Act 5 scene 5
Richard's soliloquy
At first he sees the difficulty of making this comparison, in a way of finding some meaning in his condition. He will people his cell with thought by combining the logical part of his brain with his spiritual ideas, like right and left brain activities.
The Word often refers to the Bible, and Richard is seeking solace in the Bible but sees how the Bible contradicts itself. Richard is searching for a new metaphor for himself, but he keeps finding contradiction and paradox. He may be wanting the security of the Renaissance Christian Humanist trust in the world, but he has had a revelation that contradictions exist, so he can have no more security.
Richard is like an everyman, in which he suffers for all.
Because Richard can tell when someone is playing music poorly and therefore he can't appreciate it. But he could not tell when he didn't recognize the discord in his kingdom.
Richard did not have good timing (he came home a day late).
This is the final high/low, up/down imagery, in which Richard says his soul will rise up even as his body falls down low. Externally he is at his lowest, yet inwardly he may be at his highest.