RICHARD II KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS SETTING Richard II is located in various parts of England and Wales.

In the first scene starts in medias res, with no explanatory talk
between the customary waiting men and attendants; Shakespeare
plunges straight into the action. There is no building of any setting
or mood, and the scene simply presents Richard arbitrating
between Bolingbroke and Mowbray. It is a courtly scene. The
audience does not know who is telling the truth and cannot rely on
any one character for the guidance. Shakespeare thus deliberately
forces the spectator's attention on the responses of Richard. This
is the medieval world of formality and convention. This is also a
largely male world, and the only characters present are the king
and his subjects. Lofty rhetoric conceals the true nature of men.
The discrepancy between appearance and reality creeps into the
play as the contenders reveal their true natures after indulging in
an empty show of loyalty and deference to the king. The
underlying themes of power and principles also emerge in the first
scene.

The first scene also introduces the theme of loyalty and
patriotism. The opening lines list all four elements: fire, water,
earth and air. The effect of this imagery is to establish a contrast
between Richard, the representative of the sun, and Bolingbroke,
who is associated with flood. Their turbulent conflict ultimately
drowns Richard's fire in the flood of tears and transforms
Bolingbroke into the sun. Richard's end is burial in the earth.
However, the dominant image in Scene 1 is that of blood. Blood
combines fire and water. Blood also signifies the noble births of
Richard and the other members of royalty. Blood likewise carries
the underlying implication of murder, discord and battle, and the
fear of Englishmen's blood soiling English ground (civil war). At
the beginning of the play, it is implied that King Richard's hands
are stained with royal blood, while the play ends with King Henry
IV's hands stained with Richard's blood. Thus blood is the
dominant image of the whole play.

ACT I, SCENE 2

In distinct contrast to the courtly ambiance of Scene 1, the second
scene is domestic in feel and focuses on only two characters,
Gaunt and the Duchess of Gloucester. This scene has been
deliberately inserted between the courtly scenes and serves a
dramatic purpose. Act I, Scene 2 serves to recall past events and
also exposes the emptiness of words. Structurally, too, this scene
fits within the overall pattern of the play: there is an alternation
between formal and informal scenes. Similarly, there is an
alternation between lengthy and short scenes. Some scenes in the
play are clearly more personal and constructed on a small scale.
Scene 2 is one such scene and is somewhat limited in its focus.
The contrast between the formal and informal scenes is more
striking on the stage, where Shakespeare intended the play to be
performed without breaks between acts or scenes.

The themes of Scene 1 continue into Scene 2. Issues of loyalty are
discussed: Scene 1 focuses on loyalty to king and country, while
Scene 2 explores loyalty to blood relatives. The second scene
provides a glimpse into the personal implications of state
corruption by depicting the grief of the Duchess of Gloucester.

The duchess tries to rouse old John of Gaunt to avenge his
brother's death. The language of her exhortations implies religious
belief. The duchess believes that Richard has disrupted the order
through an act of deliberate violence. She tries to emphasize the
horror of the crime by saying that Richard has spilled sacred
blood. Her emphasis on the sacredness of the blood spilt positions
family loyalty against allegiance to the king, whose blood is also
sacred because he is God's representative.

John of Gaunt emerges as a helpless old man. He disapproves of
the crime against his brother but cannot take any action. His
character emerges as a distinct contrast to that of his energetic
son, Bolingbroke, who does not philosophize, but acts. Gaunt
takes refuge in the conventional belief that the king is God's
deputy on earth. Gaunt's decision to leave the quarrel to the will
of heaven parallels Richard's expectation of intervention by God
in human affairs.

ACT I, SCENE 3

This scene progresses from a formal public ceremony of a trial by
combat to an intimate parting between Gaunt and his son. This
pattern of alternation between formal and informal scenes has
already been established during the first two scenes and continues
throughout the play.

The stylized duel-scene recalls Bolingbroke's exaggerated verbal
confrontation with Mowbray in Scene 1. The ritualistic display of
formalities to announce the contenders implies that the characters
are not simply asserting their own will but are functioning within
a larger framework. They accept these mandatory rules and the
order imposed by them. The elaborate technical procedures
followed--the announcing of the contenders by the heralds, the
statement of the cause of the quarrel, the formalized bidding of
farewell, the preparation to fight--intensify the sense of
conformity and obedience to some higher power. In fact, when
Richard orders the trial to proceed, his words underline the
governing ethos of the play. Though the two men are thirsty for
each other's blood, they will fight only in a civilized fashion,
according to the rules laid down by the chivalric tradition.

The ritual of combat provides a spectacular theatrical effect. The
medieval tournament was an elaborate affair, involving rich
costumes and a large number of attendants. The effect on stage is
the creation of a vast setting, with the opposing parties stationed
on either side of the monarch. The positions taken up by the
characters are metaphorical. For instance, it is clearly evident that
the king, who occupies the central position, represents the
maintenance of law and order. But this method of settling disputes
through duels was questioned by the Elizabethans (Shakespeare's
audience) themselves. In the sixteenth century there was a
widespread debate between the Christian Humanists, who were
against the duel, and the advocates of a neo-chivalric cult of
honor, who supported the duel as an effective means of safe-
guarding one's name and resolving quarrels. Shakespeare is
perhaps on the side of the Christian Humanists and shows
Richard's willingness to allow the combat as a deficiency in his
character.

Richard presides over the proceedings of the trial with dignity and
formality and observes all the conventions and rules. But the
elaborate ritual leads to an anti-climax, when Richard, who
represents order, suddenly throws down his warder to halt the
proceedings. This gesture is in keeping with the tone of the entire
scene and is extremely formalized and well timed. The gesture
reveals an inherent weakness in Richard's character: Richard, who
is the representative of order, has himself disrupted the orderly
proceedings of a formal occasion. The structure of this scene is
not threatened by external factors, but by its very center, and it
collapses from the inside. Richard waits patiently until the very
last moment before deflating all the built-up tension. This delay
certainly contributes to the dramatic effect.

Richard's action of throwing down the warder is also symbolic of
his involvement in Gloucester's murder and his responsibility for
the disorder in his own kingdom. It points forward to the later
collapse of his own rule. Of course, Richard never really admits
that he was involved in the murder of his uncle, but Shakespeare
suggests it indirectly throughout the play. The question of the
murder of Gloucester remains murky and the matter is never
brought out into the open and resolved. The audience remembers,
however, that Gaunt explicitly states Richard's involvement in the
crime in Act I, Scene 2.

While preventing the duel in mid-ceremony is dramatic, the
motive underlying the action appears to be worthy. Richard says
that he does not want any bloodshed. However, Richard may be
insincere in his declared motive. He may have decided to kill two
birds with one stone. Richard is obliged to Mowbray for removing
his political rival, Gloucester. The combat could also result in the
death of Bolingbroke, who has many supporters. Allowing
Bolingbroke to be killed in combat could ultimately provoke
Bolingbroke's followers to rise up against Richard. Richard's best
possible solution (and the right political decision) is to stop the
combat in order to prevent bloodshed among fellow Englishmen.

Richard shrewdly exiles Mowbray, who can implicate him in
Gloucester's murder, forever. Richard then shows himself to be
benevolent when he "mercifully" curtails Bolingbroke's sentence
from ten to six years on account of old Gaunt's sad face. Richard
thereby mollifies Bolingbroke's supporters. However, Gaunt does
not respond to the king with much gratitude, and he even reminds
Richard that his powers are not equal to God's: "Shorten my days
thou canst with sullen sorrow, / And pluck nights from me, but
not lend a morrow." Gaunt is here articulating a central concern of
the play: the meaning of the king's power, especially when the
king himself has transgressed against divine law.

Historically, when Richard stopped the proceedings at Coventry,
he conferred with the parliamentary committee set up to
investigate the Bolingbroke-Mowbray dispute. It was after this
that he announced his decision to banish Bolingbroke for ten
years and Mowbray for life. Shakespeare, however, is not relying
solely on Holinshed's Chronicle, but is re-shaping his dramatic
material within the limits imposed by a history play. In this scene
Shakespeare makes Richard appear rash in exercising his power
by having him arbitrarily decide to banish the two contenders.
This also calls into question the implications and limits of the
king's "power." What the entire scene establishes is Richard's love
of a theatrical situation as an end in itself. The actor playing
Richard's part must show sly satisfaction during the proceedings
of the tournament, while he is all the time meditating and
anxiously awaiting for the moment when he will put an end to all
heroics. He must show a sense of knowing all the time that the
elaborate rituals and lengthy farewells will amount to nothing.

The religious imagery continues in this scene as well.
Bolingbroke says that the approaching tournament is a "long and
weary pilgrimage" for both Mowbray and himself. The religious
implications are essential to the whole play. When Bolingbroke
requests permission to take leave of the king, Richard descends
from his throne and embraces him. Richard is the father figure
who embraces one of his sons (subjects), but this man will later on
in the play dethrone him. Bolingbroke then takes leave of his real
father, Gaunt.

The language of this scene is marked by deep lyricism, which
contrasts with the reality of the situation. Bolingbroke's speech
befits a young courtier and belongs to the world of romance and
chivalry. Bolingbroke's utterances here are in striking contrast to
those of the Bolingbroke of the later scenes, where he is calm and
in total control of the situation. Here, Bolingbroke displays
affectation as he soars on the wings of self-conscious and
contrived verse and accepts the world of Richard's kingship.
Mowbray's utterances are also remote from realism. Mowbray's
effort to improve upon his rival's elation is essentially an
indulgence in poetry. Even Richard luxuriates in poetry when he
stops the proceedings. He refers to "the eagle-winged pride / Of
sky-aspiring and ambitious thoughts," thereby continuing the
strain of lyricism already established. His order of banishment,
too, is couched in elaborate poetic imagery. When Gaunt attempts
to comfort his son, he also subordinates true feeling to expression.
Thus strained expression, rather than feeling dominates the scene
and contributes to its formal, stylized tone.

The scene also establishes contrast between the characters of
Bolingbroke and Mowbray through the difference in their conduct
and demeanor. Here, Mowbray maintains his calm, which throws
into greater relief Bolingbroke's confrontational attitude.
Mowbray can afford to remain calm in his knowledge of King
Richard's involvement in Gloucester's murder. Mowbray feels
quite safe and does not fear any punishment from the king.

Gaunt's parting with his son, Bolingbroke, shows genuine fatherly
concern, couched in elaborate poetic imagery. The rapidity of the
exchange shows that both are overwhelmed by the parting. The
sudden rush of words is an attempt to cover up true feelings.
Gaunt is genuinely concerned and tries to alleviate Bolingbroke's
grief by rationalizing his situation. He consoles him by saying that
six years is not a long time and will quickly pass. He then says
that Bolingbroke's exile will serve as a foil (contrast) to his joyous
return home. Gaunt unknowingly anticipates later events, since
Bolingbroke's return will ultimately lead to his becoming king.
His absence, therefore, will make his return more significant. The
lapse of time will also throw into greater relief the contrast
between the characters of Bolingbroke and Richard. Gaunt's
fatherly concern is reflected in his advice to Bolingbroke to see
the exile as a pleasure trip. He tries to rouse Bolingbroke's spirits
by saying that he is, in fact, escaping from a bad situation, the
current political climate of England. Richard's inefficient rule will
soon spread disorder throughout the land. But Bolingbroke cannot
be consoled.

ACT I, SCENE 4

This scene provides an intimate look at Richard. This is the first
scene in which Richard appears with his friends; he is not
performing any public duty. His very first question concerns
Bolingbroke's departure. He seems to have totally forgotten
Mowbray. This leads one to suspect that he is not as impartial as
claims to be in Scene 1. This is the private Richard, as opposed to
his public self displayed in the earlier scenes.

A tone of skepticism and doubt enters the play as Richard
questions Aumerle. This tone is in striking contrast to the strained
lyricism of the earlier scenes. His question, "And say, what store
of parting tears were shed?," seems to invite Aumerle's cynical
response. Aumerle's display of bitterness towards Bolingbroke
may stem from a sense of loyalty to Richard, but more possibly,
he may be motivated by fear. This fear is echoed in Richard's
comment about Bolingbroke's popularity among the general
population of England. He prophetically comments that it seems
that the whole of England were actually Bolingbroke's. He sees
Bolingbroke's "courtship to the common people" as a calculated
and shrewd move. It does not surprise him, and he considers this
as a strategy on part of an ambitious man.

Richard, however, allows himself to be easily persuaded by Green
that he need no longer worry about Bolingbroke and immediately
turns his attention to the rebellion in Ireland. Richard thus again
reveals his rash nature. Green's casual dismissal of Bolingbroke as
a threat actually foreshadows the approaching crisis. Richard
reveals his ugly side as a ruler, which contrasts unfavorably with
Bolingbroke's qualities. For Richard, the commoners are merely
"slaves," "poor craftsmen," "oyster-wenches" and "draymen." He
speaks of them with contempt. He impulsively decides to lead the
army himself into Ireland, even though the English state of affairs
requires his presence. By this point in time, the audience has
learned not to trust Richard's decision-making capacity, and his
character has undergone a gradual decline.

Richard then moves on to acts that demonstrate his corrupt nature.
He devises ingenious ways of raising money: farming the realm
for taxes and issuing blank charters to the rich nobles. The
apparent casualness with which he mentions these plans further
damns him in the audience's eyes. His depraved nature is evident
in this scene, where he receives the news of the impending death
of Gaunt as an opportunity to make money. Gaunt represents the
traditional ethos of England, associated with Edward III, and
when Richard prays to hasten his death, he is in fact contributing
to his own doom. Shakespeare shows in this scene that Richard is
morally flawed and unworthy of holding the exalted office of the
king. The depiction of Richard's downfall thus does not question
the legitimacy of monarchic rule. This study of Richard has
universal significance as a study of political behavior. Despite the
grand conception of kingship that Richard holds, he is not capable
of dealing with normal political realities, and he also betrays a
morally questionable character. His character is always contrasted
with that of Bolingbroke.

The character of Aumerle is sketched only briefly. He is the son
of the Duke of York and shows loyalty to his king. His character
is further developed in the later scenes of the play, but he is
depicted here as a basically loyal subject.

The scene also focuses on the depravity of Richard's friends--
Green, Bushy and Bagot--who echo Richard's sentiments and pray
along with him for Gaunt's speedy death.

ACT II, SCENE 1

Richard visits the dying Gaunt in this scene. The character of
Gaunt recalls the lost honor of England, and on his deathbed, he
also represents the pitiable state to which England has been
reduced. Gaunt is dying, and with him, the patriotism represented
by Edward III and his sons is being destroyed. He delivers a
patriotic speech on England just before the arrival of King
Richard. This speech presents an ideal vision of England; its style
recalls the earlier courtly episodes of Act I. It is like an elegy (a
poem of lament and praise for the dead) for a glorious past. His
speech is recognition of the passing away of an old order, due to
the political incompetence and moral depravity of Richard, and it
gains a sense of urgency and importance as Gaunt's dying words.

Gaunt's opening line, "Methinks I am a prophet new inspir'd," is
significant. He claims that he can prophesy the king's future, and
without mincing words, he predicts Richard's downfall and the
destruction of his arrogance and pride. Gaunt continues in a
similar spirit for a few lines, and then he launches into his famous
poetic speech on England. He lists the features of old England,
which are being destroyed by Richard. Gaunt's England is the
royal throne of kings. It is the "earth of majesty," but the kings are
secondary to the land itself: kings are simply the symbols of the
land's greatness. Gaunt characterizes England by using a number
of epithets in the Renaissance style. His England is the other
Eden, a demi-paradise. It is small and guarded by Nature herself
against corruption and wars. England is "a precious stone set in
the silver sea." Here, the image of the jewel represents value. The
sea serves as a protective barrier against invaders and acts as
would a moat to a castle. Gaunt's England is indeed a "blessed
plot," although it is being assaulted by political intrigue and
economic change.

For Gaunt, England becomes the epitome of all that is good.
There is a reference made to the Holy Sepulchre, which will be
taken up again in the play in the deposition scene. The Christian
imagery of his speech provides an effective contrast to Richard's
cynicism. It is ironic that while Richard dismisses Gaunt's words
as those of a fool, he himself uses religious imagery in the
deposition scene when he says that he has been betrayed by his
Judas-like subjects. The image of betrayal and treachery clings to
the figure of Richard throughout his decline.

The latter part of Gaunt's speech contrasts the England of the past
with the pitiable state to which it has been reduced in the present.
Gaunt says that the England, which was the royal throne of kings,
is now leased out like a tenement. The chivalry and true Christian
service of the former kings has degenerated into private
profiteering. Shakespeare is here commenting on the economic
transformations taking place during Elizabeth's rule.

The king, whom Gaunt has been attacking in his speech, makes a
grand entrance. He is like a performer who needs an audience.
Even now, when he has come to meet his dying uncle, he is
surrounded by his flatterers and court favorites. Their strength and
vivacity provides a sad contrast to the failing powers of old
Gaunt. Richard's very first question to Gaunt is abrupt and
unkind: "What comfort, man? How is't with the aged Gaunt?"
Richard indicates that since Gaunt is dying, he is not a threat
anymore. Gaunt puns on his name and the state of his health and
replies sarcastically that he has indeed become very "gaunt" (thin
and haggard.) Then Gaunt openly mocks Richard, whom he
ultimately denounces for being merely the landlord of England,
and not the king. This should be seen in the context of Gaunt's
preceding speech about England. Richard's sickness, which has
resulted in the sickness of England, is now seen as the state of
kingship. The office of the king has degenerated into the office of
a mere profit-seeking landlord. Thus the metaphor of sickness
engulfs not only the land but the corrupt monarchy itself.

Gaunt suggests that Richard is, in effect, risking his kingship by
following the selfish advice of his coterie. Gaunt says that
Richard's actions are the equivalent of committing suicide. He
points out in his tirade that although Richard is God's anointed, he
deserves to be deposed. The conflict between the divinity of
kingship and the necessity of removing a bad king emerges very
clearly here. This enrages Richard, who contemptuously dismisses
the dying man as "a lunatic, lean-witted fool." He claims that had
Gaunt not been the brother of great Edward's son, he would surely
have been beheaded for his impudence. The audience sees that the
king can bully a dying uncle, but he cannot face the crisis when he
is told of Bolingbroke's return to England in Act III.

While Richard tries to maintain his kingly authority in this scene,
he is otherwise incapable of meeting the duties and
responsibilities of his office. He is a fatally weak monarch.
Gaunt's last words create a sense of doom as he is carried out of
the room. He accuses Richard of Gloucester's murder. As Gaunt is
carried away, there is the sense that the old order is dying with
him. His reference to Gloucester's murder creates a sense of
foreboding: the spilling of sacred blood is an act of sacrilege,
which will have disastrous consequences for Richard and
England. Richard's reaction to Gaunt's warning is to dismiss it as
the frenzy of a dying man. He says simply, "And let them die that
age and sullens have; / For both hast thou, and both become the
grave." Nevertheless, Gaunt's words of warning will prove valid
within the course of the play.

York then attempts to pacify Richard and attributes Gaunt's anger
to his old age and sickness. Here, the audience sees a diplomatic
York, who is unlike the enraged Gaunt, and cannot afford to
provoke the king. Both Gaunt and York are unhappy with the
condition of England under Richard's rule, but their roles in
England's troubled order are different. York, who previously has
tried to calm Gaunt, here plays the role of the mediator and
persuades Richard to forgive the old man.

York assesses the explosiveness of the situation and tries to
defuse the tension. He can be seen as symbolizing the theme of
order in the play. He does not wish to disrupt the equilibrium of
the present situation. He maintains this stance throughout the play,
even after the deposition, when he transfers his allegiance to
Bolingbroke. York attempts to subdue Richard's anger by
affirming Gaunt's love for him. He ironically compares Gaunt's
love to that of Bolingbroke. Richard's answer almost foreshadows
his impending doom: "as Hereford's love, so his; / As theirs, so
mine; and all be as it is." With this, the mood of fatalism and the
inevitability of his decline is reinforced.

Gaunt's death is soon announced by Northumberland. Richard's
reaction is artificial and cynical in tone. He callously dismisses
Gaunt and proceeds to seize Gaunt's property, without
acknowledging that, according to the laws of inheritance, it
belongs to Bolingbroke. His actions disgust York, who reminds
him that he is violating the very rights by which he gained the
throne. York expresses his discontent and then launches into a
criticism of Richard's actions. Richard interrupts him with a
taunting, "Why, uncle, what's the matter?" Richard disregards
York's input regarding the laws of succession and says: "Think
what you will, we will seize into our hands / His plate, his goods,
his money, and his lands." Richard is beyond counseling, and
nobody can prevent his downfall.

Richard then announces his decision to leave for Ireland. He
reveals his unpredictable nature as he appoints York as the regent
during his absence. York is aged and physically unfit to assume
the responsibilities of governing the state. This decision reflects a
lack of political insight on Richard's part. He then sets off for
Ireland when the volatile situation requires his presence in
England.

The reaction to Richard's confiscation of Gaunt's property is
dramatized in the conversation between Northumberland,
Willoughby and Ross, who have been present throughout the
scene. They are incensed at Richard's high-handedness. They
discuss the state of royal affairs and the king's misdeeds.
Northumberland tries to excuse Richard on the grounds that "the
king is not himself, but basely led by flatterers." Their
conversation essentially presents a list of Richard's crimes, and
the rebellion they consequently plan seems justified. Shakespeare
was faced with a formidable task in this play: he had to stress the
justification for deposing a bad ruler while at the same time
maintain the sanctity of the divine office of kingship. Thus the
conversation between the three men mentions the ruthless policy
of taxation and the moral bankruptcy of Richard as both man and
king. At this point, Bolingbroke has already set sail for England.
The action of the play moves forward to the anticipated
conclusion. Bolingbroke's return to England is seen as necessary
for the restoration of order.

The scene begins with the individualized expression of anger by
Gaunt and closes with the conversation of the three lords, which
reveals that this anger has become generalized. Everybody is
exasperated with Richard's political mismanagement. The
situation anticipates Bolingbroke's rebellion and the wide support
that it receives from both the nobility and the commoners. Using
this strategy, Shakespeare ensures that the audience perceives the
rightness of Richard's deposition. Northumberland's words as the
scene draws to a close are, "even through the hollow eyes of death
/ I spy life peering."

ACT II, SCENE 2

A note of melancholy pervades this scene. Queen Isabel voices
her premonition of disaster, which is shortly afterward confirmed
by Green's announcement. She uses a metaphor of childbirth to
express her grief: "So, Green, thou art the midwife to my woe /
And Bolingbroke my sorrow's dismal heir." This metaphor is
especially meaningful in the context of a play in which legitimate
rule is called into question. Within a brief period of time, disaster
does indeed descend upon Richard, whose kingly authority
Shakespeare scrutinizes. The scope of the play narrows to an
imminent conflict between Bolingbroke and Richard.

Bushy's attempt to comfort the queen is interesting. He draws a
distinction between appearance and reality, especially as regards
one''s emotions: "Each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows /
Which shows like grief itself, but is not so." He continues with the
image of an eye brimming with tears, which distort the true nature
of the objects one sees. Likewise, the grief of parting from
Richard has filled the queen with fear and premonitions, which
Bushy argues are not real.

However, Green's announcement of Bolingbroke's arrival rudely
disrupts this notion of fabricated fear and foreboding. The
shadows of grief become concretized into substance, and reality
intrudes upon the queen's world. The news that Richard has been
deserted by his friends and supporters (Northumberland, Percy,
Worcester, Ross and Willoughby) proves too much for the queen,
who responds with a poetic outburst. Bushy predictably advises
her to "despair not."

The entrance of York brings little consolation. He is too old, and
the demands of the office of Lord Governor overwhelm him. A
servant enters with the news of the death of the Duchess of
Gloucester, and the last symbol of old England falls from the
landscape of the play. York is left alone to deal with a disastrous
situation. He exclaims in agony, "God for his mercy, what a tide
of woes / Comes rushing on this woeful land at once!" York is
confused and indecisive regarding the course of action to be
followed. He is torn between the conflicting claims of loyalty and
kinship.

The scene ends on a note of despair, hopelessness and disorder as
Bushy and Green desert Richard and seek refuge in Bristol Castle.
Only Bagot decides to go to Ireland to join Richard.

ACT II, SCENE 3

Richard II does not contain any battle scenes. Desertions and
defections are conveyed through dramatic reportage. In this scene
Bolingbroke has arrived in Gloucestershire and is on his way to
Berkeley. By the end of the scene, Bolingbroke proceeds to
Bristol to attack Bushy and Green. This scene is diametrically
opposed to Scene 2, where the villains announce their plans and
pursue their chosen course of action. Here, Bolingbroke has
essentially assumed command.

Bolingbroke's character has evolved considerably. In the earlier
scenes of conflict with Mowbray, Bolingbroke was a young
aristocrat and a loyal subject, who accepted his sentence of
banishment because he believed in the divinity of kingship. Now
he is a potential political leader. He accepts Northumberland's
compliments with a curt "Of much less value is my company /
Than your good words." He is courteous to Northumberland and
expresses just the right amount of gratitude to Northumberland,
Ross and Willoughby for their support. It is easy to imagine him
in the role of king.

Bolingbroke's camp serves as a contrast to Richard's side, which
is ridden with problems of betrayal and defection. The
conversation between Bolingbroke and his supporters reveals that
they have pursued a difficult journey and are ready to continue
further ahead. An element of heroic exploit enters the play. Henry
Percy, Northumberland's son, is a young but dedicated supporter
of Bolingbroke, who greets him with warmth. Bolingbroke
suggests that his supporters will be recompensed for their loyalty
and labors in the near future, when he becomes the king. He
displays practicality and ensures loyalty by promise of a reward
and when he rebukes Berkeley for addressing him as Lord of
Hereford, shows his ability to command. He shows deference to
Northumberland, Willoughby and Ross while he is actually
making use of them. He addresses York respectfully, as "(his)
gracious uncle." He handles the indignation and anger of York
with patience, and appeals to the bonds of kinship to draw York to
his side. He tells York that he sees the image of his father (Gaunt)
in him and protests the rightness of his cause. This has an
immediate impact on York. Perhaps most remarkable is the fact
that although Bolingbroke kneels before York, he somehow
demonstrates his own claim to kingship. At the very least, the
audience is reminded of the precarious state of England's
governance.

ACT II, SCENE 4

This short scene serves to confirm Richard's defeat by
Bolingbroke. The Welsh forces have also deserted Richard, as
they believe the rumor that their king has died. Salisbury sadly
reflects on Richard's decline and associates it symbolically with
the sun setting in the west. Richard is often associated in this play
with fire and sun: "Thy sun sets weeping in the lowly west, /
Witnessing storms to come, woe and unrest."

Richard's decline is symbolized by the occurrence of unnatural
phenomena. This is a common feature in the history plays, where
the death or defeat of a leader is foretold by unusual events. Here,
the withering of bay trees, the appearance of meteors and the
bloody color of the moon serve as indications of Richard's
decline. In the Renaissance it was believed that political order was
a reflection of the cosmic order. Any disturbance in the hierarchy
of the state would cause disturbances in all three spheres of
creation. Salisbury refers to Richard as a "shooting star," thereby
reinforcing his image of a king with some heroic aspirations. The
meteor image also emphasizes the fact that Richard is falling from
a great height, and his decline will leave a lasting impact on the
lives of all Englishmen.

ACT III, SCENE 1

The central episode of this scene is the order that Bushy and
Green be executed. Bolingbroke has not yet assumed the royal
office, but his order requires the authority of a king. This is his
first public act after his return to England. He also shows mercy, a
quality essential in a monarch, when he tells York to see that the
Queen is treated properly. This scene helps Bolingbroke to grow
into a true monarch.

In his indictment of Bushy and Green, Bolingbroke shows
concern for public opinion. He says that he will read out a list of
charges, which justify their execution so as to wash their blood
from his hands. These men are guilty of creating an atmosphere
that encouraged corrupt practices and they have tainted the young
king.

ACT III, SCENE 2

This is Richard's first appearance after a considerable period of
time. His departure for Ireland was timed at a wrong moment. It
was extremely dangerous for him to leave England after
antagonizing both the nobility and the commoners through heavy
taxation and the imposition of fines for past misdemeanors. But
Ireland also required attention. Ireland had been first conquered
by Henry II in the twelfth century. Ever since, it had always posed
a problem. Richard had established English rule in Ireland by
subduing a revolt there in 1394 and by reordering the relationship
between the English overlords and the Irish chieftains. A new
rebellion broke out in Ireland in 1398-1399 and threatened to ruin
all of Richard's early efforts. Thus he had to go to Ireland at a
time when his presence in England was of great importance.

There has been a tremendous change in Richard's character. His
mood shifts frequently, and he loses confidence very easily. He
lacks strength of character and the resolve to pursue a course of
action. He has to be coaxed into action by his supporters. He does
not exhibit any kingly characteristics. Critics have often noted that
the Richard who returns from Ireland is not compatible with the
earlier Richard.

In Richard's first speech he greets the earth of England. Its
patriotism is surprising: his words recall the dying speech of
Gaunt, in which he praises England. But Richard's claim over
England is inferior to Gaunt's reverence. He tells the earth of
England to generate spiders, toads and adders to destroy the rebels
and prevent them from treading on its surface. This
personification of nature as a mother who will protect her child
from the onslaught of the enemies is jarring. It is a display of self-
conscious sentiment, as opposed to Gaunt's expression of true
feeling. It is as if Richard is begging England to give him the
kingly quality that he does not naturally possess; that of prowess
in battle.

When Richard learns that he has been deserted by all his friends
and supporters, including the loyal York, he launches into an
attack on his faithless friends and denounces them as Judases. He
sinks into premature despair and gives up all hopes of defeating
Bolingbroke. He unconditionally surrenders himself without any
struggle whatsoever. Aumerle and the Bishop of Carlisle attempt
to rouse his flagging spirits. Richard's supporters are shown to be
loyal, competent men who are distressed by his indulgence in
romantic melancholy. Throughout the scene they attempt to
persuade Richard to take some action and not to admit defeat
without a fight. Richard still believes in the power of his divinity
and when his spirits rise, he asserts his right to victory: "God for
his Richard hath in heavenly pay / A glorious angel: then, if
angels fight, / Weak men must fall, for heaven still guards the
right."

The tragedy of Richard's situation is that he is a mortal who is
unfit for his role, yet he believes he deserves heaven's favor. He
reaches the height of poetic intensity in a famous speech (ll. 144-
177) in which he observes: "I live with bread, like you; feel want,
/ Taste grief, need friends. Subjected thus, / How can you say that
I am a king?" After having described the lives of kings at the
beginning of his speech, he suddenly differentiates himself from
them and admits to human limitations.

This speech has led critics to charge Richard with wallowing in
self-pity. Richard performs as an actor for his audience in an
endeavor to gain their sympathy by calling attention to his own
disaster. By the end of this scene, Richard has lost all regal
bearing and appears as a pathetic figure. Bolingbroke is
approaching, and the action moves towards the inevitable end. It
seems that Richard is delivering himself into the hands of his
enemies. He dismisses the remainder of his soldiers and
announces his decision to spend the rest of his days in Flint
Castle.

ACT III, SCENE 3

In this scene Richard surrenders unconditionally to Bolingbroke.
Bolingbroke has arrived before Flint Castle and sees Richard on
the walls. His appearance is striking and all those present
comment on how much Richard looks like a king. Richard's
supporters, Aumerle, Scroop, Salisbury and the Bishop of
Carlisle, do not say much during this scene. Bolingbroke and his
men march towards the castle. Richard appears on the balcony. At
the beginning of the scene, Bolingbroke appears to be supremely
confident. He sends a message of allegiance and deference to
Richard's authority based on two conditions. These are that his
banishment be repealed and that the property confiscated by
Richard on Gaunt's death be restored to him. Bolingbroke does
not reveal any intention of usurping Richard's power at this point
in time. In fact Bolingbroke is wary of assuming control of the
nation and is silent on this point until the crown is actually placed
in his hands.

Despite Richard's dazzling, regal appearance, he agrees to
Bolingbroke's demands without any protest. He then hesitantly
asks Aumerle if he should have been more defiant in his answer to
Bolingbroke. Aumerle tells him to gain time by consenting now
so that they may have a chance of strengthening their side.
Richard again sinks into despair and is shaken out of it by the
return of Northumberland. Richard launches into a lament about
his fallen condition in front of Northumberland. But this does not
affect Northumberland, who simply asks Richard to come down
into the court to meet Bolingbroke. Richard descends literally as
well as symbolically. His fall is portrayed as he abandons the
castle walls for the courtyard below.

When Richard arrives, Bolingbroke kneels as a mark of respect. It
can be argued that he has no intentions of overthrowing Richard at
this point and that he has misgivings about interfering with the
kingship. His ambition expands as opportunities present
themselves. Bolingbroke insists that he has come only for the
restitution of his property. But Richard surrenders himself and
plays on Bolingbroke's hesitance to win sympathy. He says, "I am
yours and all" and continues to dominate the scene until the very
end, when he forces Bolingbroke to give instructions to proceed to
London. Bolingbroke says very little and the attention is focused
on the reactions of Richard.

ACT III, SCENE 4

This scene shifts the focus of the play from action to reflection.
The queen wants to drive away her melancholy mood but is
unable to divert her attention from her grief. The gardener and his
servants discuss the very issues that trouble the queen. The
commoners here reveal a conservative attitude toward matters of
state: they do not want to overthrow their king, but they do want a
strong king.

The gardener draws an analogy between governing the state and
maintaining a garden. The importance of his message cannot be
emphasized enough. He provides political commentary in
metaphorical terms: just as the gardener beheads the "too fast-
growing sprays," so should the state have limited the power of
King Richard's influential friends.

Shakespeare was not promoting democratic ideals in this scene.
When the gardener refers to equality in the commonwealth, he
means that the king's corrupt favorites should be eliminated.
Bushy and Green are the fast-growing sprays who have disrupted
the equilibrium and peace of the commonwealth. The "noisome
weeds" refers to traitors like Wiltshire, among others. It is
essential to remove these weeds, which are damaging the soil.
Richard had struck at the wrong people when he cut off the
superfluous branch of Gloucester. The gardener represents the
common man, who may have cooled towards Richard. However,
the gardener is not a proponent of revolt and deposition; he only
accepts that the change in government from Richard to
Bolingbroke is inevitable.

The queen is incensed at the gardener's impudence. She attacks
the gardener in a speech that is filled with religious imagery:
"Thou, old Adam's likeness, set to dress this garden, / How dares
thy harsh rude tongue sound this unpleasing news? / What Eve,
what serpent hath suggested thee / To make a second Fall of
cursed man?" According to the bible, man has to labor because of
the fall of Adam. This brings up the question of the king's
responsibility for the fall of England. The queen sympathetically
draws a comparison between Adam, who was betrayed by Eve
and the serpent, and Richard, who has been betrayed by his
favorites in his hour of need. This view coincides with that of a
number of characters who hold the courtly favorites responsible
for Richard's degeneration. Northumberland had stated earlier that
the king was misled by flatterers.

The scene ends with the queen cursing the gardener that may his
plants never grow. But the gardener does not show any anger. He
is on the contrary sympathetic to the queen and pities her
condition.

ACT IV, SCENE 1

This scene returns the audience to the issues which opened the
play in Act I, Scene 1: the quarrel between Bolingbroke and
Mowbray. Bolingbroke had accused Mowbray of participating in
Gloucester's murder, and Richard summoned Bolingbroke to him
to address this concern. Richard as the king had unsuccessfully
tried to seek a peaceful solution and then had arbitrarily ordered a
trial by combat to resolve the issue. Of course, Richard was trying
to keep his own involvement in Gloucester's murder a secret.
Here, it is Bolingbroke who is faced with the question of
Gloucester's murder. Richard's inept handling of the earlier
quarrel contrasts unfavorably with Bolingbroke's efficiency and
presence of mind in this scene. The question regarding
Gloucester's death has never been resolved. When Bagot is
brought before parliament, he accuses Aumerle of arranging
Gloucester's murder. Aumerle denies the charge angrily. This
results in a rash of accusations and counter-accusations among the
lords present because the issue involves them as well.

Shakespeare follows this dispute with Carlisle's announcement of
Mowbray's death in Venice the year after he left England. But
Shakespeare shows Bolingbroke in firm control of the situation.
Historically, Henry IV allowed the issue of Gloucester's death to
lapse, and he pardoned Richard's courtly favorites. Here, it is
important for Bolingbroke to raise the issue of Gloucester's death
before parliament to show that he has been unfairly exiled. The
quarrel between the lords is depicted elaborately and realistically.
It recalls the verbal squabble between Bolingbroke and Mowbray
in the opening scenes of the play. Bolingbroke, who has changed,
remains calm throughout and only intervenes in an attempt to
pacify the nobles with the suggestion that they wait until
Mowbray can be recalled to England.

In the next few lines, York proclaims Bolingbroke king. The
ceremony is interrupted by the Bishop of Carlisle, who asserts
Richard's divine right to rule and prophesies a civil war if
Bolingbroke is crowned. The Bishop of Carlisle's speech is
extremely elaborate and stands out in stark contrast against the
blunt realism of Bolingbroke. The bishop warns that Richard's
deposition will have bloody consequences because it violates the
wishes of God: "O, if you raise this house against house, / It will
the woefullest division prove / That ever fell upon this curs'd
earth!"

The Bishop of Carlisle's prophesy is borne out by the later events
in the play. Shakespeare was profoundly aware of the effects of
Richard's deposition on the personal lives of the Englishmen.
Richard's deposition left the throne to be fought over by rival
claimants in a series of civil wars known as the Wars of the
Roses. These struggles ended only with the assumption of Henry
VII to the throne. Therefore, the moment at which Richard
removes the crown from his head and hands it over to
Bolingbroke is one that radically altered the course of English
history.

Northumberland (not Bolingbroke) interrupts the Bishop of
Carlisle and orders his arrest for treason. Bolingbroke then
summons Richard himself so that his accession as Henry IV may
be "without suspicion." Bolingbroke is thus aware of the dubious
origins of his power and demonstrates that in this atmosphere of
corruption and intrigue, he wants to assume power in an open,
public fashion.

It is the former king, however, who dominates this scene. Richard
gives a dramatic performance as a deposed king and a humiliated
man. He sees himself as Christ, who has been betrayed by many
Judases. With Richard's arrival on stage, the note of treachery and
betrayal becomes more intense. Richard takes the crown in his
hands and bids Bolingbroke to take it from him. His willingness
to dramatize his own situation contrasts with Bolingbroke's
hesitancy to assume power. The crown itself becomes an
important prop, with each man holding either side of it in a
physical manifestation of the transfer of kingship. Richard
compares the crown to a deep well which has two buckets. This is
a metaphorical rendering of his own situation: "That bucket down
and full of tears am I, / Drinking my griefs, whilst you mount up
on high." Richard refers to himself as the bucket filled with tears.
He is about to be deposed while Bolingbroke is going to ascend
the throne.

When Bolingbroke asks Richard, "Are you contented to resign the
crown?," he answers indecisively: "Ay, no. No, ay." His wavering
and indecisiveness is part of his deliberate performance since he
knows the extent of Bolingbroke's power. Finally, Richard hands
over the crown and sceptre to Bolingbroke: "I give this heavy
weight from off my head, / And this unwieldy sceptre from my
hand, / The pride of kingly sway from out my heart." This speech
turns his deposition into a deliberate ritual which the lords are
forced to watch. Richard enumerates the symbols of his power as
he hands them over. The action halts for this moment so that
audience may grasp the enormity of the process.

Next, Northumberland demands that Richard read a list of
accusations levied against him. But Richard refuses to do so.
Northumberland's action serves to enlarge the personal tragedy of
Richard and puts it in the proper perspective of a national tragedy
involving many lives. Richard's renunciation of the crown has
drawn sympathy for him from all quarters. He appears less as an
absolute monarch who had to be deposed than as a pitifully
betrayed king. Northumberland requires him to read the list so
that the justice of the deposition can be brought before parliament.
But Richard's refusal is calculated to win sympathy and to
reinforce the sense that Richard has been betrayed and deserted by
his subjects. Richard wishes to project himself as a sacrificial
victim. The theme of betrayal also involves the idea of self-
betrayal. Richard has betrayed himself by his carelessness before
being betrayed by others. He refuses to read the list of charges,
claiming that he cannot see through his tear-filled eyes. He
pathetically compares himself with Bolingbroke: "O, that I were a
mockery king of snow, / Standing before the sun of Bolingbroke, /
To melt myself away in water drops!" This reverses the imagery
which associated Richard with fire and sun and Bolingbroke with
water and flood in Act I, Scene 1.

Richard then demands a mirror and begins another theatrical
performance. This is his most decidedly artificial and self-
conscious pose. This action intricately blends display of the self
with self-introspection. The mirror is a conventional symbol of
ambiguity. The mirror provides only a surface reflection and does
not probe the inner depths, thereby yielding a false image.
Furthermore, only the vain use a mirror in front of everybody else.
While mirrors do tell the truth, they can be misleading. Richard
hopes that the mirror will reflect the depths of his misery. He
studies his features in the mirror with a tragic pathos. His words
are intensely poetic and recall Marlowe's Dr. Faustus, where
Faustus asks the ghost of Helen of Troy, "Was this the face that
launched a thousand ships?" Similarly, Richard asks, "Was this
face the face / That every day under his household roof / Did keep
ten thousand men? Was this the face / That like the sun, did make
the beholders wink?"

What Richard sees in the mirror is just his outward appearance,
and not reality. While his first two questions are addressed to
himself, the remaining one (regarding Bolingbroke's victory) is
aimed at his audience in an effort to make them realize the
enormity of their crime in deposing a king. Bolingbroke, who has
tolerated this dramatic self-display, quietly tells Richard, "The
shadow of your sorrow hath destroyed / The shadow of your
face." The shadow cast by his sorrow and grief covers the shadow
of his face. Bolingbroke had meant to be sarcastic, but Richard
takes the meaning literally: his face may be sad, but the real
tragedy lies within. Bolingbroke actually meant that false sorrow
has destroyed Richard's false public face. Richard's poetic display
is over. The last exchanges between Henry and Richard are short
and to the point. Bolingbroke announces that his coronation will
take place the following Wednesday.

The scene ends with the Abbot of Westminster, Aumerle and the
Bishop of Carlisle plotting to overthrow Bolingbroke and reinstate
Richard. England has truly been reduced to a state of disorder.

ACT V, SCENE 1

By the opening of the last act, there is a certain lowering of the
dramatic tension, since the central contrast between Richard and
Bolingbroke has already been fully established. The action moves
forward rapidly towards its anticipated outcome. This scene
presents Richard's last meeting with his queen. It marks the steady
progress of his decline. Richard has always seen himself as a
performer before an audience. In this scene, however, he is
confronted with his own self. He is seen in his private role as a
man who is bidding farewell to his wife perhaps for the last time.
This situation gives the scene an intense emotional content. The
degeneration of Richard's appearance is evident from the queen's
first words when she sees Richard approaching. There is a vast
difference between Richard's present state and that of his former
self. The queen remarks that the "fair rose" (Richard) has
withered. The Richard who had dazzled all who looked upon him
has now become a pathetic figure. The queen calls Richard in his
present state "King Richard's tomb, / And not King Richard." She
compares Richard to a "beauteous-inn" whose lodger is hard-
favor'd grief." Thus Richard has greatly changed from his former
glorious self. She contrasts Richard with Bolingbroke, who is
"common," but that same quality has won Bolingbroke popularity
with the people and smoothed his path to the throne.

When the queen sees Richard approaching, she instructs her
attendants to look at him so that they may dissolve to dew out of
pity for his decline and "wash him fresh again with true-love
tears." This outpouring sets the tone for much of the scene. But
her pity is soon transformed into anger, and she chides Richard
for showing such meekness and helplessness in the face of
adversity. She demands of him whether Bolingbroke has also
deposed his intellect and the capacity to reason coherently.
Richard has undergone a radical alteration both physically and
mentally. This change angers the queen, who tries to rouse his
drooping confidence through reproach. She tries to instigate him
into taking some action by telling him that even a dying lion does
not surrender easily and wounds the earth with his paw to express
his rage at being overpowered. She is amazed at what in effect
amounts to Richard's conspiracy with his own fate. She taunts
him, saying "wilt thou, pupil-like, / Take thy correction mildly,
kiss the rod, / And fawn on rage with base humility, / Which art a
lion and a king of beasts." Richard's reply is that he has been "a
king of beasts indeed; if aught but beasts, / (he) had been still a
happy king of men."

To Richard his former glory appears to be a happy dream" from
which he has been awakened to the rude reality of his present
state, "to the truth of what (he is)." He luxuriates in his grief as he
instructs Isabel to tell old folks sitting by the fire on tedious
winter nights the sorrowful tale of his life and send them to their
beds weeping. He almost seems to be enjoying his role as a
wrongly deposed king and wallows in self-pity.

These melancholy ruminations are suddenly interrupted by the
entrance of Northumberland, who returns the scene to harsh
reality. He has come to convey Richard to Pomfret Castle and
tells Isabel to return to her native France. This infuriates Richard,
who denounces Northumberland for being the means through
which Bolingbroke ascended the throne. Richard's reaction is
almost prophetic in tone, and he warns Northumberland that he
foresees an era of discord caused by the enmity that will arise
between Northumberland and Bolingbroke. Richard warns him: "
. . . thou shalt think, / Though he divide the realm and give thee
half, / It is too little, helping him to all; / And he shall think that
thou, which know'st the way / To plant unrightful kings, wilt
know again, / Being ne'er so little urged, another way / To pluck
him headlong from the usurped throne."

Usurpation breeds rebellion because the forces who helped the
usurper for their own selfish ends soon become dissatisfied, and
disorder eventually engulfs the entire nation. Richard presents a
picture of the ruthless nature of politics in the world of "beasts."
This speech also anticipates the action of the Henry IV plays,
where Henry is perpetually tortured by the fear of deposition. This
is the first time that Richard has voiced this theme so concretely.
Northumberland grimly accepts Richard's prophetic vision with a
curt " My guilt be on my head, and there an end." He obviously
does not wish to argue with Richard.

The final parting of Richard and Queen Isabel is depicted along
conventional lines, with the king praying the queen to be brief in
her wooing sorrow and then kissing her twice to delay the
farewell.

ACT V, SCENE 2

This scene depicts the consequences of the deposition on an
individual family, as revealed by the domestic squabble that
erupts in the York household. It demonstrates the complexity of
the issue of loyalty: is York is correct in being loyal to the crown,
or is Aumerle right to be loyal to Richard? Does Aumerle owe
loyalty to his father? There is also the example of the duchess,
who is fiercely loyal to her family and does not want her husband
to report their son's involvement in a crime.

The scene opens with York narrating the different receptions
accorded to Bolingbroke and Richard when they came to London.
While the commoners hailed Bolingbroke and prayed for his
happiness, they threw dust and rubbish on Richard's head. York's
description of the contrasted entries of Richard and Bolingbroke
highlights Richard's devastation. It also underlines Bolingbroke's
political submission to the commoners as he thanks them for their
blessings. There is again a sense of display and performance
associated with Richard in York's description of the way the
crowd of the commoners turned its attention from Richard to the
new king; it is said to have happened "as in a theater." Running
through York's narration is also a touch of Christian compassion
for the unfortunate. There is a reference made to the badges of
grief, patience and sorrow, which characterize Richard's
countenance.

York sees these events as being divinely ordained and thus
transfers his fealty to Bolingbroke. York's shift of loyalty is a
result of long thought and deliberation. He had earlier
acknowledged that two conflicting claims were tearing him apart.
When Bolingbroke arrived in England, York had denounced him
as a traitor for violating the sentence of exile. But he is also
sympathetic to Bolingbroke because of Richard's unwarranted
confiscation of his titles and property. York is critical of the way
Richard farmed England for his own profit. York's final decision
is to transfer his loyalty to the new king. His character shows
devotion struggling with exasperation at the corruption and
incompetence of Richard. Some commentators have seen York as
a political opportunist who casts his lot with the winning side after
seeing Boilingbroke's strength. But York has to be judged within
the framework of the entire play. His loyalty is not to an
individual king but to the country and the crown.

When York discovers his son, Aumerle, plotting against Henry,
he vows to reveal the conspiracy to the king. Historically this plot
was hatched in December of 1399. The Earls of Aumerle, Exeter
and Surrey, along with Salisbury, the Bishop of Carlisle and other
friends and supporters of Richard, met at the Abbot of
Westminster's house and plotted to murder Bolingbroke and his
sons and to restore the deposed Richard to the throne. The revolt
took place in January but failed miserably. Henry was warned in
time, and his army squelched the conspirators.

Shakespeare is concerned here with the issue of conflict within
the family and with political obedience. Thus he focuses on
Aumerle's part in the rebellion of the earls. Historical accounts
reveal that Aumerle (Rutland) had betrayed Richard first in
Wales. He had then betrayed Henry in London, and finally, he
betrayed his fellow earls. Shakespeare omits Aumerle's betrayal
of Richard and makes him a firm supporter. Thus Aumerle's
participation in the earls' rebellion appears as devoted loyalty to
his former king. Shakespeare is not simply reporting historical
events but using the discretion of a dramatist to shape characters
and events.

Shakespeare also makes Aumerle's betrayal of the earls seem to
be the result of pressure by his parents. This sense is heightened
by the duchess of York's excessive maternal concern for her only
son. In actual life, however, the duchess was York's second wife
and Aumerle's stepmother. Aumerle also had a younger brother.

It is difficult to condemn Aumerle's loyalty to Richard since the
source of Bolingbroke's power and authority as a king is dubious.
He has no right to govern because he has seized the throne by
deposing Richard, who was God's anointed king. Another point to
consider is York's over-energetic readiness in sacrificing his own
blood for a usurper who has only used him as a means to reach the
throne. York's action is motivated by fear. Distrust and fear
become the order of the day under Bolingbroke's rule.

ACT V, SCENE 3

The scene opens with Henry lamenting about his truant son,
Prince Hal. Henry suggests that his son is a "plague" who is
tormenting him for his sinful act of deposing a king anointed by
God. This theme of a son acting as a punishment for the sins of
the father is a common one in Shakespeare's later plays. The only
consolation for Henry are the "sparks of better hope" which he
glimpses in Hal. The Henry IV plays depict Hal in a favorable
light, and his activities in the streets and taverns of London throw
into greater relief the baseness which surrounds him. The action
of the later Henry plays is thus foreshadowed in this scene.

Aumerle's hurried entrance returns the play to the main line of
action. Aumerle's confession of his part in the conspiracy is
interrupted by the arrival of York. York is overeager to prove his
loyalty. He actively dissuades Henry from pardoning Aumerle. He
in fact insists that Henry punish the treacherous Aumerle, warning
him of dire consequences if he does not do so: "If thou do pardon,
whosoever pray, / More sins for this forgiveness prosper may."
There is an element of irrational fear and panic in York's
insistence that Aumerle be punished.

Henry does pardon Aumerle, thus showing that he possesses the
necessary degree of mercy expected of a monarch. But he does
not forgive the other conspirators and orders their execution.
Henry's actions thus reveal justice tempered with mercy.

ACT V, SCENE 4

This short scene is a piece of dramatic reportage. The audience is
informed that Exton has resolved to kill Richard because he has
misinterpreted Henry's words.

ACT V, SCENE 5

This scene focuses on Richard's last long soliloquy in his prison
cell at Pomfret Castle. His soliloquy contains the essence of his
personal tragedy. He is alone for the first time and does not have
any audience to perform for. He does not have any role to play
and thus is forced into a confrontation with his own self. This
final soliloquy has been greatly appreciated by critics. Richard is
in a contemplative mood and establishes a parallel between his
prison cell and the outside world. He realizes that the world is
populated, while he is alone in his cell. But imagination comes to
his rescue, and he discovers that he has made a world of his own
thoughts.

There is birth imagery, which recalls Queen Isabel's words when
she attempts to trace the source of her grief after Richard's
departure for Ireland. Richard's brain acts as the female to his
soul, the father, to produce "a generation of still-breeding
thoughts" that make up his world. This emphasis on populating
his world with thoughts reinforces the sense of Richard as an actor
who needs to perform. When he was king, his courtly favorites
served as his audience. Now his thoughts are his audience. But
Richard cannot be satisfied with this freedom of the imagination.
He realizes that it is a hard task to be the king of his own mind.
Each thought is accompanied by its opposite. This theme of
contrary states of being has been running through the entire play.
Richard attempts to arrive at an understanding of his own self
through
his soliloquy. His outpouring is the expression of true feeling. He
states that rationalizations are like false flatterers and ultimately
serve no purpose:

"Thoughts tending to content flatter themselves
That they are not the first of fortune's slaves,
Nor shall not be the last ; like silly beggars
Who, sitting in the stocks, refuge their shame,
That many have and others must sit there;

And in this thought they find a kind of ease,
Bearing their own misfortunes on the back
Of such as have before endured the like."

Richard goes on to say that he has played the roles of many
people in his life: "play I in one person many people." He has
played the role of the king, but the fear of treason makes him wish
the role of a beggar. But crushing penury makes him wish himself
a king again. When he is made a king again, he fears deposition
by Bolingbroke and being reduced to nothing. This is the tragedy
of the human condition: no man is truly happy and satisfied in
life, and is released from pain only in death: "But whate'er I be, /
Nor I, nor any man that but man is, / With nothing shall be
pleased, till he be eased / With being nothing."

This is ironic, since Richard's own death is closer than he realizes.
He is an ordinary mortal now that he is no longer the king.
Shakespeare uses music as an indication that Richard has arrived
at the knowledge of his own self. Music leads Richard to meditate
on time. Music irritates Richard because his mind is out of tune
with it, as it is occupied with discordant thoughts. Richard realizes
that he has wasted time, and now time is wasting him. There
follows a deep meditation on time:

"For now hath time made me his numbering clock:
My thoughts are minutes, and with sighs they jar
Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch,
Whereto my finger, like a dial's point,
Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears."

Richard acknowledges that he has not kept to the true time. He
repents his idleness. He once again lapses into self-pity, as in Acts
III and IV, with his "sighs and tears and groans." His thoughts
revert to Bolingbroke, and he orders the music to be stopped. He
suddenly blesses the musician because he thinks he is playing
music out of love for Richard.

Richard's meeting with the groom serves to contrast his present
self with his former glory as the king. His conversation with the
stable groom reveals humility, which is new to his character. This
shows that there is some degree of regeneration of his character.
He has shown a remarkable degree of introspection in his
soliloquy and has finally arrived at a knowledge of the self.

In actual life Richard died a month after the rebellion by the earls.
The exact manner of his death is unknown. He had been held
secretly in a castle in Yorkshire. It is possible that he may have
starved himself or been starved to death. A surviving deposed
king constituted a constant threat to the successor. It is more than
likely that he was killed at Henry's orders or by people who
wanted to oblige Henry and seek favors from him. Whether or not
Henry ordered Richard's death, he was certainly indirectly
responsible for it. In Shakespeare's play Richard is assassinated by
an unknown person, Sir Exton Piers, who misinterprets Henry's
words. Before dying, Richard kills two servants who accompany
Exton. This is a belated burst of heroism.

ACT V, SCENE 6

The mood of the final scene is one of foreboding. The
consequences of Richard's deposition as prophesied by him play
themselves out. Bolingbroke's usurpation has not brought peace
and stability in the realm. The account of the conspiracy hatched
against Henry is greatly compressed in lines amounting to
dramatic reportage. There is a long list of names and epithets
applied to persons who do not actually appear themselves on
stage. There is some stress laid on the Abbot of Westminster
because he was the chief architect of the plot. He dies out of sheer
melancholy and grief at their failure to kill Bolingbroke. In actual
historical terms it is not possible to determine the extent of the
Abbot's involvement with the plot.

This scene is filled with predictions of doom. Images of violence
and disharmony abound: the town of Cicester is gutted, there are
six beheadings, Carlisle is imprisoned for life, Exton is banished
and Richard's corpse destroys Henry's peace of mind. The play
ends on a note of possible redemption as Henry vows to go on a
voyage to the Holy Land to expiate his sins.

OVERALL ANALYSES

CHARACTERS

Richard II

Richard's character dominates the play. The transfer of power
serves only as a kind of background to the figure of Richard
himself. Shakespeare's chief interest lies in Richard's personality
and his reaction to events. The play is in fact a personal tragedy,
which focuses on the decline of the fortunes of its protagonist,
rather than on the course of events or the development of any
abstract philosophy or idea. At the beginning of the play, Richard
is shown to be outwardly self-confident but inwardly corrupt, as
he is implicated in the murder of his own uncle, Gloucester. He
thus has the legal but not the moral right to govern because his
hands are stained with royal blood. Richard is a poetic and
intensely charming man but a fatally weak monarch. He is ill
equipped to carry out the responsibilities of the office of kingship
to which his birth has entitled him. He fails in the observance of
his royal duties because he is unable to follow any decisive course
of action and changes his mind arbitrarily. His character is
essentially fixed from the start and is gradually revealed as the
play progresses from scene to scene. There is not much significant
development, as in the case of Bolingbroke.

Richard's character is closely modeled on the conventional
features of a tragic protagonist as outlined by Aristotle. Richard's
tragic flaw is his unshakable belief in his own quasi-divinity. He
also suffers from self-destructive arrogance, which the Greeks
called hubris (excessive pride). At the beginning of the play,
Richard's glamour is physical: he is like the king in a tapestry,
dazzling and bewitching to everybody he looks upon. The
opening scene of the play shows him in his dual roles as king and
man trying to settle a quarrel between Bolingbroke and Mowbray
over the question of Gloucester's death. This scene is very sketchy
as far as Richard's character is concerned. He does not say much
and what he does say is in his role as a king arbitrating between
the warring lords. He conducts himself excellently at first, when
he promises impartiality to both the men. Richard tries his utmost
to seek a peaceful solution to the dispute and dissuades both
Bolingbroke and Mowbray from accepting the challenge of a
duel. But he suddenly changes his mind, showing his impulsive
nature, and orders a trial by combat, thereby contradicting his
earlier aim of avoiding bloodshed. When the day of the duel
arrives, Richard observes all the formalities associated with the
tournament until the very last moment, when he dramatically
throws down his warder as an indication to stop the proceedings.
He has again abruptly changed his mind. The manner in which he
stops the duel testifies to his love of drama. In a Machiavellian
move Richard gets rid of both Bolingbroke and Mowbray by
banishing them: Bolingbroke for ten years and Mowbray for life.
Richard is both a bully and a coward. He cowers when faced with
difficulties and banishes the two men for no concrete reason.
From this point onwards, Richard's character undergoes a decline.
He is shown to be morally depraved and high-handed. He farms
his realm for taxes and issues blank charters to the wealthy
nobles. Richard behaves arrogantly to his dying uncle, Gaunt, and
dismisses him as a "lunatic lean-witted fool." He unscrupulously
confiscates the property that belongs by the laws of succession to
Bolingbroke. As York points out, Richard is himself engineering
his own downfall by violating the laws of primogeniture upon
which his own claim to kingship depends. His seizure of Gaunt's
property to finance the Irish wars seals his fate and marks the
beginning of a decline from which there is no turning back.

Richard despairs prematurely, and despite the efforts of Aumerle
and the Bishop of Carlisle to rouse his drooping spirits, he fails to
take any positive action. The news that he has been deserted by all
his friends and supporters, including York, proves too much for
him to bear and leads to a dreary speech. He announces his
decision to go to Flint Castle and pine away his remaining days.
His collapse is unremitting and fatal. He surrenders
unconditionally to Bolingbroke. Richard increasingly turns from
the real world to imagined glory and becomes a poetic dawdler
who seems to luxuriate in his own grief. He is finally captured by
Bolingbroke and brought to London. His abdication is likewise
marked by high drama and theatricality. He seems to conspire in
his own downfall, as he offers absolutely no resistance. There is
some degree of regeneration of his character. Undoubtedly,
Richard sinned by his abject and unconditional surrender to
Bolingbroke because he not only abdicated the office of kingship,
but he also shunned his responsibilities as the deputy of God on
earth. The outcome of this sinful act can only be death. But in his
farewell to his queen, Richard exemplifies stoic resignation,
which enables him to endure his fate. In his prison at Pomfret
Castle, Richard becomes more introspective and gains a new
understanding of his situation. His conversation with the groom
reveals that he has become more humble.

Henry Bolingbroke

Bolingbroke's character serves as a contrast to Richard's. He is a
practical and ambitious man who replaces the weak, poetic and
much more charming Richard on the throne. While Richard's
character is fixed from the start and revealed piecemeal from
scene to scene, Bolingbroke's character develops from simplicity
to complexity as he reacts to the changing situations. Richard's
character is that of a performer. Bolingbroke, on the contrary, is
an introvert who has to be coaxed by Gaunt to speak after Richard
has banished him from England for six years. At the beginning of
the play, Bolingbroke is hardly distinguished from the other
quarreling lords such as Mowbray. His adherence of the chivalric
code of honor appears almost absurd. Even when Richard
arbitrarily stops the proceedings of the duel at Coventry and
banishes him along with Mowbray, Bolingbroke meekly accepts it
as his fate. He is a loyal subject, who believes that kings are
divinely ordained and that they must be obeyed despite their
capriciousness and cruelty. Bolingbroke thus appears to be a
reluctant rebel. It is only after his father's death and the
confiscation of the property that rightfully belongs to him that
Bolingbroke violates the sentence of his exile and comes to
England with an army of three thousand men. Even at this point
Bolingbroke is only concerned with the restitution of his property
and displays no desire to usurp the throne.

His ambition grows as opportunities present themselves. At no
point in the play can he be condemned as a traitor or denounced as
a usurper who forcefully seizes the crown from Richard. In fact,
Richard practically gives him the crown, along with all the cares
associated with kingship. Bolingbroke does not make use of force
or diplomacy to wrench away the crown from Richard.
Bolingbroke's character develops to that of a mature arbiter as he
settles the quarrel among gage-throwing nobles who spit
accusations at one another in Act IV, Scene 1. He smoothes the
quarrel between York and his son, Aumerle, later in Act V, Scene
3. The contrast between the characters of Bolingbroke and
Richard is evident in the deposition scene, where Bolingbroke
remains calm and speaks in curt and clipped sentences. Richard,
by contrast, launches into poetic and unbalanced speeches,
glorying in self-pity and playing the part of a tragically wronged
king. Bolingbroke is aware of the magnitude of his crime in
deposing Richard, who is the agent of God on earth. He knows
that the source of his power will be dubious and that he cannot
count on the unquestioned loyalty of his subjects. But in contrast
to Richard, Bolingbroke is aware of his duties and responsibilities
as king. In the last scenes of the play, the audience sees that
Bolingbroke is plagued by the same problems that Richard faced.
There are glimpses of rebellion and conspiracies. Bolingbroke
sees the waywardness of his son, Prince Hal, as the punishment
for his sin of deposing the king. When Exton brings him Richard's
corpse, his moral certainty collapses, and he shows concern for
his own moral state and that of the country. He vows to make a
voyage to the Holy Land to repent for his crime. Thus, by the
play's end, Bolingbroke acquires the characteristics which one
might associate with Richard. He becomes self-absorbed to the
point of madness, and his hands are soiled with royal blood.

John of Gaunt

Gaunt emerges as a well-meaning and sagacious uncle of Richard.
His character is imbued with dignity. He is the representative of
the ideals of the old England of Edward III. He is an impartial
judge and does not favor his son, Bolingbroke, during the meeting
of the parliamentary council when it decides to banish him. He is
loyal to Richard. When he nears his death, he rebukes young
Richard for his irresponsibility in administering royal revenue.
His speech, glorifying England and comparing the former demi-
paradise with the disastrous state it has become under Richard,
puts the political theme of the play in the foreground. Gaunt
serves as Shakespeare's spokesperson and as a trusted
commentator on events.

The Duke of York

York ranks third in importance among the characters. He shows
political insight in his comment to Gaunt that counseling and
rebuking Richard is futile: "Direct not him whose way himself
will choose" (II, 1). He shares Gaunt's horror at the way Richard
is using England for his own profit, but he believes that the king
should be excused because he is young and it is common
knowledge that "young hot colts do rage the more." He is left in
control of England as Lord Protector when Richard goes to
Ireland. He is overwhelmed by the responsibilities of this position
and is too old and weak to meet the demands of the job. Although
he denounces Bolingbroke as a traitor for violating his sentence of
exile and appearing in England with his army, he submits to him.
He is torn by two conflicting claims of loyalty and kinship.
Finally, he casts his lot with Bolingbroke. Later he reveals his
son, Aumerle's, implication in the plot to murder the new king at
Oxford. York's loyalty is contrasted with his son's shiftiness. York
subordinates his fatherly feelings to his loyalty and patriotism.
Some critics view York as a weak, indecisive man, while others
hold the opposite view and see him as doggedly loyal to the
country and the crown, irrespective of who is the king. Some have
seen York as representing England, Christian magnanimity and
the principle of stoicism.

Queen Isabel

The Queen is an excellent example of a stock Shakespearean
female: a young, naive girl whose main role is to suffer. Isabel
says and does little. In fact she stands on the periphery of events.
She is informed of Richard's capture by a gardener. She is ignored
and patronizingly treated by Richard and apparently spends her
time with courtiers. In actual life Richard's queen was a child of
nine, and although the queen in the play is an adult, she displays
the pitiful naiveté of a child.

PLOT

Aristotle stated that tragedy is "an imitation of an action that is
complete in itself, as a whole of some magnitude . . . A whole is
that which has beginning, middle and end." According to the
classic Aristotelian conventions, Richard II does not have a real
beginning, as it starts in medias res. There is no Chorus or any
expository conversation among waiting nobles and minor
characters, as in other plays of Shakespeare. The audience is
plunged into the midst of a quarrel between two warring lords.
The play has a coherent middle, and some critics hold that the
play's central experience is in that middle (Acts III and IV).
Richard steadily slips into disaster because of the force of
circumstances and his own shortcomings. His downfall is the
result of two factors: the quarrel between Bolingbroke and
Mowbray, which he mishandles, and York's transference of
loyalty to Bolingbroke. Structurally speaking, the play's action
moves forward in four distinct stages: Richard as the king (Act I,
Scene 1 to Act III, Scene 3); the transfer of power to Bolingbroke
(Act III, Scenes 3 & 4); the deposition of Richard by Bolingbroke
(Act IV, Scene 1); Bolingbroke as king (Act V).

At the start of the play, Richard is an absolute monarch who has a
firm belief in his divine right to rule. Bolingbroke accuses
Mowbray of complicity in Gloucester's murder and is challenged
to a duel by Mowbray. It is hinted indirectly that Richard is
responsible for the crime in question. In Act II, Gaunt plainly
states that Richard himself is implicated in the murder of
Gloucester but says that he cannot act against the deputy of God
on earth. Bolingbroke and Mowbray are arbitrarily banished.
When John of Gaunt dies and Richard confiscates his property to
finance the Irish wars, Bolingbroke returns from exile, and a civil
war is declared. Richard is deserted by his supporters one by one,
and he sinks into despair. Finally, he is captured by Bolingbroke
and brought to London. He abdicates and is imprisoned in
Pomfret Castle. Meanwhile, a rebellion is planned against
Bolingbroke by the Abbot of Westminster, the Bishop of Carlisle
and Aumerle. The plot is revealed to Bolingbroke by York.
Although Aumerle is lucky to gain a pardon from Bolingbroke,
the other conspirators are not spared. Exton misinterprets
Bolingbroke's words and kills Richard. He is banished, and
Bolingbroke vows to go on a voyage to the Holy Land to atone for
his deeds. Thus, while the tragic action progresses and one king
succeeds another, there is a repetition of events so that the plot
movement is almost cyclical.

In the first act Richard struggles vainly to deal with his quarreling
nobles, and in Act IV, Scene 1, Bolingbroke has to contend with
the same behavior from the nobles. Similarly, the play begins with
a king who is guilty of the murder of his own uncle and ends with
the new king, also partly responsible for the murder of his cousin
and former king. Richard had been plagued by the Irish rebellion
and countless conspiracies. Likewise Bolingbroke has to deal with
rebellions and conspiracies in Act V, Scenes 3 and 6.

THEMES

The play is a moving portrayal of a king's downfall. Its main
theme is the deposition of an anointed but unworthy king. The
play is also an analysis of why this downfall occurred. In it
Shakespeare poses some of the greatest questions troubling the
Renaissance age. Shakespeare considers the issue of kingship and
all the problems posed by it. He examines the notion of a perfect
king, the limits to the powers of an absolute monarch, the legal
and moral legitimacy of deposing a bad and inefficient king, and
the consequences of deposition. Richard's downfall is cast in
political terms. He has been unable to perform the duties of
kingship for which his birth has made him responsible. Although
he is charming as a man, he fails miserably in his public role as a
king. His birth has placed him in a position that requires him to
wield a political power of which he is not capable. He is unable to
follow any decisive course of action and thus fails in his kingly
duties.

His adversary, Bolingbroke, is equipped with exactly those
qualities that Richard lacks. Shakespeare highlights Richard's
incompetence and unpopularity among the commoners, as well as
among the nobility. By contrast, Bolingbroke is steadfast and has
a talent for winning support. Shakespeare makes Richard
responsible for his own deposition and thus declares
independence from the medieval conception of tragedy, which
depicted man's downfall as the result of the force of circumstance
and destiny. Richard has perhaps deposed himself. This view is
brought out by York's denunciation of Richard's actions after
Richard seizes the property that belongs to Bolingbroke. York
makes it clear that Richard himself is violating the laws of
primogeniture, upon which his own right to kingship depends.
Thus Richard, and not Bolingbroke, first disrupts the order of the
state.

The play is also concerned with the fall of England. The fates of
the characters are intertwined with the fate of England. The fall of
Richard, brought about by the willful rebellion of Bolingbroke,
and the curse that it brings on the Lancaster line and on England,
is the uniting theme of Shakespeare's tetralogy, which includes
Henry IV (Parts I & II) and Henry V. Richard's fall leads directly
to other disasters and represents the end of the Middle Ages. The
theme of the play may thus be said to be the fall of England and
its triumphant regeneration. Gaunt's famous dying speech, in
which he describes the lost England as a demi-paradise, makes
England the play's subject.

OTHER ELEMENTS

STYLE

There are three styles featured in the versification of the play.
These include rhyme, mainly in the form of couplets, and two
kinds of blank verse: that which is used in the deposition scene
and that which is used earlier. The early blank verse is diverse in
texture and consists of flat sentences, as in the following example,
spoken by Bolingbroke: "Can no one tell me of my unthrifty
son?" (V, 6). The couplets also show variation in quality, although
it is not immediately apparent. The play is written in the
Elizabethan High-Renaissance manner. The language of the queen
in the following passage is representative of this style:

Bushy: 'Tis nothing but conceit, my gracious lady.
Queen: 'Tis nothing less: conceit is still deriv'd
From some forefather grief; mine is not so,
For nothing hath begot my something grief,
Or something hath the nothing that I grieve;

'Tis in reversion that I do possess
But what it is that is not yet known what,
I cannot name; 'tis nameless woe, I wot. (II, 2)