Previous
Act 4, Scene 2
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in If We Were Villains, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fate vs. Free Will
Identity and Disguise
Love and Sexuality
Theatre and Corruption
Summary
Analysis
As the fourth-years begin rehearsals for King Lear, Oliver is haunted by the memory of Richard. His presence is still felt by all of them, Oliver surmises. On the second of February, Oliver is cleaning the Castle for his work-study when he discovers a blood-stained piece of fabric in the ashes of the fireplace. Hearing footsteps approaching, he hastily shoves it into his pocket and turns to face Colborne as he enters the room. Colborne greets Oliver and gets him talking about Shakespeare, which Oliver compares to an addiction. Colborne watches him closely. He tells Oliver that he often thinks about Richard, because his friends’ stories leave him with unresolved questions. Oliver suggests that any discrepancies are due to innocent error or failure of memory. Colborne asks Oliver to let him know if he learns anything and warns him to be careful.
Oliver doesn’t know who left the bloody cloth in the fireplace or how exactly it got there, but his first instinct is to hide it. In typical Oliver fashion, he’s not able to work through the implications of his discovery—he just shoves it down into his pocket. 1997 Oliver expresses similar sentiments about Shakespeare to 2007 Oliver’s. His choice of words echoes with Alexander’s recent uptick in drug use. Colborne appears suspicious of Oliver, but not overly; he at least trusts him enough to bother asking him to let him know if he discovers anything. Of course, with the bloody cloth in Oliver’s pocket, he immediately breaks this trust.
Themes
