Happy birthday King Richard II! Richard was born on this day (6th January) in 1367. He already had an elder brother, but the death of little Edward in infancy, along with the death of Richard’s father the Black Prince, meant that Richard became King of England when he was just a child, on the death of his father King Edward III.
Today marks the anniversary of the coronation of King Richard II. He was crowned at the age of 10, on this day in British history, 16 July 1377. Richard would remain king until being deposed by Henry of Bolingbroke in 1399.
In 1392, the fifteenth year of King Richard’s reign, the king kept Christmas in splendid style at Langley near St Albans. With him were Anna [of Bohemia] his queen, four bishops, as many earls, the duke of York [Edmund of Langley], many lords and fifteen ladies.
On Christmas Day itself a dolphin arrived from the sea and sported in the Thames at London, getting as far as London Bridge. Perhaps it was an omen of the storms which were soon to follow within a week. When the citizens saw it, they chased after it, caught it though with difficulty and brought it back to London. Many were astounded on seeing the size of its body, which was quite ten feet long.
Dolphins are sea creatures who will follow men’s voices. They enjoy the playing of pipes, and often arrive in shoals for the music. Their headlong dives as they play in the waves signify the approach of storms. They are the fastest and most agile creatures of the sea. Often in their jumps they leap over the sails of ships. After mating, the females go off and give birth. The gestation period is ten months. Birth takes place on a summer’s day. They feed their newly produced young with their teats and pick them up in their mouths. They take care of their sick. They live for thirty years, as has been proved by the experiment of cutting off their tails. They have their mouths where other animals do, but they alone move their tongues in their bellies, contrary to the nature of sea creatures. The fins on their back are pointed and grow stiff when they get angry. When their passion dies down, the fins retract into certain coverings. Men say that they do not breathe when in the water but take in vital breath only in the air above. The cry, which serves them for a voice, is like a human cry. They have a particular name and, when they hear it, they follow the callers. This proper name for them is Simones. They hear men’s voices more quickly when the wind is in the north, but when the south wind blows, their hearing is blocked.
How many Shakespeare characters canonically had dogs I need to know.
I know Hotspur, and then Theseus had a bunch of hunting dogs that were really fancy hunting dogs and then one of the Mechanicals had a dog too. Maybe. I think it was Starveling (Moonshine) in the play but it could have belonged to any of them.
From there I don’t really remember. I feel like someone had one in Lear?
Beatrice has a dog! “I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.”
This is good
Hotspur and Beatrice bond over rather hearing their dogs bark than people be annoying.
Also historically Richard II had a greyhound named Mathe.
Don’t forget the most famous Shakespeare dog, and the only one who appears onstage – Launce’s dog Crab from Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Benvolio had a dog, Mercutio Claims Benvolio argued with a man who coughed and woke his dog.
No matter where; of comfort no man speak: Let’s talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs; Make dust our paper and with rainy eyes Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth
