distinction from the archaic ) which has been wholly or largely incorporated into the dominant culture . ( 122 )
Simply put , the residual is whatever trace of the past , i . e . in culture , literature , politics , etc . that has lingered on up to the contemporary times and thus affects the present . That definition holds true for almost all of Shakespeare ’ s History Plays regarding England : there is always a presence , whether good or evil , from the past that haunts and demarcates the present . In other words , there are moments when one can glimpse a “ continuance of the past into the present ;” more precisely , the tendencies to remember , to repeat , and to follow up on what has been pushed out of favor , whether culturally or socio-politically , through Bolingbroke ’ s ( later King Henry IV ’ s ) deposition of King Richard II and presumably his murder .
While it seems that with Richard II gone all that was associated with him must also be logically gone , the case , in effect , is not so ; as Richard , or whatever is associated with Richard , effectively continues to haunt not only King Henry IV and his times but also generations of King Henry ’ s successors , whether friends or foes . Resentments and feuds arise over King Richard ’ s heritage and succession , and many crimes are committed and ferocious wars are fought to settle those issues . As such , it can be said that all the subsequent Shakespeare History Plays following Richard II are haunted not only by Richard ’ s blood but also by his sociopolitical and cultural presence .
I must state that the residual in these plays is not necessarily immediately recognizable as the residual ; and it is neither always the same thing / idea / phenomenon , nor
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