Ap Exam Essay

Klara Sulce

Mr. Perez

English AP

06 January 2012

         In Shakespeare's historian play,Richard II, the queen listens in on the conversation occurring between two commoners. She attempts to be discrete by hiding in the trees' shadows and comes to learn the current state of the king. It is quite ironic that she does not ask the King, considering she is most likely his wife, but instead she trusts a servant and a gardener, misfortunate individuals. The King's situation is unquestionably dramatized through figurative language in the selected passage.

        Considering the low status of the people she decided to eavesdrop on, she does come to acquire a sufficient amount of information about the present “kingdom situation.” “Go, bind thou up on dangling apricocks, which, like unruly children, make their sire stoop with oppression of their prodigal weight.”This statement is referring to the King's children, which are most likely the Queen's also and how they are “bringing the team down”, the team being the kingdom. Something has to be done in order to restore the kingdom's prosperity. The gardener and the servant discuss the options.

     The servant states, "Give some supportance to the bending twigs, go thou, and like an executioner, cut off the heads of too-fast-growing sprays, that look too lofty in our commonwealth." The line suggests that the children are encouraging each other, but are still unsteady. The king is looking to terminate the control they have as fast as he can, because they are getting too powerful for the kingdom. This also implies that the children might throw off the current balance of power both inside the kingdom and outside it, which could lead to dreadful consequences for all involved, including the damaging of land and hostility of women.

     The figurative language and metaphors make the passage far more dramatic. “You thus employed, I will go root away the noisome weeds which without profit suck the soils fertility from wholesome flowers.” in other words means, “imprison or kill all those who are not equal.” Without Shakespeare's use of figurative language, the Queen's reaction would not have been as irate as it was and the conversation would not have contributed as much as it did.