All Places That the Eye of Heaven Visits Are to a Wise Man Ports and Happy Havens

-Shakespeare’s Richard II

Richard II has banished his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, from England for six years because of an unresolved dispute. Before Henry (IV) leaves, his father, Gaunt, has some advice for him. Imagine you have banished the king and not he you.

Shakepeare from the Ground contributor, Skip Hulett, comes to us as a retired librarian, father, and part-time actor. When asked why he was drawn to this monologue he replied, “Father must reconcile his fatherly advice for his son’s honor and safety, with the understanding that in counseling his son’s acceptance of an unjust exile, he himself will almost certainly die before his son returns,” Hulett shares, “I’m a parent myself. The scene dramatizes that essential struggle of insisting that a child abandon you in order to live their own life.”

SKIP HULETT AS GAUNT:

THE MONOLOGUE: RICHARD II, ACT I SCENE 3, GAUNT

All places that the eye of heaven visits

Are to a wise man ports and happy havens.

Teach thy necessity to reason thus;

There is no virtue like necessity.

Think not the king did banish thee,

But thou the king. Woe doth the heavier sit,

Where it perceives it is but faintly borne.

Go, say I sent thee forth to purchase honour

And not the king exiled thee; or suppose

Devouring pestilence hangs in our air

And thou art flying to a fresher clime:

Look, what thy soul holds dear, imagine it

To lie that way thou go'st, not whence thou comest:

Suppose the singing birds musicians,

The grass whereon thou tread'st the presence strew'd,

The flowers fair ladies, and thy steps no more

Than a delightful measure or a dance;

For gnarling sorrow hath less power to bite

The man that mocks at it and sets it light.

MORE ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE PROJECT

Our goal for Shakespeare from the Ground’s Monologue Project is to collect a library of Shakespearean monologues to share with our community for virtual entertainment while we are still socially distanced. You don’t need to be a professional actor to participate. If you’re inspired and ready to record, great! If you need help selecting your Shakespeare Monologue or getting it recorded, reach out and we’ll help you get the ball rolling. Are you ready to take to the boards once again…virtually?