Richard II
A deeply poetic meditation on kingship, identity, and the divine right of kings, Richard II dramatizes the deposition of the last Plantagenet and the beginning of the Lancastrian dynasty — and Shakespeare's greatest "passive" tragic hero.
At a Glance
- Genre: History (also read as Tragedy)
- Approximate date: c. 1595–1596
- Setting: England and Wales
- Source: Holinshed's Chronicles; Samuel Daniel's Civil Wars
- Acts: 5
Dramatis Personæ
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| KING RICHARD THE SECOND | Poetic, self-absorbed, weak; divinely appointed but incompetent |
| JOHN OF GAUNT | Duke of Lancaster; Richard's uncle; dying patriot ("This sceptred isle") |
| HENRY BOLINGBROKE | Duke of Hereford; Gaunt's son; pragmatic; becomes Henry IV |
| DUKE OF YORK | Richard's uncle; ineffectual loyal peacemaker |
| DUKE OF AUMERLE | York's son; Richard's supporter; later involved in a plot |
| THOMAS MOWBRAY | Duke of Norfolk; banished after trial by combat |
| QUEEN | Richard's beloved queen |
| DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER | Urges Gaunt to avenge Gloucester's death |
| DUCHESS OF YORK | Pleads for Aumerle's life |
| EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND | Bolingbroke's chief supporter; kingmaker |
| HARRY PERCY (HOTSPUR) | Northumberland's son; will rebel in Henry IV Part 1 |
| LORD ROSS and LORD WILLOUGHBY | Bolingbroke's supporters |
| BISHOP OF CARLISLE | Defends Richard's divine right |
| ABBOT OF WESTMINSTER | Involved in the plot against Bolingbroke |
| SIR PIERCE OF EXTON | Kills Richard at Pomfret castle |
| SIR STEPHEN SCROOP | Richard's loyal servant |
| BUSHY, BAGOT, GREEN | Richard's flatterers |
| CAPTAIN OF A BAND OF WELSHMEN | Abandons Richard's cause |
| GARDENERS | Allegorical scene comparing England to an untended garden |
| LORD MARSHAL | Presides at the lists |
Plot Summary
Act I: Henry Bolingbroke accuses Thomas Mowbray of treason (and of Gloucester's murder). Richard orders a trial by combat at Coventry; then, just as it begins, banishes both men — Mowbray for life, Bolingbroke for ten years (reduced to six at Gaunt's plea).
Act II: John of Gaunt, dying, delivers his "This sceptred isle" speech — a lament for England's decline under Richard. Richard seizes Gaunt's estates to fund his Irish wars. Northumberland, Ross, and Willoughby join Bolingbroke when he returns (his banishment lengthened to life after Gaunt's death). Richard sails to Ireland.
Act III: Bolingbroke has returned to England; his army grows daily. Richard, returning from Ireland, learns that his Welsh support has collapsed and his favorites (Bushy and Green) have been executed. In a remarkable scene at Flint Castle, Richard descends from the castle walls and submits to Bolingbroke's demands. Bolingbroke intends (he claims) only to reclaim his inheritance.
Act IV: At Westminster, Richard is formally deposed. In a stunning theatrical act, he calls for a mirror, smashes it ("How soon my sorrow hath destroyed my face"), and is sent to the Tower. Aumerle joins a plot to kill Bolingbroke.
Act V: York discovers Aumerle's plot; his wife pleads successfully for their son's life. Richard is moved to Pomfret Castle, where, in a great soliloquy, he meditates on time, music, and identity. Sir Pierce of Exton murders him. The new King Henry IV is horrified but rewards Exton coldly; he vows a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to expiate the guilt of Richard's murder.
Key Themes
- The divine right of kings vs. political reality — Richard believes he is sacred; Bolingbroke believes in power
- Language and identity — Richard's extraordinary poetic self-dramatization; he creates and destroys himself through words
- England as garden — the Gardeners scene makes England's political state metaphorically botanical
- Guilt and legitimacy — Bolingbroke's usurpation haunts all the Henry IV and Henry V plays
Notable Quotations
"This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, / This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars... / This England." *(John of Gaunt, II.i)*
"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me." *(Richard, V.v)*
"Not all the water in the rough rude sea / Can wash the balm off from an anointed king." *(Richard, III.ii)*
LibriVox Recording
Richard II audiobook on LibriVox — Free public domain recording.
Cross-references
- Histories — genre context; begins the second tetralogy
- Henry IV, Part 1 — Bolingbroke as King Henry IV; Hotspur's rebellion
- Henry IV, Part 2 — culminates with Hal's succession
- Henry V — the triumph of pragmatic kingship