The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV, with Helen Castor

Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare Unlimited

Folger Shakespeare Library

Arts

4.7 • 837 Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2024

⏱️ 45 minutes

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Summary

What happens when a king believes he rules by divine right yet loses the trust of his people through his tyrannical actions? In this episode, acclaimed historian Helen Castor brings us into the world that inspired Shakespeare’s most celebrated history plays. Castor’s latest book, The Eagle and the Heart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV, peels back the layers of history to reveal the human drama behind a deadly royal rivalry. From Richard’s glittering but ill-fated reign to Henry’s reluctant haunted rule, this engaging discussion uncovers the timeless lessons behind the rise and fall of two kings. Packed with historical insight and fresh perspectives, this episode is a must-listen for history buffs, Shakespeare enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the delicate balance between power and duty. Helen Castor is an acclaimed medieval and Tudor historian. Her first book, Blood and Roses: The Paston Family in the Wars of the Roses, was longlisted for what is now known as the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction and won the English Association’s Beatrice White Prize. Her next two books, She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth and Joan of Arc: A History were both on numerous Best Books of the Year lists and made into documentaries for BBC television, and Joan of Arc was longlisted for the PEN America/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography. She has one son and lives in London. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published December 3, 2024. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This episode was produced by Matt Frassica. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. We had help with web production from Paola García Acuña. Leonor Fernandez edits our transcripts. Final mixing services are provided by Clean Cuts at Three Seas, Inc.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From the Folger Shakespeare Library, this is Shakespeare Unlimited and Barbara Bove.
0:07.9	Today on the podcast, the topic is a leader who believes himself infallible, who bestows cushy titles on his favorites,
0:15.2	who serves up retribution based on old grudges, whose trademark move is to accuse those he disagrees with of treason.
0:22.7	And just to clarify, we're talking here about Richard II, the 14th century English king.
0:29.2	Richard II isn't Shakespeare's most well-known history play. It doesn't get performed all that often.
0:35.1	But the events that brought down the real life Richard the
0:37.6	second and brought his cousin Henry IV to the throne tell a fascinating story of the abuse of power.
0:44.4	It's a story that my guest Helen Castor brings vividly to life in her latest book,
0:49.0	The Eagle and the Heart, the tragedy of Richard the 2nd and Henry the 4th.
0:54.7	Castor's previous books include She-Wolves, the tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV. Castor's previous books include Shee Wolves, the women who ruled England before Elizabeth,
1:00.1	and Joan of Arc, a history, both of which became documentaries on the BBC.
1:04.9	And Helen Castor, welcome to Shakespeare Unlimited.
1:07.5	Thank you so much for having me.
1:09.2	Well, Helen, why this story about these two kings now?
1:12.8	It's a story I've been fascinated by for, I was going to say years, but actually decades, going all the way back to my time as a student.
1:20.9	But it's a story that has come more and more to the surface for me in the last few years. If you made this up in fiction,
1:28.9	people would tell you you'd overdone it. Two cousins, almost exactly the same age. They're 10 years
1:36.7	old when Richard II becomes King of England in 1377, and they're 32 when Henry deposes him to take the throne in his place.
1:49.0	It's so neat, and they are such contrasting characters.
1:54.0	The fact that Richard has the right to be king, but none of the qualities that you would look for in a leader,
2:00.4	whereas Henry has all the qualities, but he doesn the qualities that you would look for in the leader, whereas Henry has all the
2:01.6	qualities, but he doesn't have the key thing, which is birthright. So it's been rattling around
	...

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