# King Richard II — Richard II character guide > King Richard II in Richard II by William Shakespeare. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Richard, Richard of Bordeaux, King Richard Uncle, King Richard Cousin, King Richard Mowbray, King Richard Marshal, King Richard Fiend, King Richard Needs, King Richard Alack, King Richard Norfolk, King Richard Right, King Richard Thou, King Richard Whither, gentle Richard, Richard Alack **First appearance:** 0000-richard-ii ## Snapshot An anointed monarch who trades a kingdom for a metaphor, discovering that the crown he cannot hold is nothing beside the self he cannot lose. ## Who they are Richard begins the play as a king who mistakes ceremony for power, banishing his own cousin and seizing Gaunt's estates while the nobles watch in silence. His gift is language — he can turn abdication into poetry and grief into a kingdom of the mind — but that gift is also his flaw, since he would rather perform majesty than defend it. His fall from the throne to Pomfret is the play's central movement, and his long, strange farewell to his queen shows a man learning what it costs to be merely human. ## Relationships ### [Henry Bolingbroke](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/henry_bolingbroke) _rivalry_ Bolingbroke and Richard are bitter rivals, with Bolingbroke ultimately usurping Richard's throne. ### [Duchess of Gloucester](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/duchess_of_gloucester) _rivalry_ The Duchess bitterly blames King Richard for her husband's murder, fueling a vengeful animosity. ### [Sir Pierce of Exton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/sir_pierce_of_exton) _rivalry_ Exton murders King Richard, acting on a misinterpreted command from Bolingbroke, making him Richard's killer. ### [Edward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/edward) _family_ Edward is likely a relative (possibly the Duke of York) and interacts with Richard in a familial court context. ### [Thomas Mowbray](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/thomas_mowbray) _rivalry_ Richard banishes Mowbray, creating a hostile relationship rooted in political conflict. ### [Gardener](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/gardener) _social_ The Gardener comments on Richard's downfall, representing the common people's perspective on his rule. ### [Keeper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/keeper) _professional_ The Keeper is Richard's jailer, responsible for his confinement and eventual murder. ### [Henry Percy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/henry_percy) _rivalry_ Henry Percy (Hotspur) is a supporter of Bolingbroke and an enemy to King Richard. ### [Duchess of Gloucester](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/duchess_of_gloucester) _rivalry_ The Duchess bitterly blames King Richard for her husband's murder, fueling a vengeful animosity. ### [Edward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/edward) _family_ Edward is likely a relative (possibly the Duke of York) and interacts with Richard in a familial court context. ### [Gardener](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/gardener) _social_ The Gardener comments on Richard's downfall, representing the common people's perspective on his rule. ### [Henry Percy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/henry_percy) _rivalry_ Henry Percy (Hotspur) is a supporter of Bolingbroke and an enemy to King Richard. ## In the story ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-i-scene-i) Presides over the dispute between Bolingbroke and Mowbray, attempting to mediate but ultimately ordering trial by combat. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iii) Halts the combat and pronounces banishment on both Bolingbroke and Mowbray, asserting royal authority. ### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iv) Discusses Bolingbroke's departure and his popularity; plans to fund Irish wars through taxation and blank charters; wishes for Gaunt's death. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-i) Dismisses Gaunt's counsel and seizes his estate to fund Irish wars. ### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-iv) Referenced as the absent king whose presumed death leads to the army's dispersal; Salisbury mourns his falling glory. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-ii) Learns of his favorites' deaths and York's defection; delivers a philosophical speech on the mortality of kings; resolves to go to Flint Castle. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iii) Descends from the castle walls, speaks of his grief and loss, and submits to Bolingbroke's demands. ### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iv) Mentioned as deposed and held by Bolingbroke, his rule criticized as neglectful. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-i) Forced to resign his crown and publicly humiliated; delivers a profound meditation on identity, grief, and the loss of majesty. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-i) Accepts his fate with philosophical resignation, comparing himself to a tomb and a withering rose, and bids a sorrowful farewell to his queen. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-ii) Referenced in York's description of his humiliating entry into London, where dust and rubbish were thrown on him. ### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-v) Delivers a profound soliloquy on imprisonment, time, and identity; learns of Bolingbroke's use of his horse; killed by Exton. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/king_richard_ii - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters