Richard II

Richard II

By William Shakespeare.

Table of Contents

1. Titlepage
2. Imprint
3. Dramatis Personae
4. Richard II
   1. Act I
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
   2. Act II
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
   3. Act III
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
   4. Act IV
      1. Scene I
   5. Act V
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
5. Colophon
6. Uncopyright

Imprint

This ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made possible by the public domain.

This particular ebook is based on a transcription produced for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and on digital scans available at the HathiTrust Digital Library.

The writing and artwork within are believed to be in the U.S. public domain, and Standard Ebooks releases this ebook edition under the terms in the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. For full license information, see the Uncopyright at the end of this ebook.

Standard Ebooks is a volunteer-driven project that produces ebook editions of public domain literature using modern typography, technology, and editorial standards, and distributes them free of cost. You can download this and other ebooks carefully produced for true book lovers at standardebooks.org.

Dramatis Personae

• King Richard the Second

• John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, uncle to the king

• Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, uncle to the king

• Henry, surnamed Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, son to John of Gaunt; afterwards King Henry IV

• Duke of Aumerle, son to the Duke of York

• Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk

• Duke of Surrey

• Earl of Salisbury

• Lord Berkeley

• Bushy, servant to King Richard

• Bagot, servant to King Richard

• Green, servant to King Richard

• Earl of Northumberland

• Henry Percy, surnamed Hotspur, his son

• Lord Ross

• Lord Willoughby

• Lord Fitzwater

• Bishop of Carlisle

• Abbot of Westminster

• Lord Marshal

• Sir Stephen Scroop

• Sir Pierce of Exton

• Captain of a band of Welshmen

• Queen to King Richard

• Duchess of York

• Duchess of Gloucester

• Lady attending on the Queen

• Lords, heralds, officers, soldiers, two gardeners, keeper, messenger, groom, and other attendants

Scene: England and Wales.

Richard II

Act I

Scene I

London. King Richard’s palace.

	Enter King Richard, John of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.
King Richard	Old John of Gaunt, time-honour’d Lancaster, Hast thou, according to thy oath and band, Brought hither Henry Hereford thy bold son, Here to make good the boisterous late appeal, Which then our leisure would not let us hear, Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?
Gaunt	I have, my liege.
King Richard	Tell me, moreover, hast thou sounded him, If he appeal the duke on ancient malice; Or worthily, as a good subject should, On some known ground of treachery in him?
Gaunt	As near as I could sift him on that argument, On some apparent danger seen in him Aim’d at your highness, no inveterate malice.
King Richard	Then call them to our presence; face to face, And frowning brow to brow, ourselves will hear The accuser and the accused freely speak: High-stomach’d are they both, and full of ire, In rage deaf as the sea, hasty as fire.
	Enter Bolingbroke and Mowbray.
Bolingbroke	Many years of happy days befal My gracious sovereign, my most loving liege!
Mowbray	Each day still better other’s happiness; Until the heavens, envying earth’s good hap, Add an immortal title to your crown!
King Richard	We thank you both: yet one but flatters us, As well appeareth by the cause you come; Namely, to appeal each other of high treason. Cousin of Hereford, what dost thou object Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?
Bolingbroke	First, heaven be the record to my speech! In the devotion of a subject’s love, Tendering the precious safety of my prince, And free from other misbegotten hate, Come I appellant to this princely presence. Now, Thomas Mowbray, do I turn to thee, And mark my greeting well; for what I speak My body shall make good upon this earth, Or my divine soul answer it in heaven. Thou art a traitor and a miscreant, Too good to be so and too bad to live, Since the more fair and crystal is the sky, The uglier seem the clouds that in it fly. Once more, the more to aggravate the note, With a foul traitor’s name stuff I thy throat; And wish, so please my sovereign, ere I move, What my tongue speaks my right drawn sword may prove.
Mowbray	Let not my cold words here accuse my zeal: ’Tis not the trial of a woman’s war, The bitter clamour of two eager tongues, Can arbitrate this cause betwixt us twain; The blood is hot that must be cool’d for this: Yet can I not of such tame patience boast As to be hush’d and nought at all to say: First, the fair reverence of your highness curbs me From giving reins and spurs to my free speech; Which else would post until it had return’d These terms of treason doubled down his throat. Setting aside his high blood’s royalty, And let him be no kinsman to my liege, I do defy him, and I spit at him; Call him a slanderous coward and a villain: Which to maintain I would allow him odds, And meet him, were I tied to run afoot Even to the frozen ridges of the Alps, Or any other ground inhabitable, Where ever Englishman durst set his foot. Mean time let this defend my loyalty, By all my hopes, most falsely doth he lie.
Bolingbroke	Pale trembling coward, there I throw my gage, Disclaiming here the kindred of the king, And lay aside my high blood’s royalty, Which fear, not reverence, makes thee to except. If guilty dread have left thee so much strength As to take up mine honour’s pawn, then stoop: By that and all the rites of knighthood else, Will I make good against thee, arm to arm, What I have spoke, or thou canst worse devise.
Mowbray	I take it up; and by that sword I swear, Which gently laid my knighthood on my shoulder, I’ll answer thee in any fair