Shakespeare sets the play at the very end of the 14th century, specifically between the years 1398 and 1400. Shakespeare underscores this medieval setting in many ways, drawing references to various important historical events of that period, including the suppression of rebels in Ireland by the English crown and the Hundred Years War, a major conflict involving most of the major powers of Europe. The political and historical backdrop of the play is a series of tensions and conflicts between the English monarchy and the aristocracy that will culminate in King Richard II’s fall from power, the central event of the play.
Geographically, Richard II is primarily set in England, with many scenes taking place in London, as well as other more specific locations, such as Windsor Castle, the tournament grounds of Coventry, and a number of real medieval buildings and castles across England. Shakespeare emphasizes various aspects of medieval England that had changed by his own lifetime in the late 16th century, including the absolute power of the English monarch and the use of trial by battle to solve legal disputes.
In Richard II, Shakespeare offers a particular interpretation of this time period and of the various historical figures it portrays, and his interpretation differs in many ways from that of contemporary historians. For Shakespeare, King Richard II’s personal flaws and mistakes lead directly to the War of the Roses, a civil war in Britain between two branches of the British aristocracy. Shakespeare, then, turns to the 14th century to understand later political developments in the following centuries.
