以拉康镜像理论解读《理查二世》罢黜戏的心理过程+拉片

Analysis of the deposing scene in The Hollow Crown:

Richard II from the perspective of Lacan’s Mirror Stage theory and film form

Coleridge once said that of all the characters in Shakespeare, Richard II is second only to Hamlet in interest. Indeed, among all Shakespeare’s history plays, Richard II is most notable for its skillful and in-depth psychological analysis. It told the story of the incompetent king, Richard II being deposed by Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV) and undergoing an identity crisis once he was no longer a king. This process also became the eye-catcher and the praise-winner in the film adaptation in 2012---The Hollow Crown, the first episode of a Tv-film series BBC made to publicize the coming Olympics Games in London.

In the following essay, focusing on one particular scene, that is, the scene of Richard II’s resignation of the state and the crown to Bolingbroke (1h33-48min), I will first analyze Richard’s formation of self-identity based on Lacan’s Mirror Stage theory, and then in terms of camera movement and film composition, find out how the director brought out this complexity in characters’ moods and influenced audience’s judgement unknowingly. Since this is an essay on The Hollow Crown film instead of the literature work, more emphasis would be put on the filmmaking techniques instead of lines.

1, Who is Richard: King, Christ, or Shadow?

According to Lacan, the Mirror Stage Theory can be divided into three stages: the pre-mirror stage, including the components of Need in the Real Order; the mirror stage, involving the components of Desire in the Imaginary Order, and the post-mirror stage, covering the components of Demand in the Symbolic Order. In this particular “deposing” scene, Richard has already passed through the pre-mirror stage and is in the transformation from the mirror stage to the post-mirror stage, namely, since he is still madly obsessed with his kinghood, the deposition fills him with feelings of extreme narcissism, rage and painful disillusionment.

Richard II, the youngest son of Edward the Black Prince, was crowned at the mere age of 10. One who, beginning from his cradle, saw, heard and was expected nothing from him but the image of a king, naturally accepted and associated this expectation with himself. The prevalent belief of “divine right” only reassured Richard’s mind, to the extent that throughout and even after the deposition, he still repeatedly addressed himself as “the un-king”, “old king”, calling the throne “Richard’s seat”. Therefore, it is safe to say that in Richard’ mirror stage, “king” was recognized as his ideal ego.

However, as the demand of resigning the crown to Bolingbroke was spoke, Richard was forced out of the mirror stage. Filled with the fear of losing his identity, he began to demonstrate simultaneously two typical characteristics of ego described by Lacan: narcissism and aggression. Richard first compared himself to Jesus, engulfed in a fever of self-pity, crying; then he threw malicious glances at the lords sitting on the bench, accusing them to be all Judas, and blatantly teased and even cursed Bolingbroke, laughing provokingly.

Though most unwillingly, Richard eventually came to the post-mirror stage. He asked for an actual mirror, the best metaphor for a narcissus king, and then had it shattered, after Bolingbroke, who was tired of this drama, hit the nail on the head: “the shadow of your sorrow destroyed the shadow of your face.” Richard grasped it, finally giving in to the reality of a new king arising, and seemed contented with the verdict that he was going to be imprisoned in the Tower for the rest of his life. After being deposed, though losing the throne, Richard earned the freedom to become a “man”. He also gained the wisdom of an outsider, as he foretold the turmoil that was going to befall to England due to this deposition, namely, Wars of the Roses.

2，Why We Feel Sorry: Power of film adaptation

Knowing how grossly incompetent, weak and self-absorbed was Richard II as a king, and the fact that he dug up his own grave, audiences still cannot help but feel sorry for him when he was deposed. Apart from the brilliant script by Shakespeare, the carefully-designed composition of the film and the cinematography of The Hollow Crown are also crucial in evoking our sympathy.

Before Richard entered the Westminster Hall to his fate, the director self-creates a scene of him riding on a white horse in a white linen robe in an extreme long shot. In this way, Richard looks remarkably small and vulnerable, and the white adds a touch of holiness, making him look like a martyr instead of a tyrant.

At Richard’ entering, there is one significant camera movement that produces profound meaning: It begins with shooting Richard’s front straight-on, but as he walks closer and closer to the audiences, the camera slowly raises over his head, hovering above him for a moment, and then tilts down, putting audiences at Richard’s back without suspicion. With this shift in perspective, the audiences suddenly find themselves standing on Richard’s side, looking through his eyes. Unsurprisingly, a feeling of empathy silently roots in the viewer’s mind.

After the deposing scene began, Richard stays at the center of the frame most of the time, attracting all the attention, telling people it is his monodrama. There are two truly clever compositions worth mentioning: one is when Richard spoke of “the crown like a deep well” metaphor, the camera shot from under the crown, revealing and confining Richard and Bolingbroke’s face in that hollow circle alternatively. This composition not only makes the crown do look like a well, but also gives a sense of constraint and emptiness, echoing the name of the film “Hollow Crown”. Another brilliant composition is when Richard delivered his resignation speech, which was a long monologue with powerful parallel sentences, the director uses a medium shot, making Richard stretch his arms out till he occupies all the space. This forms a perfect symmetry, and audiences immediately perceive a sense of authority and holiness as this composition easily reminds them of Jesus. With Richard’s powerful rhetoric and this resemblance, the whole deposition is dignified, leaving people with awe and respect for this tragic king.

At last, when Richard deliberately dropped the mirror, from the broken pieces reflect the face of Bolingbroke, also shattered. This shot stays for a few seconds, long enough to make the audiences sense that the new king, Henry IV’s own misery is only around the corner.

3, conclusion

Richard II is what would happen if Hamlet were to be crowned, a poet forced to become king. After analyzing his tragedy based on Lacan’s theory, one can see all the narcissism and waywardness of Richard have a cause, and that throughout his life, Richard never had much choice. The Hollow Crown successfully brings out this helplessness against fate and vulnerability in Richard with the great employment of camera language. With the combination of Shakespeare’s work and modern film techniques, Richard II, a both deplorable and lovable king is right before our eyes.

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