He has uttered a few odd curses upon Bolingbroke that to my ears harken back to similar foreboding in Richard III (a play that was written prior to Richard II, though the latter chronologically precedes it). Richard is still hung up about his moral authority as God’s chosen vassal.
The question lingers whether Bolingbroke has a right to do what he’s doing – at least from a legal standpoint. He is and will be deeply missed.Īs for Richard II, he is neither highly regarded nor much sought after in his absence, save for a small band of loyal followers who are either abdicating to Bolingbroke or losing their heads. But it’s far too short a reminder of how remarkable a man and writer Richard Matheson was. This is perhaps an overly long introduction to Act III of Richard II. You might know one of these stories since it too is based on a line of Shakespeare: What Dreams May Come. Known mostly for his writing on The Twilight Zone and groundbreaking novels of suspense and psychological horror (again, see: King, Stephen) – he winked at the audience and said that every so many years he wrote a love story just for her.
I got to meet him and thank him personally at a screenwriting conference in which he confessed that the inspiration for the story was his beloved wife. More than that, one of the most important artistic figures in my life. When Richard retreats to an historic hotel to contemplate man’s mortality and the meaning of life, he takes with him the complete symphonies of Gustav Mahler. I had only vaguely known about Mahler before then, but afterwards he became my favorite composer.
I most remember the novel for a detail that doesn’t end up in the movie. The original novel, if you can find it, is called, of course, “Bid Time Return.” I tracked it down a long time ago and devoured it, in part because of its fantastic premise, but also because Matheson was one of the most influential novelists of the 20th century (if you doubt me, ask Stephen King).įor those of you unfamiliar with the novel or the movie, this might be a good place to start: Many noteworthy novels, plays and movies have taken their titles from lines of Shakespeare – too many to list here (for a complete rundown, see WIKI.) When I stumbled upon the following quote from Richard II, “O call back yesterday, bid time return,” I knew at last where Richard Matheson drew his own title for what became the memorable film, Somewhere In Time.
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