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Article: Lord Chief Justice v. Lord of Misrule.(Law and Literature)
- Article from:
- LawNow
- Article date:
- January 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Legal Resource Centre of Alberta Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Henry IV, Pt II is a lesser known work of Shakespeare. It contains two major plots. The political plot narrates how King Henry IV is bedeviled by rebels in his kingdom, who claim that he has improperly attained the Crown. The state of England is portrayed as given over to anarchy and corruption. Henry must put down the fierce revolts by Lord Bardolph and his allies who had at one time supported Henry's campaign to unseat Richard II. There is a crisis in authority brought about by Bolingbroke's murder of Richard, a crisis that threatens the stability and indeed the very existence of England. The situation is captured in the words of Northumberland:
"The times are ...