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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was Richard's uncle and Gaunt's brother?

2. How does Gaunt try to persuade Bolingbroke to think of his banishment?

3. "Though banish'd, yet a true born Englishman." Who says this quote?

4. Who is Bolingbroke's father?

5. Where does Act 2, Scene 4 take place?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is sent to meet with Richard inside Flint Castle? What happens?

2. What is Richard told has happened to the Welsh army? How does Richard respond?

3. What does Exton say Bolingbroke spoke twice in Act 5, Scene 4?

4. How long is Bolingbroke banished for and how does this change? Why? Why is Gaunt still upset?

5. Why is the Duke of York not supportive of Bolingbroke's revolution?

6. What does Richard announce he will do at the end of Act 2, Scene 1? What do we learn will happen upon his doing so?

7. What is the news that ultimately destroys Richard's spirits? What does he do?

8. How does Gaunt try lifting Bolingbroke's spirits? Does it work?

9. Why does the Captain think Richard is dead?

10. Which other scene in the play is Act 4, Scene 1 most comparable to? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Richard and Bolingbroke exuded an "opposite parallelism" throughout the entire play. When Richard was powerful, Bolingbroke was not, and vice versa. The degrees of this parallelism seemed to correlate with one another throughout the story as well. Discuss this connection using examples from the play and what it meant for the story.

Essay Topic 2

In the first scene, we see Richard behaving quite fairly and just as a leader. In the second, we are given reason to question his righteousness. By the third scene, we witness Richard banish Bolingbroke for a particularly unclear reason. Describe your experience trusting Richard, and mark the point in the play when you completely understood he was untrustworthy.

Essay Topic 3

It is probably most peoples' answer that Bolingbroke would make a better king than Richard when it comes to real life. However, Richard certainly fills the shoes of a king's character better. In other words, his character did a better job of "being a king" on stage. Discuss this difference and what Shakespeare might have meant including it with the play.

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