At the outset of "King Richard the Second," England stands on the brink of civil war. The King - attempting to fund a war against the Irish rebels - seizes the estate of his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, and banishes him from England for six years. Bolingbroke, in turn, accuses the king of mismanagement and assembles an army to confront Richard, depose him and place Bolingbroke himself on the throne.

A powerful and celebrated story of loyalty, betrayal and revenge, "Richard II" is one of the most popular of Shakespeare's history plays and it is presented here in its original and unabridged format.