Richard II in William Shakespeare's play Richard II is a ruler who is not suited to the role fate has created for him. In the passage in question (IV.1.273-290), Richard is literally face to face with his own failure as he is about to abdicate to Bolingbroke, an act that will have repercussions throughout history. Richard's intemperance as a rule has endangered the kingdom, and this intemperance is Richard's fatal flaw, the flaw that leads him to take actions that go against the accepted social order and the order of succession. He endangers his own throne, which he has acquired by succession, when he exiles Bolingbroke and refuses to allow the latter to inherit from John of Gaunt as he is supposed to do. Richard is a historical character, but Shakespeare shapes the story to emphasize the flaw in Richard's character and the way this flaw leads to his downfall as a tragic hero. Richard has a potential as ruler of England that he will never fulfill because of his flaw.
Richard's intemperance is shown early in the play when he first allows a duel between Bolingbroke and Mowbray and then cancels it and banishes both. His refusal to follow the rules of succession is a foolish act that again shows he does not consider the consequences of his actions and is too given to exercising the prerogatives of his office without exercising discretion. This flaw leads to his destruction, first the losing of his throne and second his death. The ascension of Bolingbroke restores the natural order, but by that time the cost has been great.
To understand the meaning of the passage in Act IV, it is necessary to see the nature of the man speaking these lines and the various actions that have brought him to this particular point. Richard II is presented as a weak man who may hold the highest position in the land but who does not live up to that position. For one thing, he keeps changing his mind on important matters, and such indecision is no...