Richard remains busy as he attempts to consolidate power through murder and mayhem. He appears to have a friend in the Duke of Buckingham now, and for the life of me, I don’t know how anyone trusts him. As was specifically pointed out in this act, even the citizens in London don’t think he’s a good guy. Evidently, he’s just really good at targeting the most gullible people in positions of power and making them act as he wishes.
Act II was pretty short, but we did have a big, important death in this one. After learning of his brother George’s death, King Edward despairs and blames everyone around him, though Richard reminds him the king’s orders were the only reason George was in danger in the first place. The king then dies, leaving the nation in a precarious spot. Now the young Edward, Prince of Wales is to be king. But not if Richard finds him first!
The act ends with the queen and several nobles learning that Richard and Buckingham have arrested the boy king and are perhaps making a play for power that might endanger everyone else. The queen goes into hiding with her second son (confusingly also named Richard) to hopefully steer clear of Richard’s coup.
This act felt like a bit of a quick setup to get us into position for some serious moustache-twirling and foul misdeeds in the next act. I felt almost like we didn’t see enough of Richard in Act II and I’m starting to miss the little guy.
Hey, Shakespeare! 