Character in Richard II
King Richard Ii ♂ male
758Lines Spoken
1.1First Scene
5.5Last Scene
27.1%Of Play Dialogue
King Richard Ii is the #1 largest role in Richard II, speaking 758 lines (27.1% of the play) across 9 scenes from Act 1 through Act 5. Below: scene-by-scene line counts, who King Richard Ii shares the stage with most, and key speech examples.
King Richard Ii’s position in the full cast
| # | Role | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King Richard Ii (this role) | 758 | 27.1% |
| 2 | Henry Bolingbroke | 413 | 14.8% |
| 3 | Duke Of York | 290 | 10.4% |
| 4 | John Of Gaunt | 191 | 6.8% |
| 5 | Northumberland | 142 | 5.1% |
| 6 | Thomas Mowbray | 135 | 4.8% |
| 7 | Queen | 115 | 4.1% |
| 8 | Duchess Of York | 94 | 3.4% |
| 9 | Duke Of Aumerle | 85 | 3.0% |
| 10 | Bishop Of Carlisle | 63 | 2.3% |
How King Richard Ii’s dialogue distributes across the play
King Richard Ii’s dramatic peak falls in Act 3 with 252 lines — the act where the role carries the most weight on stage.
Voice signature
Opening line (Act 1, Scene 1): “Old John of Gaunt, time-honour'd Lancaster,”
Representative speech (Act 3, Scene 3): “Swell'st thou, proud heart? I'll give thee scope to beat,”
Who King Richard Ii shares the stage with
| Scene partner | Shared scenes |
|---|---|
| Duke Of Aumerle | 5 |
| Henry Bolingbroke | 4 |
| Northumberland | 4 |
| Duke Of York | 3 |
| John Of Gaunt | 3 |
| Thomas Mowbray | 2 |
| Bishop Of Carlisle | 2 |
| Henry Percy | 2 |
| Queen | 2 |
| First Herald | 1 |
Questions about King Richard Ii
Is King Richard Ii the lead role in Richard II?
King Richard Ii is ranked #1 by line count among 35 speaking characters in Richard II — a major role carrying 27.1% of the play’s dialogue.
What is King Richard Ii’s longest scene?
Act 3 Scene 2, where King Richard Ii speaks 146 lines.
Who does King Richard Ii speak to the most?
King Richard Ii shares the most scenes with Duke Of Aumerle — 5 scenes together across Richard II.