STUDY GUIDE
for
SHAKESPEARE’S
RICHARD II
PART THE FIRST
EDWARD III
EDWARD III
was
KING of ENGLAND
from
1327 to 1377
HE HAD
SEVEN SONS
THE
“SEVEN SONS”
ARE REFERRED TO
THROUGHOUT
THE PLAY. . .
. . . YET ONLY FOUR ARE
MENTIONED BY NAME. . .
. . . AND ONLY TWO APPEAR
IN THE PLAY.
THE FOUR SONS OF
EDWARD III
MENTIONED IN THE
PLAY ARE:
1. EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES
• “THE BLACK PRINCE”
• THE FATHER OF RICHARD II
2. JOHN OF GAUNT
• THE DUKE OF LANCASTER
• THE FATHER OF HENRY BOLINGBROKE
3. THOMAS
• DUKE OF GLOUCESTER
• MURDERED BY MOWBRAY FOR RICHARD II
4. EDMUND
• DUKE OF YORK
• THE FATHER OF AUMERLE
PART THE SECOND
NAMES & TITLES
MANY OF SHAKESPEARE’S
CHARACTERS HAVE MORE
THAN ONE NAME.
THIS IS TRUE OF
EDWARD III’s
SONS
FIRST,
THEY ARE
KNOWN BY THEIR
BIRTHPLACE . . .
HENCE,
GHENT IS THE BIRTHPLACE
OF JOHN OF GAUNT. . .
. . . AND HIS SON HENRY
WAS BORN AT
CASTLE BOLINGBROKE.
SECONDLY,
SHAKESPEARE’S CHARACTERS
ARE KNOWN BY THEIR
TITLES & LANDHOLDINGS
. . . SO JOHN OF GAUNT,
THE DUKE OF LANCASTER,
IS CALLED
“LORD LANCASTER”
OR SIMPLY
“LANCASTER”
. . AND HENRY BOLINGBROKE,
THE EARL OF DERBY,
THE DUKE OF HEREFORD
& HEIR TO
THE DUKE OF LANCASTER
IS KNOWN AS
“DERBY,” “HEREFORD” OR “LANCASTER.”
PART THE THIRD
GENEALOGY
THE FOLLOWING
GENEALOGY
INCLUDES ONLY THOSE
MEMBERS OF THE
ROYAL FAMILY WHO
ARE MENTIONED OR
APPEAR IN SHAKESPEARE’S
RICHARD II
EDWARD III
KING of ENGLAND
1327 - 1377
EDWARD
“THE BLACK
PRINCE
Died 1376
(1st Son)
RICHARD II
KING of
ENGLAND
1377 - 1399
JOHN of GAUNT
DUKE of
LANCASTER
Died 1399
(4th Son)
ISABELLE
QUEEN of
ENGLAND
NO
CHILDREN
HENRY
BOLINGBROKE
EARL of DERBY
DUKE of HEREFORD
DUKE of
LANCASTER
&
KING of ENGLAND
1399 - 1413
EDMUND
DUKE of YORK
Died 1402
(5th Son)
ISABEL
DUCHESS
of YORK
EDWARD
EARL of RUTLAND
DUKE of AUMERLE
DUCHESS
of
GLOUCESTER
THOMAS
DUKE OF
GLOUCESTER
Died 1397
(7th Son)
NO
CHILDREN
FINIS