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King Richard II
King Richard II

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of King Richard II is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for King Richard II
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.
Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.
King Richard.
Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?
Gaunt.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

King Richard II

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of King Richard II is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.
Line 2
Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.
Line 3
King Richard.
Line 4
Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?
Line 5
Gaunt.
/ɡɔːnt/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

Attendants noun US /əˈtendənts/

plural of “attendant” — someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another

From this reading “Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.”

Gaunt adjective US /ɡɔːnt/

very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

From this reading “Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.”

hither adverb US /ˈhɪðər/

an old word meaning “to this place”

From this reading “Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?”

Lancaster noun US /ˈlænkæstər/

a city in northwestern England

From this reading “Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?”

Nobles noun US /ˈnoʊbəlz/

plural of “noble” — a titled peer of the realm

From this reading “Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.”

oath noun US /oʊθ/

profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger

From this reading “Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?”

Prima noun US /ˈpriːmə/

used primarily as eating apples

From this reading “The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.”

Primus noun US /ˈpraɪməs/

the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church of Scotland

From this reading “The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.”

All words in this reading · 56

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

accordingadjectiveUS /əˈkɔːrdɪŋ/

(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

Actus

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

AgainstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

appeale

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

AttendantsnounUS /əˈtendənts/

plural of “attendant” — someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another

From this reading Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.

bandnounUS /bænd/

an unofficial association of people or groups

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

boistrous

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

boldadjectiveUS /boʊld/

fearless and daring

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

BroughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

DukenounUS /duːk/

a British peer of the highest rank

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

EnterverbUS /ˈentər/

to come or go into

From this reading Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.

GauntadjectiveUS /ɡɔːnt/

very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

From this reading Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

Hastauxiliary verbUS /hæst/

an old form of “have”, used with “thou”

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

heare

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

Heere

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

HenrynounUS /ˈhenri/

a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

Herford

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

hitheradverbUS /ˈhɪðər/

an old word meaning “to this place”

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

Iohn

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

LancasternounUS /ˈlænkæstər/

a city in northwestern England

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

leysure

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

Mowbray

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

NoblesnounUS /ˈnoʊbəlz/

plural of “noble” — a titled peer of the realm

From this reading Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.

Norfolke

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

oathnounUS /oʊθ/

profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

OldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

PrimanounUS /ˈpriːmə/

used primarily as eating apples

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

PrimusnounUS /ˈpraɪməs/

the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church of Scotland

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

Richard

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

Scaena

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

SecondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The life and death of King Richard the Second Actus Primus, Scaena Prima.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

ThomasnounUS /ˈtɑːməs/

United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

time-honouredadjective

acceptable for a long time

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

vs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

WhichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Enter King Richard, Iohn of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

ynounUS /waɪ/

a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys

From this reading Old Iohn of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son: Heere to make good y boistrous late appeale, Which then our leysure would not let vs heare, Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

Chapter 1 of King Richard II by William Shakespeare holds 107 sentences, grouped into 22 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 1 of King Richard II contain?

Chapter 1 holds 107 sentences of King Richard II, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of King Richard II by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 107 sentences, grouped into 22 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 1 of King Richard II?

Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading King Richard II

Common questions about reading King Richard II by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of King Richard II?

Yes. All 1268 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1111 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of King Richard II is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1111, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does King Richard II take to read?

About 105 minutes of reading across 254 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read King Richard II section by section

How to work through King Richard II section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 9 chapters of King Richard II to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in King Richard II

Words and structures a reader meets early in King Richard II, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Death
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Richard II; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Richard
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Richard II; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Second
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Richard II; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Actus
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Richard II; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.