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Why Did They Do That? Trivia Quiz

The shifting allegiances and political intrigue of "Richard II" raise many interesting points of motive - why do the characters do the following things in the play?

A multiple-choice quiz by merylfederman. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
merylfederman

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
355,869

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
233

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Act I Scene I: Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, challenges Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, to a duel.

Why does he do this? Hint

Mowbray is a traitor to King Richard

Mowbray married Hereford's intended

Mowbray killed the Duke of Gloucester

Mowbray killed the Duke of Lancaster

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Question 2 of 10

2. Act I Scene II: John Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, tells his widow sister-in-law the Duchess of Gloucester that he will not take a stand against the king for his brother Gloucester's death, despite the king's almost-definite involvement.

Why doesn't he want to stand up to the king? Hint

The king is God's minister and God must avenge his brother

Gaunt hated his brother Gloucester

Gloucester provoked the king and his murder was justified

Gaunt never gets involved in court politics

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Question 3 of 10

3. Act I Scene IV: Richard hears that John Gaunt is dying and is quite pleased!

Why does he want his uncle to die quickly? Hint

Gaunt is a political enemy

Confiscating the dead Gaunt's property will pay for the war

Gaunt is pestering him to recall his son Bolingbroke from exile

Richard thinks Gaunt's death will win him sympathy

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Question 4 of 10

4. Act II Scene I: John Gaunt, dying, wishes to try to give advice to the king before expiring. His brother, the Duke of York, tells him not to bother with worrying about that.

Why is York so down on the idea of his brother advising the king? Hint

York wants to advise the king himself

The king will not arrive in time

The king will never listen to advice from his uncle

Gaunt's advice will be out of touch and unusable

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Question 5 of 10

5. Act II Scene III: In this scene, Lord Berkeley enters to Henry Bolingbroke, who has returned from exile before his time is up, and asks to speak to "My Lord of Hereford". Henry gets upset at being addressed in this way by Lord Berkeley.

Why is Henry Bolingbroke so annoyed at Berkeley for calling him "My Lord of Hereford"? Hint

Henry Bolingbroke wishes to be addressed as King

Henry Bolingbroke wishes to speak to the Duke of York

Henry Bolingbroke is insulted to be addressed by Berkeley at all

Henry Bolingbroke wishes to be addressed as "Duke of Lancaster"

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Question 6 of 10

6. Act III Scene I: Henry Bolingbroke kills two of Richard's men - Lord Bushey and Lord Green. He gives a whole litany of reasons for killing them before he does so, to make sure everyone knows it's justified.

Which is NOT A SPOKEN REASON why he kills Bushey and Green? Hint

They convinced Richard to give away Henry's lands

They misled Richard and ruined his reputation

They sold secrets to foreign powers

They tarnished Richard's marriage

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Question 7 of 10

7. Act III Scene II: Richard returns from the war in Ireland to a nation at war with itself - Henry is on the march with an army and wants to claim his right to break his exile. It's dangerous, and Richard despairs. But his followers reassure him, and he wavers many times between hope and desperation.

He finally settles on "desperation" for his final mood change - what is the final straw? Hint

His uncle, the lord governor while he was away, has sided with Henry Bolingbroke

He hears of how the public has turned against him

He realizes there is no way to pay an army to subdue Henry Bolingbroke

He feels God has abandoned him

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Question 8 of 10

8. Act IV Scene I: Richard is finally deposed and replaced as king by Henry Bolingbroke. At one point, Richard calls for a mirror during this intense political procedure.

Why on earth does he ask for a mirror? Hint

To show Henry a face now tainted with treachery

To see what true majesty is in his own face

To show the nobles their betrayal

To see his face that is now bankrupt of majesty

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Act V Scene II: The Duke and Duchess of York are discussing the parade where new king Henry IV was cheered and Richard jeered in the streets of London. Their son, former Duke Aumerle and now demoted Earl of Rutland, appears and the Duke of York reads a paper that Rutland has on his person. He is then very, very upset.

Why does the paper upset York so much? Hint

It contains a plot to betray England to France

It contains a plot to assassinate the new king Henry IV

It contains a plot to kill York and take his dukedom

It contains a plot to smuggle Richard out of the country

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Act V Scene VI: Henry IV puts down several of his enemies and now seems safer than ever on the throne. However, when Harry Percy presents him the Bishop of Carlisle, a known enemy, alive, Henry does not have Carlisle killed.

Why does he keep Carlisle alive? Hint

He wants to keep Carlisle alive and in his power to show how ruthless he is

He thinks banishment will be a harsher punishment

He wants Carlisle alive to spread the word about how righteous Henry is

He finds Carlisle noble, and wants him to live a peaceful life

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Act I Scene I: Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, challenges Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, to a duel. Why does he do this?

Answer: Mowbray killed the Duke of Gloucester

Henry Bolingbroke challenges the Duke of Mowbray because of Mowbray's probable involvement in the backstory murder of the Duke of Gloucester.

Answer: The king is God's minister and God must avenge his brother

Since the king is God's minister on earth, Gaunt does not feel that he can actively counter the death of his brother, even though it is widely known that Richard put the hit on the Duke of Gloucester and many at court were against the decision.

3. Act I Scene IV: Richard hears that John Gaunt is dying and is quite pleased! Why does he want his uncle to die quickly?

Answer: Confiscating the dead Gaunt's property will pay for the war

Richard is going broke, and since Gaunt's heir, Bolingbroke, is in exile, Richard thinks that Gaunt's estate will be fair game to confiscate. The wealth from the estate will bankroll the war in Ireland.

4. Act II Scene I: John Gaunt, dying, wishes to try to give advice to the king before expiring. His brother, the Duke of York, tells him not to bother with worrying about that. Why is York so down on the idea of his brother advising the king?

Answer: The king will never listen to advice from his uncle

York believes that Richard is so beholden to flattering fools that the proper advice from his uncle will never be received - and when Richard arrives, York is proven all too correct. Gaunt spends his last breaths arguing with an increasingly agitated King Richard.

5. Act II Scene III: In this scene, Lord Berkeley enters to Henry Bolingbroke, who has returned from exile before his time is up, and asks to speak to "My Lord of Hereford". Henry gets upset at being addressed in this way by Lord Berkeley. Why is Henry Bolingbroke so annoyed at Berkeley for calling him "My Lord of Hereford"?

Answer: Henry Bolingbroke wishes to be addressed as "Duke of Lancaster"

Bolingbroke claims that he is there to claim his father's dukedom, that of Lancaster. If he isn't addressed and respected as the Duke of Lancaster (as opposed to his earlier, lesser title of "Hereford") he will be disinclined to answer. Berkeley does apologize, but does not call him "Lancaster" outright.

6. Act III Scene I: Henry Bolingbroke kills two of Richard's men - Lord Bushey and Lord Green. He gives a whole litany of reasons for killing them before he does so, to make sure everyone knows it's justified. Which is NOT A SPOKEN REASON why he kills Bushey and Green?

Answer: They sold secrets to foreign powers

Bushey and Green were two of Richard's flattering cronies, who profited from their closeness to the king. Henry uses them as scapegoats, claiming everything from their culpability in his own (Henry's) banishment, to their misleading of Richard away from his duties as husband and king.

7. Act III Scene II: Richard returns from the war in Ireland to a nation at war with itself - Henry is on the march with an army and wants to claim his right to break his exile. It's dangerous, and Richard despairs. But his followers reassure him, and he wavers many times between hope and desperation. He finally settles on "desperation" for his final mood change - what is the final straw?

Answer: His uncle, the lord governor while he was away, has sided with Henry Bolingbroke

Richard's final despair comes when he hears that the Duke of York, the final weapon in their arsenal, has given up the fight against the rebels. With York gone, there is no hope of beating back the overwhelming tide of negative public opinion and nobles who've defected.

Answer: To see his face that is now bankrupt of majesty

Richard asks for a mirror to see what he looks like now that he has formally given up his title and his rights as king. When the mirror comes, he sees no change in his face, and is whipped into a frenzy, exclaiming that the mirror is lying to him.

Answer: It contains a plot to assassinate the new king Henry IV

The former Duke of Aumerle is caught up in a plot to kill the new king (a plot he hatched with the Abbott of Westminster and the Bishop of Carlisle). York is horrified at this, and reveals the plot to Henry, who ruthlessly puts down the rebellion, only sparing Aumerle/Rutland (his cousin), whose mother prays for his life.

Answer: He finds Carlisle noble, and wants him to live a peaceful life

Henry says "high sparks of honor in thee I have seen," and tells Carlisle to pick out a place finer than anything he has, and then he will have the right to live there so long as he does not re-offend. Henry does not kill men he respects, even if they are his enemies.

Source: Author merylfederman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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