Histories • c. 1595
Richard II: Modern English Translation & Study Guide
The poetic yet capricious King Richard II faces rebellion and deposition by Henry Bolingbroke.
Read Richard II Side by Side
Every scene pairs the public-domain original with a line-matched, original modern-English paraphrase. Choose a scene below to begin reading.
- Act 1, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. London. KING RICHARD II's palace.
- Act 1, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. The DUKE OF LANCASTER'S palace.
- Act 1, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. The lists at Coventry.
- Act 1, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. The court.
- Act 2, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. Ely House.
- Act 2, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. The palace.
- Act 2, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. Wilds in Gloucestershire.
- Act 2, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. A camp in Wales.
- Act 3, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. Bristol. Before the castle.
- Act 3, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. The coast of Wales. A castle in view.
- Act 3, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. Wales. Before Flint castle.
- Act 3, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. LANGLEY. The DUKE OF YORK's garden.
- Act 4, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. Westminster Hall.
- Act 5, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. London. A street leading to the Tower.
- Act 5, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. The DUKE OF YORK's palace.
- Act 5, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. A royal palace.
- Act 5, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. The same.
Richard II study pathways
Original text source: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, MIT HTML edition. MIT states that its HTML versions of the plays are placed in the public domain.