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Richard II Full Book Summary. Richard II, written around 1595, is the first play in Shakespeare’s second “history tetralogy,” a series of four plays that chronicles the rise of the house of Lancaster to the British throne. Its sequel plays are Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; and Henry V. Richard II, set around the year 1398, traces ...
- Character List
A list of all the characters in Richard II. Richard II...
- Act 1: Scene 1
King Richard, with the help of Bolingbroke’s father John of...
- Study Guide
Probably written around 1595, Richard II is one of...
- Character List
Richard II Summary. New! Understand every line of Richard II . Read our modern English translation . Richard II begins with a dispute between Henry Bolingbroke, King Richard ’s cousin, and Thomas Mowbray. Both Henry and Mowbray accuse each other of treason, and Henry also accuses Mowbray of conspiring to murder the king’s uncle, the Duke of ...
A complete summary of William Shakespeare's Play, Richard II. Find out more about his poor rule as king, his loss of the crown and his eventual murder Summary of William Shakespeare's Richard II: Richard wastes money, steals land, and kills political rivals; people are angry and rebel; Henry becomes king.; he kills political rivals.
Plot Summary. Richard hears a dispute between Mowbray and Bolingbroke, each accusing the other of conspiracy in the Duke of Gloucester’s murder, and decides the matter must be settled by their single combat. The Duchess of Gloucester laments over her husband’s death to John of Gaunt.
Richard is imprisoned in Pontefract castle. Pierce of Exton murders him, wrongly believing that that was Henry’s wish. King Henry vows to make reparation for his cousin’s death by going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. And that’s a quick Richard II summary.
The story of Richard II was taken mainly from Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles. While much of the play is true to the facts of Richard’s life, Shakespeare’s account of his murder rests on no reliable authority. Richard begins the play as an extravagant, self-indulgent king.
