"Fathers & Sons: The Legacy of William Shakespeare" - Essay Sample

Introduction

In modus operandi, the family’s name is always held high. Majorly, in royal families, everything concerning children is decided upon by the parents. However, in many circumstances, fathers like their sons to follow the footprints, more so if they have made it in life. No parent wishes the worst to happen to his son. Therefore, a lot of measures are put in place at least to be like the father or surpass him. Through the literature of the paramount writer, William Shakespeare, in different scenes, the father strives to give the best to the son to make sure he is in the course he intends his son to be.

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Family Was to Remain Known

For instance, in William Shakespeare Richard II, Richard is highly persuaded by his uncle John of Gaunt to fix things in England to normality again (Gurr, no pg.). It should be noted that Gaunt was a King, according to him, the name of the country and that of the family was to remain known, untainted by anybody else. Seemingly, Richard was not in the line with his father's doings. This made his father make a speech in his dying bed to convince Richard to change his ways. The message which was reiterated by York, who reasoned together with Gaunt. This shows how individuals are selfish, particularly those in power. It is difficult for a king to give out the leadership to the other family, which they are not related to. If it happens, in many cases, there must be a covenant to return the hand, by giving the lead back to the family. This is evident where Gaunt is dying, but still, he is convincing his son Richard to take up the thrown and ensure things get back straight in London.

In Act 2 scene one, where Richard is going to visit his dying uncle Gaunt, it is evident that Gaunt perceived that he would take advantage of his condition to convince King Richard II, to take his advice (Gurr no pg.). The speech that Gaunt gave remains a famous speech in the plays. In his speech, he was foretelling the death of Richard due to his mistakes. Passionately, Gaunt loves England. According to him, England is the land of kings. It holds victory, as he illustrates with the Roman god of war. Richard is warned that his death is in his land. In the end, Richard denies following what he was told. He decides to choose his ways after which, the prophecies at the end were fulfilled. From the play, it is clear that to an extent, a family has a word to the destiny of their son. Negligence can easily bring in misfortunes like what exactly happened to Richard. However, parents should consider the positions of their children for forcing a child in their desired ways that may result in mishaps, of which many don’t anticipate.

Characters of Rebellion

In another scene of Henry IV, it is vivid that the Father Bolingbroke, King Henry IV, intends his son Henry to take his responsibility during the times of trial (Miller, 442). Henry portrays characters of rebellion. In the scene, King Henry IV is seen to advise Prince Henry in a different tone. This is because the two did not have that close tie as expected. Despite the differences, the king talks in a fatherly way as he addresses his son. He shows care. It should be noted that Prince Henry preferred the company of thieves and drunkards in the court, something that was against the family (Miller, 444).

The father, therefore, took the initiative of warning him against the groups. According to King Henry IV, the groups were below their status thus no need of associating with them. Importantly, it is vital to note that the king acquired leadership wrongly, he took it from his cousin. In the end, the prince agrees to the advice of his father. He is later accorded a chance to lead the troops, a chance that was to make him redeem himself of which he did and defeated Hotspur in war. Unlike Richard who failed to accept what he was told, Henry accepts and changes and later receives victory.

In Hamlet’s plot, the ghost of the king of Denmark advises his son Hamlet to avenge his death by assassinating the new king, who was his uncle (Shakespeare, no pg.). With lots of struggle, through thinking to find out the solution, Hamlet is seen as a murderer of which in the end he also dies. From the three plots, it is vivid that in one place or the other, the father has a place in the life of his son. The play sets are in the royal families. As mentioned earlier, it is difficult for one to give out power. This constitutes to wrangles as each family needs to remain nobble.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the case of Prince Henry, who listens to his father and decides to change makes him victorious. This shows that despite the differences between father and son, it is prudent to listen to the father. However, Richard on the other hand ends to demise as it was prophesied. This shows that despite the goodwill the parent or relative, for instance, the uncle to Richard, it is wise to consider what to say to children. What is said heavily contributes to the destiny of their child.

References

Gurr, Andrew, and Claire McEachern. King Richard II. Cambridge University Press, 2019.

Miller, Gemma. "Henry IV Part 1, or Hotspur; Henry IV Part 2, or Falstaff; and Henry V, or Harry England (directed by Sarah Bedi and Federay Holmes), at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London, 6, 9 and 13 June 2019." Shakespeare 15.4 (2019): 442-449.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet: A Broadview Internet Shakespeare Edition. Broadview Press, 2018.