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Paradox
Explanation and Analysis—Wounds by Flattery:
King Richard II paradoxically suggests that flattering but false words are more wounding than open hostility. When his loyal ally, the Duke of Aumerle, urges him to remain optimistic in the face of Henry Bolingbroke’s rebellion, the King lashes out at him, stating:
He does me double wrong
That wounds me with the flatteries of his tongue.
At this point in the play, Bolingbroke has not yet declared open hostility towards the King but instead maintains that he respects the King’s authority and merely wishes to free him from his corrupt ministers. Richard argues that these superficial “flatteries” uttered by Bolingbroke and the other rebelling lords, made in respect of his status as King, have done him “double wrong.”
Rather than comforting him, then, these seemingly kind words have hurt him all the more by reminding him of the proper respect that he is due as King despite his forthcoming dethronement. Richard suggests that if Bolingbroke were to speak honestly and openly announce his desire to oppose the King, then this would be less injurious to him as it would not cause him the greater insult of deception. There is also a great deal of irony in the King’s speech here, as listening to the false words of flatterers such as Bushy, Bagot, and Green directly contributed to Richard’s downfall.
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