RIchard II

Roles

• Duchess - Young Adult (20-35), Adult (36-50), Female

About this piece

The Duchess urges John of Gaunt to revenge his brother's death

Summary

The play is about the fall from power and death of Richard II and the rise of the first king of the house of Lancaster, Henry Bolingbroke, who will become Henry IV. In the first scene we find Richard II acting as a judge for a dispute between Henry Bolingbroke, the king's cousin and son of John of Gaunt, and Thomas Mowbray, the Duke of Norfolk. Henry Bolingbroke accuses Thomas Mowbray of having killed the Duke of Gloucester, of being a traitor and conspiring against the king. Eventually they decide to fight in a duel. In the second scene of the play the Duchess of Gloucester, the widow of the murdered Duke who was John Gaunt's brother, visits John Gaunt and asks him to seek revenge for his brother's death. John of Gaunt refuses to seek revenge and tells her that God will punish the perpetrators. In this monologue, in ACT I, Scene 2, she expresses her grief for her husband's death and urges him to seek revenge for the love of his brother and also to safeguard his own life.

Tone

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