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Play
Richard II
Back from war in Ireland, a king finds his Welsh soldiers gone, his regent on the other side and a banished noble at the head of an army.
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The story
Shakespeare's history play opens with Henry Bolingbroke accusing Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, of embezzling royal funds and plotting the Duke of Gloucester's death. King Richard stops their duel and banishes both men. When Bolingbroke's father, John of Gaunt, dies after criticising Richard's rule, the king seizes his estates to pay for war in Ireland, and Bolingbroke returns from exile to claim his inheritance.
In the room
Written entirely in verse, it gives its quarrels, pleas and laments a formal, ceremonial voice, while the question of who holds royal authority keeps shifting and the nobles change sides around the king.
Good fit if you like
English royal history, struggles over power and succession, and plays written wholly in verse.
Details
- From 10 Feb 2025
Running time not recorded.
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Cast & crew
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