Original: No matter where; of comfort no man speak:
Modern: It doesn’t matter where we are; no one should speak of hope or comfort.

Original: Let’s talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs;
Modern: Let’s talk about graves, worms, and tombstone inscriptions instead.

Original: Make dust our paper and with rainy eyes
Modern: Let’s use dust as our paper and with our tears

Original: Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth,
Modern: Write our sadness on the surface of the earth.

Original: Let’s choose executors and talk of wills:
Modern: Let’s pick people to handle our estates and talk about our last wishes.

Original: And yet not so, for what can we bequeath
Modern: But wait, that’s pointless—what do we actually have to leave behind

Original: Save our deposed bodies to the ground?
Modern: Except our overthrown bodies for burial?

Original: Our lands, our lives and all are Bolingbroke’s,
Modern: Our lands, our lives, and everything we own now belong to Bolingbroke.

Original: And nothing can we call our own but death
Modern: The only thing we can still claim as ours is death

Original: And that small model of the barren earth
Modern: And that little piece of empty ground

Original: Which serves as paste and cover to our bones.
Modern: That will serve as glue and covering for our bones.

Original: For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground
Modern: For God’s sake, let’s sit down on the ground

Original: And tell sad stories of the death of kings;
Modern: And tell tragic stories about how kings have died.

Original: How some have been deposed; some slain in war,
Modern: How some have been overthrown, some killed in battle,

Original: Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed;
Modern: Some haunted by the spirits of kings they overthrew.

Original: Some poison’d by their wives: some sleeping kill’d;
Modern: Some poisoned by their wives, some murdered in their sleep.

Original: All murder’d: for within the hollow crown
Modern: All of them murdered—because inside that empty crown

Original: That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Modern: That circles around a king’s mortal head

Original: Keeps Death his court and there the antic sits,
Modern: Death holds court, and there the jester sits,

Original: Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,
Modern: Mocking the king’s power and grinning at his royal ceremonies.

Original: Allowing him a breath, a little scene,
Modern: Death lets the king live for a moment, have his little performance,

Original: To monarchize, be fear’d and kill with looks,
Modern: To act like a king, be feared, and intimidate people with a glance.

Original: Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
Modern: Death fills him with pride and foolish self-importance,

Original: As if this flesh which walls about our life,
Modern: As if this body that protects our life

Original: Were brass impregnable, and humour’d thus
Modern: Were made of unbreakable metal. But when Death is ready,

Original: Comes at the last and with a little pin
Modern: He finally comes with just a tiny pin

Original: Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!
Modern: Pierces through his fortress wall, and goodbye king!

Original: Cover your heads and mock not flesh and blood
Modern: Put on your hats and don’t mock a person made of flesh and blood

Original: With solemn reverence: throw away respect,
Modern: With serious respect. Throw away your respectful behavior,

Original: Tradition, form and ceremonious duty,
Modern: Traditional customs, formalities, and ceremonial obligations,

Original: For you have but mistook me all this while:
Modern: Because you’ve been wrong about me all this time.

Original: I live with bread like you, feel want,
Modern: I survive on bread just like you, I feel need,

Original: Taste grief, need friends: subjected thus,
Modern: I experience sorrow, I need friends. Being human like this,

Original: How can you say to me, I am a king?
Modern: How can you tell me that I am a king?

In Act III, Scene 2 of Richard II, King Richard returns to England from his campaign in Ireland to find his kingdom in rebellion. Upon landing at the Welsh coast, Richard initially expresses joy at being back on English soil and confidence that his divine right as king will protect him from Henry Bolingbroke’s revolt. However, he quickly receives a series of devastating reports from the Earl of Salisbury and Sir Stephen Scroop about the state of his realm.

The messengers inform Richard that the Welsh forces under the Earl of Salisbury have dispersed after hearing rumors of the king’s death, that several of his key supporters including Bushy, Green, and the Earl of Wiltshire have been executed by Bolingbroke, and that his uncle the Duke of York has joined forces with the rebels. As each piece of bad news arrives, Richard’s mood shifts dramatically from confidence to despair. He oscillates between defiance and resignation, ultimately sitting on the ground and speaking of the death of kings, before finally resolving to go to Flint Castle where he might make a stand against Bolingbroke’s advancing forces.

Richard II opens with King Richard presiding over a dispute between Henry Bolingbroke (John of Gaunt’s son) and Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk. Both men accuse each other of treason, and when Richard cannot reconcile them, he arranges a trial by combat. However, just as the combat is about to begin, Richard stops the fight and banishes both men from England - Mowbray for life and Bolingbroke for six years, later reduced to four.

When John of Gaunt falls ill and dies, Richard seizes his lands and wealth to fund his wars in Ireland, effectively disinheriting Bolingbroke. This act alienates the nobility, who fear their own inheritances are now at risk. While Richard departs for his Irish campaign, Bolingbroke returns from exile with an army, ostensibly to reclaim his rightful inheritance. He quickly gains support from discontented nobles, including the Duke of York, who was left as regent in Richard’s absence.

Richard returns from Ireland to find his support has collapsed and his army has dispersed. After a series of encounters, including a pivotal scene at Flint Castle where Richard realizes his situation is hopeless, he agrees to abdicate. In a formal ceremony at Westminster, Richard hands over his crown to Bolingbroke, who becomes King Henry IV. Richard is imprisoned in Pomfret Castle, where he is eventually murdered by Sir Pierce Exton, who believes he is carrying out Henry’s wishes. The play ends with Henry expressing regret over Richard’s death and vowing to journey to the Holy Land to atone for his indirect role in the former king’s murder.