Editing Richard II (play) (section)

===Structure and language===
The play is divided into five acts and its structure is as formal as its language. It has a double complementary plot describing Richard II's fall and the rise of Bolingbroke, later known as Henry IV.<ref name = riverside>''The Riverside Shakespeare: Second Edition.'' Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997, 845.</ref> Critic John R. Elliott Jr. notes that this play can be distinguished from the other history plays because it has an ulterior political purpose. Shakespearean tragedy's normal structure is modified to portray a central political theme: the rise of Bolingbroke to the throne and the conflict between Richard and Bolingbroke over the kingship. In Acts IV and V, Shakespeare includes incidents irrelevant to Richard's fate that are resolved in the future plays of the ''Richard II''–''Henry V'' tetralogy.<ref>{{cite journal|first=John R. Jr. |last=Elliott|title=History and Tragedy in ''Richard II''|journal=SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500–1900|volume=8|issue=2|date=Spring 1968|pages=253–271| doi=10.2307/449658 | jstor=449658 }}</ref>

The literary critic Hugh M. Richmond notes that Richard's beliefs about the [[divine right of kings]] tend to fall more in line with the medieval view of the throne. Bolingbroke, on the other hand, represents a more modern view of statecraft, arguing that not only bloodline but also intellect and political skill qualify a king.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Hugh M.|last=Richmond|title=Personal Identity and Literary Personae: A Study in Historical Psychology|journal=PMLA|volume=90|issue=2|date=March 1975|pages=214–217}}</ref> Richard believes that as king he is chosen and guided by God: not subject to human frailty, he is entitled to absolute authority over his subjects. Elliott argues that this conceited notion of his role ultimately leads to Richard's failure, adding that Bolingbroke's ability to relate and speak with the middle and lower classes allows him to take the throne.<ref>Elliott 253–267.</ref>

Although it is largely historically accurate, ''Richard II'' is a tragedy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Elliott |first=John Rn |date=1968 |title=History and Tragedy in Richard II |journal=Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=253–271 |doi=10.2307/449658 |jstor=449658 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/449658 }}</ref> ''Richard II'' follows the arc of most of Shakespeare's tragedies: a series of catastrophes lead to a death, which resolves in forgiveness. A long line of mistakes, mostly on the part of Richard himself, lead to his incarceration and murder. But when his body is presented to Henry IV, the now-king declares, "although I did wish him dead, I hate the murderer, love the murderèd."<ref>William Shakespeare, ''The complete works of William'' ''Shakespeare.'' 2nd ed. (London: Amaranth press, 1985), Richard II, Act V, scene VI, lines 39-40 (pg. 399).</ref> This line affords Richard absolution and cements this play's place among Shakespeare's tragedies.

Unusually for Shakespeare, ''Richard II'' is written entirely in [[Verse (poetry)|verse]], one of only four of his plays, the others being ''[[King John (play)|King John]]'' and the [[Henry VI, Part 1|first]] and [[Henry VI, Part 3|third]] parts of ''Henry VI''. There are also great differences in the characters' use of language. Traditionally, Shakespeare  distinguishes social classes by having the upper classes speak in poetry while the lower classes speak in prose. In ''Richard II'', there is no prose, but Richard uses flowery, [[metaphor]]ical language in his speeches, whereas Bolingbroke, also of the noble class, uses a more plain and direct language. Besides the usual [[blank verse]] (unrhymed pentameters), there are long stretches of [[heroic couplet]]s (pairs of rhymed [[Iambic pentameter|pentameters]]). The play contains a number of memorable metaphors, including the extended comparison of England with a garden in Act III, Scene iv and of its reigning king to a lion or to the sun in Act IV.

The language of ''Richard II'' is more eloquent than that of the earlier history plays, and serves to set the tone and themes of the play. Shakespeare uses lengthy verses, metaphors, similes and soliloquies to delineate Richard's character as analytical rather than active. He always speaks in tropes, using analogies such as the sun as a symbol of his kingly status. Richard is obsessed with symbols: his crown, the symbol of his royal power, is of more concern to him than his actual kingly duties.<ref name = riverside/>