#northumberland

i'm getting recommended posts about the county of northumberland because of my shakespeare posting

really into the idea that bolingbroke sees northumberland's rebellion as this heartrending awful agonizing betrayal shattering their friendship and ending the last shred of comfort in his life ("[...] this percy was the man nearest my soul who like a brother toiled in my affairs and laid his love under my foot" etc. etc.) and northumberland is just like. man fuck that guy

who wants to be the ladder i mount to ascend the throne

i do think northumberland and bolingbroke are like brutus and cassius if they were different

does it drive anyone else insane that richard's line "northumberland, thou ladder wherewithal the mounting bolingbroke ascends my throne" is said in 5.1 of richard ii when BOLINGBROKE IS NOT ONSTAGE and then bolingbroke fucking quotes him in 2 henry iv calling it a prophecy??? like from a doylist perspective having him quote a scene he wasn't there for can have really interesting implications, like what knowing things he shouldn't is saying about his character at this point in his arc, etc. but from a watsonian perspective. did northumberland fucking tell him this.