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Shakespeare’s great saga from Richard II, through the Lancastrian dynasty up to Richard III, is a tale of the English Constitution. The authoritative Constitution, says Dr. Fleming, is necessary to avoid problems of succession in government. Bolingbroke’s usurpation of the Plantagenet dynasty in Richard II begins the Bard’s diverse meditations on legitimacy and loyalty in the Henry plays and gives us the backdrop of the conflicts that ignite the Wars of the Roses. The depositions of kings is Shakespeare’s theme, and these stories build up the sentiments of loyalty so necessary for a peaceful administration. The usurpations that stem from the ambitious spirit in politics undermines the sense of legitimacy in all governments.
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