Shakespeare’s Richard II

E902971

Shakespeare’s Richard II is a historical tragedy by William Shakespeare that dramatizes the downfall of King Richard II and the rise of Henry Bolingbroke, exploring themes of kingship, legitimacy, and identity.

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Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf early modern English drama
history play
play
tragedy
approximateCompositionDate c. 1595
author William Shakespeare
centralTheme deposition of a monarch
divine right of kings
identity
kingship
legitimacy of rule
political rebellion
containsScene John of Gaunt’s “This royal throne of kings” speech
countryOfOrigin England
dramaticForm chronicle history
famousLine “For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground / And tell sad stories of the death of kings”
“I wasted time, and now doth time waste me”
“This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle”
featuresCharacter Bagot
Bishop of Carlisle
Bushy
Duke of Northumberland
Green
Thomas Mowbray
firstKnownPerformance late 16th century
followedBy Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 2
Henry V
linked to: Henry V (play)
genre history play
tragedy
historicalFigureDepicted Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV of England)
King Richard II of England
historicalSetting reign of King Richard II of England
literaryPeriod English Renaissance
mainCharacter Duke of Aumerle
Duke of York
Henry Bolingbroke
John of Gaunt
King Richard II
Queen Isabel
originalLanguage Early Modern English
partOf Shakespeare’s second historical tetralogy
plotFocus downfall of King Richard II
rise of Henry Bolingbroke
settingLocation England
Wales
structure five acts
timePeriodDepicted late 14th century
title Richard II
verseForm blank verse

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Raphael Holinshed influencedWork Shakespeare’s Richard II
Fiona Shaw notableWork Richard II (stage production)
linked to: Shakespeare’s Richard II
Henriad dramaticCycleOrder Richard II – Henry IV, Part 1 – Henry IV, Part 2 – Henry V
linked to: Shakespeare’s Richard II
Richard II containsScene John of Gaunt's "This royal throne of kings" speech
linked to: Shakespeare’s Richard II
Nahum Tate notableWork Richard II (adaptation)
linked to: Shakespeare’s Richard II