Richard II · Character

Duke of Aumerle

A young kinsman of Richard whose loyalty survives the deposition and curdles into conspiracy, making him the play's most conflicted survivor.

supporting

Also known as Aumerle, Percy Aumerle, Cousin Aumerle, Lord Aumerle, the Lord Aumerle, York Aumerle, Aumerle Princes, Aumerle Madam, Aumerle Northumberland, Aumerle Fitzwater, Aumerle Comfort, Comfort

First appearance: act i scene i

As a supporting figure in Richard II, Duke of Aumerle is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Bids farewell to Bolingbroke, promising to correspond.

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Aumerle moves through the early court as one of Richard's close attendants, present at the lists and the abdication, his allegiance personal rather than political. When Bolingbroke takes the throne, Aumerle's grief turns to plot, and his father York's horror at discovering the conspiracy forces him into a scene of family betrayal. His arc shows how the deposition poisons even the loyal, turning affection into treason and pardon into a kind of shame.

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See Duke of Aumerle in act i scene i

Character Web

25 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Loyalists and Exiles
Protagonist
Family and Captors

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This scene is the dramatic climax because it marks the irreversible point of no return where Bolingbroke publi…

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In the story

Duke of Aumerle appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Scene III
Bids farewell to Bolingbroke, promising to correspond.
Scene IV
Reports on escorting Bolingbroke to the highway and describes the lack of genuine tears at parting.
Scene II
Asks about his father York's forces and tries to comfort Richard.
Scene III
Stands with Richard on the walls, weeps at Richard's plight, and advises fighting with gentle words.
Scene I
Accused by Bagot and others of involvement in Gloucester's death; throws down his gage in defiance and later joins the conspiracy against Bolingbroke.
Scene II
Now called Rutland; enters carrying a document that reveals his involvement in a conspiracy against Bolingbroke.
Scene III
Confesses to conspiracy against Bolingbroke, begs for pardon, and is forgiven after his mother's intercession.

Chapter companion notes

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See Duke of Aumerle in act i scene i

See Duke of Aumerle in Scene III