Richard II (1921) Yale/Appendix E

by William Shakespeare

Layout 2

APPENDIX E

Historical Dates of Scenes

Note: An attempt is made here to show how Shakespeare adapted historical chronology to suit his dramatic purposes and necessities. The dates given are those of modern historians; in Holinshed, however, Shakespeare found much less distinctness regarding the lapse of time and the order of events.

Scene	Location		Historical Date
I. i.	Windsor Castle		28 April, 1398
I. ii.	London		A few days before I. iii.
I. iii.	Coventry		11 or 17 September, 1398
I. iv.	Windsor Castle	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	12 or 13 October, 1398 (departure of Bolingbroke) 3 February, 1399 (death of John of Gaunt. Ll. 53–63 show that II. i. ensues immediately upon I. iv.)
II. i.	London	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	3 February, 1399 18 March, 1399 29 May, 1399
			(The cancellation of Bolingbroke's letters-patent was published 18 March, and Richard did not sail for Ireland until 29 May; moreover, Bolingbroke was not invited to return until after Richard's departure)
II. ii.	London		After 4 July and before 22 July, 1399
			but a. Worcester's defection, ll. 59–60, took place after Richard's return; b. the Duchess of Gloucester died 3 October, 1399)
II. iii.	Wilds of Gloucestershire		27 July, 1399
II. iv.	North Wales		Before 1 August, 1399
III. i.	Bristol		29 July, 1399
III. ii.	Coast of Wales		22 or 26 July, 1399 (but the king's meeting with Salisbury occurred 1 August, 1399)
III. iii.	Flint Castle, in North Wales		19 August, 1399 (but the embassage of Northumberland had come to Richard at Conway several days before)
III. iv.	Langley in Hertfordshire		After 1 September, the day on which Richard was taken into London
IV. i.	Westminster Hall	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	30 September, 1399 (abdication of Richard) 22 October, 1399 (speech of Carlisle) 3 November, 1399 (trial of Bagot and appeal of Aumerle)
V. i.	London		30 September, 1399 (immediately after Parliament scene, but Richard was not removed from the Tower to go to Pontefract Castle until 29 October, 1399)
V. ii.	London: York House		4 January, 1400
V. iii.	Windsor Castle		4 January, 1400
V. iv.	Windsor Castle		Several days before 14 February, 1400
V. v.	Pontefract Castle, Yorkshire		14 February, 1400 (traditionally)
V. vi.	Windsor Castle		17 February, 1400 (but the affair at Cirencester took place 7–8 January, 1400)