belongs to him. Whatever he has will be taken over by Bolingbroke after his victory. Their land and their life now belong to Bolingbroke. They are left with only one thing ie. their death.
ii. “All murdered – for within the hollow crown
That rounds the moral temples of a king
Keeps Death his court, ….”
Reference:
These lines are taken from the poem ‘The Hollow Crown’ which is an excerpt from Shakespeare’s Richard II.
Explanation:
His cousin Bolingbroke attacked him and he knew that he would be defeated. He was with his loyal followers. At the time of utter dejection he uttered these words. All the kings were killed – some were poisoned by their wives, some were slain in war, some were killed while sleeping. The king’s crown is hollow in the middle which means the power of the king is not solid and strong. Death is like a jester who grants the king temporary licence to rule.
iii. “Comes at the last, and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall and farewell king!”
Reference:
These lines are taken from the poem ‘The Hollow Crown’ which is an excerpt from Shakespeare’s Richard II.
Explanation:
His cousin Bolingbroke attacked him and he knew that he would be defeated. He was with his loyal followers. At the time of utter dejection he uttered these words. People may think that King’s body cannot be penetrated. But at last death comes like a pin and enters the body to kill him. So we have to bid farewell to the king.
iv. “How can you say to me, I am a king?”
Reference:
These lines are taken from the poem ‘The Hollow Crown’ which is an excerpt from Shakespeare’s Richard II.
Explanation:
His cousin Bolingbroke attacked him and he knew that he would be defeated. He was with his loyal followers. At the time of utter dejection he uttered these words. Kings are no way better than the subjects. The king lives with bread, feels lack of something, tastes in grief and needs friends as all other subjects. So he is equal to his subjects. He is asking his followers at the end of the passage how they could call him a king.
SPEAKING ACTIVITY
Working with your partner, discuss the following adages and share your views with the class. You may need to give your ideas and justify your point of view. Remember to take turns while making your presentation/short speech.
a. War begets war
War is outcome of jealousy, pride and greed. War does not stop by itself. The victor will be confident to start another war and the vanquished will try to take revenge. So at the end of the war another war will be on the way. History makes it clear that the kings who were involved in wars would not be satisfied with one victory. They would try to prove their valour again and again. Those who lost the battle also would try again to get victory. In any case war brings another war at the end of one.
b. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
These are Shakespeare’s words. He likes to emphasis that kings will always live in tension and stress. Their duty is such that they have to take care of their subjects and the growth of the country. He should be careful that the neighbouring king should not attack his kingdom. So all the time he would be vigilant and motivate the soldiers to protect the kingdom. Others may think proud of the king who wears the crown but the one who wears the crown will always feel uneasy.
POETIC DEVICES
| Personification | When human traits are given to non-human or inanimate objects. |
| Interrogation | When a question is asked not for the sake of getting an answer, but to express a point more emphatically |
| Metaphor | When two unlike objects or things having some common qualities are compared. |
| Rhetorical Question | When a question is formed to make a point rather than to elicit an answer. |
| Internal Rhyme | When rhyming words are used within a single line. |
a. Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following lines from the poem.
i. “Let’s talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs,
Make dust our paper, and with rainy eyes
Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth.”
Metaphor.
ii. “And yet not so – for what can we bequeath
Save our deposed bodies to the ground?”
Rhetorical Question.
iii. “Keep Death his court, and there the antic sits, ….”
Personification.
iv. “How can you say to me, I am a king?”
Rhetorical Question.
v. “Scoffing his state and grinning at his prompt, ….”
Alliteration.
vi. “Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!”
Metaphor.
b. Pick out the alliteration from the following lines.
i. “ Our lands, our lives, and all, are Bolingbroke’s
lands – lives
ii. “And tell sad stories of the death of kings.”
sad – stories
iii. “Comes at the last, and with a little pin.”
last – little
G. Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 – 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.
1. What are the causes for King Richard’s grief?
‘The Hollow Crown’ is an excerpt from Richard II written by Shakespeare. King Richard was attacked by his cousin Bolingbroke and King Richard realised that he would not get any help from others. He knew that he would be defeated and that would lead to his death. So he was in great grief and expressed his grief to his loyal followers in this speech. The main cause for his grief is fear of failure and death. So in this desperate situation he speaks of worms, graves and epitaphs. All these are connected to death and dead bodies. He may be a great king with a great palace and lots of land under his control. But now he has to leave everything and he may own a small patch of land where his body will be buried. In his dejection he thinks of the slain kings in the war. Once he thought his life was safe as a king but now he feels that death pricks him like a pin at the end. He realises that he is in no way better than his subjects.
2. How are eternal truths and wisdom brought to the readers here?
‘The Hollow Crown’ is an excerpt from Richard II written by Shakespeare. King Richard was attacked by his cousin Bolingbroke and King Richard realised that he would not get any help from others. He knew that he would be defeated and that would lead to his death. So he was in great grief and expressed his grief to his loyal followers in this speech. Shakespeare in this speech brings about the truth of human life. Wise men will never be proud of vanity. The king’s life may seem to others glamorous and safe. The truth is totally different. ‘Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown’ – this is the line from Shakespeare. This is the ground reality of the lives of kings. The eternal truth is brought out by Richard who was dejected because of the fear of defeat and death. He says that at the end Man owns only a small patch of land where he is buried. Whether he is a king or a poor man, this is the end of all men. The speech expresses the wisdom of the king. The truth is after the death of a person he will be buried and his body will be eaten by worms. He has grave and an epitaph which are the only permanent things by which he may be remembered. Thus eternal truths and wisdom are brought to the readers.
3. Death has been cited in many ways in this monologue. Identify the poetic devices used in those references.
i. “Let’s talk of graves, of worms and epitaphs”
Internal Rhyming.
ii. “Make dust our paper, and with rainy eyes”
Metaphor.
iii. “Save our deposed bodies to the ground?”
Rhetorical Question.
iv. “And that small model of the barren earth
Which serves as paste and cover to our bodies”
Simile.
v. “Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits,”
Personification.
vi. “Comes at the last, and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!”
Metaphor.
vii. “How can you say to me, I am a king?”
Interrogation.
4. Who does the future generation remember easily – the victor or vanquished? Give reason. Also cite relevant references from King Richard’s speech.
Future generation remembers mostly the victor, not the vanquished. The victor always stands high in the minds of people. Moreover the coming generation reads history which talks high of the victor – his courage, his strategy, the proven techniques and his work. Alexander is remembered even today. All those who were lost to him are just mentioned in the history book but people forget their names. In war, the victor gets all that is owned by the vanquished and he could utilise that for the benefit of his people. The vanquished lives only in shame and dishonour. In Richard’s speech he mentions that the king becomes an ordinary person when he loses a battle. He has nothing of his own except his death. Only the place where he will be buried will belong to him. The victor takes all the lands from the vanquished. He says the vanquished can expect only death.
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