For this assignment, I decided to choose one of the papers that I wrote for ERH 321 Shakespeare: Power and Politics. For this assignment, I had to write a paper on monarchy, democracy and rebellion and how the views on those subjects influenced Shakespeare’s plays at the time. I believe that this is a good assignment for the second learning outcome for English majors because I had to write this paper on how the cultural believes on Rebellion, Democracy and Monarchy influenced Shakespeare. This assignment also fits well under the use appropriate disciplinary terminology and method of criticism to analyze texts learning outcome.

ERH 321WX

Short Assignment 1

John Stann

Help Received: Works cited, Grammar check, Spell Check.

Part 1:

The short treatise of political power by John Ponet shows what some educated people in England believed should happen if a king or monarch was being unjust to their people and their perspective on rebellion and civic order. Ponet believes that that God has the most absolute power and should even hold the monarch accountable and that a government should be established for the people. (Hodgdon,180). He also argues for checks on the government so that it does not turn into a tyranny. (Hodgdon, 180). He believes that a person does not owe the duty to their obedience to the monarch themselves but instead, they owe it to the state. (Hodgdon,180). Ponet also declares that citizens should obey their monarch if it is beneficial to the kingdom and to God. (Hodgdon,181). Despite this believe of a monarch for the people, Ponet believes that if a monarch is unjust, the individual person should rebel and if his cause was just God would then intervene on his side and help him. (Hodgdon,181-182).

Part 2 (34-39)

Act 1 scene 3 of Henry IV, Part 1 is a good example of demonstrating what the people believed of rebellion. The Percy’s are discussing rebellion because King Henry IV was not recognizing them as much as they had hoped since they helped him win the crown. The Percy’s believe that King Henry is a usurper and a tyrant and are angry at having to give up their prisoners. “By God, he shall not have a Scot of them, No, if a Scot would save his soul, he shall not! I’ll keep them, by his hand (I.III.213-216).” Discussion turns from the prisoners to the legitimacy of Henry IV and how Mortimer should actually be king. This scene backs Ponet’s belief of rebellion because Henry Percy says in one of his speeches in this long scene that

“Wherein you range under this subtle king! Shall it for shame be spoken in these days, or fill up chronicles in time to come, that men of your nobility and power did gage them both in unjust behalf. (as both of you- God pardon it!- have done) To put down Richard To put down Richard, that sweet lovely rose, and plant this thorn, this canker, Bullingbrook?” (I.III.169-177)

This excerpt shows that they believed originally that they originally thought that Richard II was a poor king and they tried to replace him with a better king, who also turned into a tyrannical king. Henry Percy later on tries to encourage the other Percy’s to “restore yourselves into the good thoughts of the world again” by rebelling against King Henry whom they believe to be a tyrant. Ponet argues that rebellion against a monarch is just if that monarch is not helping their citizens. King Henry is not directly being a tyrant to the people of England but the Percy’s believe that he is being unjust to them for not giving them more power after putting him on the throne.

Bibliography

Hodgdon, Barbara. The First Part of King Henry IV, Texts and Contexts, William Shakespeare Hodgdon, Bedford/st. Martin’s, 1997.

Shakespeare, William. The First Part of King Henry IV, Texts and Contexts. Edited by Barbara Hodgdon, Bedford/st. Martin’s, 1997.