# Earl of Northumberland — Richard II character guide

> Earl of Northumberland in Richard II by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Northumberland, The Lord Northumberland, my Lord Northumberland, King Richard Northumberland

**First appearance:** 0002-act-i-scene-i

## Snapshot

The ladder Bolingbroke climbs, a nobleman whose smooth service to the rising power earns him Richard's bitter prophecy of future betrayal.

## Who they are

Northumberland is the practical engine of the usurpation, carrying messages between Bolingbroke and the fallen king and arranging the base-court meeting where Richard comes down to traitors' calls. He is courteous, efficient, and utterly unsentimental, and Richard's parting curse — that the same skill which raised Bolingbroke will one day pluck him down — hangs over him like a sentence. His presence marks the moment when loyalty becomes a commodity in the English court.

## In the story

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-i)

Reveals intelligence of Bolingbroke's planned return and rallies Ross and Willoughby.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-iii)

Accompanies Bolingbroke, introduces his son Harry Percy, and supports Bolingbroke's claim.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i)

Ordered by Bolingbroke to oversee the execution of Bushy and Green.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iii)

Acts as intermediary between Bolingbroke and Richard, delivering messages and reporting Richard's state.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-i)

Presents the accusations for Richard to read and presses for the deposition; confronts Richard's defiance.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-i)

Delivers Bolingbroke's orders to send Richard to Pomfret and the Queen to France, and is warned by Richard of the consequences of aiding usurpation.

### [Scene VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-vi)

Reports the sending of the heads of Oxford, Salisbury, Blunt, and Kent to London.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters/northumberland
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_ii_se/characters