Post by whitewolfstark on Apr 7, 2016 6:42:41 GMT
While the actual Richard II wasn't anything really like Joffrey, the show's employment of the White Stag or as it would be known in England: The White Hart, is the show making a purposeful nod to Richard II IMO. I've already covered how the London portion of the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 has similarities to the Riot in King's Landing of 299, further comparisons can be attributed to the fact that:
Richard II inherited the throne at a fairly young age (10), and his uncles fought over who got to be regent over him--with eventually John of Gaunt (the Duke of Lancaster) winning out in the end.
There are more parallels concerning Cersei and Joan of Kent (Richard II's mother)--ties to a radical religious reform movement that she came to know the downside of, called the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, held lands in her own right (as a Countess) when all the rest of her brothers had died, was pressured into marriage with the Black Prince and didn't like it (if one can say being raped and beaten/hit before the marriage as "not liking it"):
Returning to the show's nod to Richard II by making the Baratheon stag a White Hart, though becomes interesting when you look at how Richard II has been remembered by history.
Richard II has been memorialized in English history as being a tyrant, with his adult reign being labeled "The Tyranny". As he is remembered by the old history books it is as a King who surrounded himself with corrupt flatterers, had an odd affected mannerism (which to quote a director from the 2012 BBC TV production of the Shakespeare play about Richard had to say, would be comparable to Michael Jackson), brought peace with France during the Hundred Years War, was very pious (to the point where one could say he encouraged worship of himself as God's anointed beyond what a normal King would do--this is actually visible when you look at the prayer cabinet he brought along with him to pray to which depicts all the angels wearing his personal sigil, John the Baptist and other saints sponsoring him as "worthy" and the Virgin and Baby Jesus giving their benediction and approval to a Richard on bended knee), insisted on having people bow to him whenever he even looked at them and call him the new title of "his Excellency", and then the straw that breaks the camel's back is when Richard II disinherited his cousin Henry Bolingbrooke (son and heir of John of Gaunt) and seized all of Gaunt's property in order to fund his war effort in Ireland.
Richard, while I think the comparison to a Michael Jackson-like personality is probably closest to the truth, was the first king to make a Woman a Duchess in her own right as the start of a noble house. He surrounded himself with musicians, poets (Geoffrey Chaucer), and "Knights of Venus" as the conservative chroniclers were apt to call them. Richard also faced a rebellion over his chosen councilors which he eventually overthrew to put the Lords in their place.
So, that the man was a bit of interesting if slightly "mad" figure, one cannot deny. So it's interesting to see the show make a call to Joffrey, as though Joffrey is a corrupted and primordial stew version of Richard II, that gets slain before his "tyranny" can begin properly.
I leave you with Richard II's personal badge, the White Hart:
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Richard II inherited the throne at a fairly young age (10), and his uncles fought over who got to be regent over him--with eventually John of Gaunt (the Duke of Lancaster) winning out in the end.
There are more parallels concerning Cersei and Joan of Kent (Richard II's mother)--ties to a radical religious reform movement that she came to know the downside of, called the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, held lands in her own right (as a Countess) when all the rest of her brothers had died, was pressured into marriage with the Black Prince and didn't like it (if one can say being raped and beaten/hit before the marriage as "not liking it"):
Evidence of the affection of Edward, the Black Prince (who was her first cousin once removed) for Joan may be found in the record of his presenting her with a silver cup, part of the booty from one of his early military campaigns. She initially rebuffed his advances, but Edward visited Salisbury Castle, where he raped the countess, "stopping her mouth with such force that she could only cry two or three cries... and left her lying in a swoon bleeding from the nose and mouth and other parts".
Returning to the show's nod to Richard II by making the Baratheon stag a White Hart, though becomes interesting when you look at how Richard II has been remembered by history.
Richard II has been memorialized in English history as being a tyrant, with his adult reign being labeled "The Tyranny". As he is remembered by the old history books it is as a King who surrounded himself with corrupt flatterers, had an odd affected mannerism (which to quote a director from the 2012 BBC TV production of the Shakespeare play about Richard had to say, would be comparable to Michael Jackson), brought peace with France during the Hundred Years War, was very pious (to the point where one could say he encouraged worship of himself as God's anointed beyond what a normal King would do--this is actually visible when you look at the prayer cabinet he brought along with him to pray to which depicts all the angels wearing his personal sigil, John the Baptist and other saints sponsoring him as "worthy" and the Virgin and Baby Jesus giving their benediction and approval to a Richard on bended knee), insisted on having people bow to him whenever he even looked at them and call him the new title of "his Excellency", and then the straw that breaks the camel's back is when Richard II disinherited his cousin Henry Bolingbrooke (son and heir of John of Gaunt) and seized all of Gaunt's property in order to fund his war effort in Ireland.
Richard, while I think the comparison to a Michael Jackson-like personality is probably closest to the truth, was the first king to make a Woman a Duchess in her own right as the start of a noble house. He surrounded himself with musicians, poets (Geoffrey Chaucer), and "Knights of Venus" as the conservative chroniclers were apt to call them. Richard also faced a rebellion over his chosen councilors which he eventually overthrew to put the Lords in their place.
So, that the man was a bit of interesting if slightly "mad" figure, one cannot deny. So it's interesting to see the show make a call to Joffrey, as though Joffrey is a corrupted and primordial stew version of Richard II, that gets slain before his "tyranny" can begin properly.
I leave you with Richard II's personal badge, the White Hart: