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Richard II

by William Shakespeare

History

Richard II opens with Mowbray and Bolingbroke accusing each other of treason

in front of Richard. He attempts to make the two noblemen make peace, but is unable to

control them. Instead, Richard agrees to let them hold a medieal trial by combat in

which the two men will fight to see who is right.

!n the day of the trial, Richard allows the ceremony to proceed right up until the

noblemen actually start fighting. He symbolically allows his warder "a staff representing

that he is king# fall to the ground. $he ceremony is halted and Richard takes oer. He

orders Mowbray to be permanently banished from %ngland, and banishes Bolingbroke for

ten years. Mowbray leaes, and Richard then &uickly reduces Bolingbroke's sentence to

only si( years in an effort to make )ohn of *aunt happier.

+fter Bolingbroke is gone, Richard starts to prepare his army for a war with

Ireland. Howeer, because he lacks money, Richard tells his men to start issuing forced

loans on the nobles, and he also sells his right to ta(. !ne of Richard's allies, Bushy, tells

him that )ohn of *aunt is near dying. Richard &uickly calculates that he can seie *aunt's

estates to finance his war. He therefore goes to isit *aunt, who tells Richard that his

-fierce blae of riot cannot last- "./.00#. *aunt passes away soon thereafter, and Richardtakes oer the estate which legally should hae been inherited by Bolingbroke.

Bolingbroke meanwhile has organied an army and sailed northward. When he hears that

Richard has confiscated his estates, he uses the seiure as an e(cuse to inade %ngland.

Richard unfortunately leaes for Ireland unaware that Bolingbroke has landed on %nglish

soil. In 1ondon, the 2uke of 3ork is in power during Richard's absence, and he is forced

to go meet with Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke tells 3ork that he has only come to reclaim his

lands and nothing more.

Richard arries with his army in Wales only to discoer that the Welsh army has

disbanded and returned home. He is therefore unable to muster enough troops to actiely

fight with Bolingbroke. $o make matters worse, he is told that 3ork has ceded all of his

northern castles to Bolingbroke, thus making it impossible for Richard to defeat

Bolingbroke in a war.

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Richard disbands his army and goes to 4lint castle. Bolingbroke finds Richard's

allies, Bushy and *reen, and e(ecutes them. He then marches to 4lint castle and orders

Richard to return his lands and inheritance. Rather than defend the castle, Richard

chooses to come down from his position on top of the castle walls and meet Bolingbroke

directly. Bolingbroke kneels before him, but Richard makes his cousin stand up and tells

him that he will go with him to 1ondon.

!nce in 1ondon Bolingbroke realies that he must make Richard willingly gie

him the throne. He calls Richard before 5arliament so that nobles can watch what

happens. Richard brings his scepter and crown with him, and tells Bolingbroke to seie

the crown from him. Richard then inokes the image of the coronation ceremony, but

performs it in reerse, giing up his powers rather than assuming them. Bolingbroke

finally agrees to let Richard go, and sends him to the $ower of 1ondon.

Richard's 6ueen sees him being led to the $ower and tries to go with him, but

7orthumberland will not let her. Instead, she is sent to 4rance and Richard is sent north to

5omfret. Sir 5iers %(ton oerhears Bolingbroke remark that Richard is someone he fears.

%(ton therefore decides to go to 5omfret and kill Richard.

$he 2uke of 3ork's son, +umerle, arries home with a letter plotting against

Bolingbroke, who has already accepted the crown and become 8ing Henry I9. Howeer,

3ork snatches the letter from his son and denounces him as a traitor. 3ork then grabs a

horse and leaes to inform Henry about his son's act of treason. Both +umerle and the

2uchess of 3ork race to 1ondon in the hopes of arriing before 3ork and begging

forgieness from Henry. +umerle barely arries ahead of his father, and Henry chooses

to grant him mercy, although his fellow traitors are ordered killed.

%(ton arries in 5omfret where Richard is being held and attacks Richard. Richard

manages to grab a sword and kill two men before being mortally wounded himself. He

dies, and %(ton takes his body back to 1ondon for 8ing Henry I9 to see. Henry,

howeer, is not happy to see Richard dead, because it means that he will hae to defend

his throne against supporters of Richard who would not hae attacked him as long as

Richard remained alie. $he play ends with Henry owing to make a trip to the Holy

1and as a form of penance for allowing Richard to be killed.