Cultural depictions of Richard II of England

Last updated June 02, 2024

Richard II of England has been depicted in popular culture a number of times.

Literature

Richard is the central character in Richard II , a play by William Shakespeare dating from around 1595.
Richard is also the main antagonist in an anonymous, incomplete play, often known as Thomas of Woodstock (play) or Richard II, Part 1, whose composition is dated between 1591 and 1595.
He is the protagonist of the play Richard of Bordeaux by Gordon Daviot.
Richard appears in the novel The New June by Henry Newbolt, along with Henry IV and William Langland.^[1]
He is a character in the novel The Named by Marianne Curley.
He is one of the main characters in The Crucible Trilogy by Sara Douglass.
He is one of the main characters in The Gentle Falcon by Hilda Lewis.
He is an important character in Das Lächeln der Fortuna by the German historical novel writer Rebecca Gablé.
Richard is a main character in Within The Hollow Crown by Margaret Campbell Barnes.^[2]
Richard appears with his wife Anne of Bohemia and their friend Robert de Vere in Anthony Minghella's play Two Planks and a Passion.

Television

Richard has been portrayed a number of times on television, mainly in versions of Shakespeare's play. In this context he has been played by:

Alan Wheatley in a BBC version, The Tragedy of King Richard II (1950)
Maurice Evans in an American version, Richard II (1954)
David William in the BBC series An Age of Kings (1960), which contained all the history plays from Richard II to Richard III
Ric Hutton in an Australian TV version of Richard II (1960)
Hannes Messemer in a West German version, König Richard II (1968)
Ian McKellen in another BBC version, The Tragedy of King Richard II (1970)
Tamás Jordán in a Hungarian version, II. Richárd (1976)
Derek Jacobi in the BBC Shakespeare version, King Richard the Second (1978)
Michael Pennington in the BBC series The Wars of the Roses (1989), which included all of Shakespeare's history plays performed by the English Shakespeare Company
Aleksandr Romantsov in a Russian version, Richard Vtoroi (1992)
Fiona Shaw in a British TV film, Richard II (1997)
Michael Maertens in another German version, Richard II (2001)
Mark Rylance in another BBC film, Richard II (2003), broadcast live from the Globe Theatre in London
Ben Whishaw in Richard II (2012) as part of the BBC's The Hollow Crown , a series of four of Shakespeare's history plays which also includes Henry IV part 1, Henry IV part 2 and Henry V.

Richard has also been played on television by:

Andrew Osborn in a BBC adaptation of Richard of Bordeaux (1938)
Peter Cushing in another BBC adaptation of Richard of Bordeaux (1955)
Roger Allam in a BBC film, Henry IV (1995), a version of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1

Video

Richard was played by Mattie Osian in a straight-to-video film adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard the Second (2001).
David Birney played him in an American video Richard II (1982), which was intended to simulate an Elizabethan stage production of the play.

Related Research Articles

The Life and Death of King Richard the Second, commonly called Richard II, is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written around 1595. Based on the life of King Richard II of England, it chronicles his downfall and the machinations of his nobles. It is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays about Richard's successors: Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; and Henry V.

Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written not later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at Homildon Hill late in 1402, and ending with King Henry's victory in the Battle of Shrewsbury in mid-1403. In parallel to the political conflict between King Henry and a rebellious faction of nobles, the play depicts the escapades of King Henry's son, Prince Hal, and his eventual return to court and favour.

Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.

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"Richard II" is first episode of the first series of the British television series The Hollow Crown, based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. "Richard II" was directed by Rupert Goold, who adapted the screenplay with Ben Power. Ben Whishaw stars as the titular Richard II of England. It was first broadcast on 30 June 2012 on BBC Two.

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References

↑ McGarry, Daniel D., White, Sarah Harriman, Historical Fiction Guide: Annotated Chronological, Geographical, and Topical List of Five Thousand Selected Historical Novels. Scarecrow Press, New York, 1963 (p.79).
↑ McGarry, Daniel D., White, Sarah Harriman, Historical Fiction Guide: Annotated Chronological, Geographical, and Topical List of Five Thousand Selected Historical Novels. Scarecrow Press, New York, 1963 (p.75).

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[1] McGarry, Daniel D., White, Sarah Harriman, Historical Fiction Guide: Annotated Chronological, Geographical, and Topical List of Five Thousand Selected Historical Novels. Scarecrow Press, New York, 1963 (p.79).

[2] McGarry, Daniel D., White, Sarah Harriman, Historical Fiction Guide: Annotated Chronological, Geographical, and Topical List of Five Thousand Selected Historical Novels. Scarecrow Press, New York, 1963 (p.75).

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v t e Cultural depictions of English and British monarchs
Kingdom of the English 886–1066	Alfred the Great Edward the Elder Æthelflæd Ælfweard Athelstan the Glorious ¹ Edmund the Magnificent ¹ Eadred ¹ Eadwig the Fair ¹ Edgar the Peaceable ¹ Edward the Martyr Æthelred the Unready Sweyn Forkbeard Edmund Ironside Cnut ¹ Harold Harefoot Harthacnut Edward the Confessor Harold Godwinson Edgar the Ætheling
Kingdom of England 1066–1649	William I William II Henry I Stephen Matilda Henry II ² Henry the Young King Richard I John ² Henry III ² Edward I ² Edward II ² Edward III ² Richard II ² Henry IV ² Henry V ² Henry VI ² Edward IV ² Edward V ² Richard III ² Henry VII ² Henry VIII ² Edward VI ² Jane ² Mary I ²with Philip ² Elizabeth I ² James I ³ Charles I ³
Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland 1653–1659	Oliver Cromwell ⁴ Richard Cromwell ⁴
Kingdom of England 1660–1707	Charles II ³ James II ³ William III and Mary II ³ Anne ³
Kingdom of Scotland 843–1707 (traditional)	Kenneth I MacAlpin Donald I Constantine I (II) Áed Giric Eochaid Donald II Constantine II (III) Malcolm I Indulf Dub Cuilén Amlaíb Kenneth II Constantine III (IV) Kenneth III Malcolm II Duncan I Macbeth Lulach Malcolm III Canmore Donald III Duncan II Donald III Edgar Alexander I David I Malcolm IV William I the Lion Alexander II Alexander III Margaret John Robert I David II Robert II Robert III James I James II James III James IV James V Mary I James VI ⁵ Charles I ⁵ Charles II ⁵ James VII ⁵ Mary II ⁵ William III ⁵ Anne ⁵
British monarchs after the Acts of Union 1707	Anne George I George II George III George IV William IV Victoria Edward VII George V Edward VIII George VI Elizabeth II Charles III
¹Overlord of Britain. ²Also ruler of Ireland. ³Also ruler of Scotland and Ireland. ⁴ Lord Protector. ⁵Also ruler of England and Ireland. Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.