Monologue

Gardener Monologue from Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Oxford 1911)/Volume 4/The Tragedy of King Richard the Second

From Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Oxford 1911)/Volume 4/The Tragedy of King Richard the Second by Oxford 1911

male · contemplative · 57 sec

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:They are; and Bolingbroke :Hath seiz'd the wasteful King. O! what pity is it :That he had not so trimm'd and dress'd his land :As we this garden! We at time of year :Do wound the bark, the skin of our fruit trees, :Lest, being over-proud in sap and blood, :With too much riches it confound itself: :Had he done so to great and growing men, :They might have liv'd to bear, and he to taste :Their fruits of duty: superfluous branches :We lop away, that bearing boughs may live: :Had he done so, himself had home the crown, :Which waste of idle hours hath quite thrown down.

About this piece

The Gardener reflects on the downfall of King Richard II, lamenting the neglect of the kingdom akin to a poorly tended garden, expressing regret over lost potential and the consequences of inaction.

40s · sadness · power · loss · duty · regret

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