My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is one of my favorite plays by Shakespeare that I've read and have seen adapted on film. The question of kingship is at the center of the play in the figure of Richard II, both as a reigning and deposed sovereign, along with the power he possesses or is seen to possess. The character of Bolingbroke at first seen banished only to later return to reclaim his inheritance leading to his usurpation of the crown. The future Henry IV wants to first cleanse Richard of the bad influences, but through the influence of Northumberland and others he takes the crown. The juxtaposition is subtle but effective as well as the foreshadowing mentioning of the unseen Prince Hal.
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