Analysis and criticism 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.The Riverside Shakespeare: Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997, 845. 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.
Analysis and criticism 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 IVThe Riverside Shakespeare Second Edition Boston Houghton Mifflin Company 1997 845 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