The Deposition That Isn’t

When we last left Richard the Second, both the man and the play were heading to London, where regime change hung in the air. Bolingbroke had returned from exile to England, and Richard had agreed to meet Bolingbroke’s demands, which had been explicitly to have his titles and properties restored, but the implicit demand was for the throne itself.
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Now, That’s a Fight (not really, either)

As Act Two of Richard the Second ended, Bolingbroke had returned to England (prematurely) from his exile, to take back his father’s lands and titles, or so he says. Because Richard had not returned from his Irish wars to confront this seeming rebellion, the front-line troops had begun to assume that Richard must be dead.
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Rollercoaster of Richard

When Act One of Richard the Second ended, Bolingbroke had been banished and word reached Richard that Bolingbroke’s father, John of Gaunt, was dying. The King’s plan was to take Gaunt’s property and use it to arm the English army against the Irish.
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That Ain’t No Fight

Act One, Scene Three of Richard the Second begins on the day of the trial by combat between Bolingbroke and Mowbray. Each combatant enters and states his case. King Richard tells Bolingbroke that he needs to be right in his accusations because if he isn’t (and thus is killed in the just fight), the King will not be able to “revenge” (I.iii.58) his death.
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Begin the Fall

OK, so we know Richard the Second is a history, part of the first chronological tetralogy, the second compositional tetralogy. The 1623 First Folio lists the title as The Life and Death of King Richard the Second. However, while the First Folio’s version has the same title, the Fifth Folio in 1615 listed the title as The Tragedy of Richard the Second.

Well, Richard does fall from the power over the course of the play.
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