Richard II: Foreshadowing 3 key examples

John of Gaunt is unusually cryptic and ominous in this scene, speaking in an indirect manner that confuses the King. He suggests that, although he is dying, it is actually Richard who faces the greater danger. Richard dismisses John of Gaunt’s words as the ravings of a madman, insisting that he is perfectly healthy and that John of Gaunt should worry about himself. John of Gaunt's response, "Now He that made me knows I see thee ill," implies that both he and God see the true state of Richard's health and political situation, and that Richard's eventual fate is divinely ordained and therefore all but inevitable. 

This exchange foreshadows Richard's eventual downfall and death and reveals that Richard is not yet aware of the seriousness of his situation. Though he might not be literally sick, he does face grave danger. Rather than acting upon John of Gaunt’s prophecy, the King remains in a state of denial, much as he is in denial about the political situation in England and the general dissatisfaction among the nobility. Failing to take the warnings of his dying uncle seriously, the King continues along a precarious path that leads to tragedy.

The Queen, largely secluded in the castle, has been present for neither the exile of Henry Bolingbroke nor the unjust dispossession of the late John of Gaunt. However, she has an instinctive sense that something is wrong in the kingdom, and she proves to be more perceptive than the King in recognizing the discontent among his subjects. 

Though she cannot identify the exact nature of the tragedy that will befall her and her husband, she nonetheless senses “some unborn sorrow” that is “coming towards” her. Her vague and imprecise language reflects the fact that she does not yet have a clear picture of this threat. Her “inward soul” trembles at “nothing,” and she grieves at “some thing” that she cannot easily identify. 

Nevertheless, she insists that her sense of foreboding surpasses mere anxiety. Though she does not like to be separated from her husband, who is traveling to Ireland in order to suppress rebels there, she maintains that her feelings cannot simply be accounted for by the distance between them. Her instinctive feelings of doom foreshadow later events in the play, contributing to the sense that Richard’s downfall is inevitable.  

Here, the Bishop condemns Bolingbroke and the defecting lords for dethroning Richard II and prophesies that this “foul act,” in violating God’s designs, will lead to dire consequences for England, such as wars that will leave the ground of the nation soaked in blood. Audiences in Shakespeare’s time would have understood that the Bishop is here foreshadowing the War of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid 15th century. The Bishop imagines “tumultuous wars” in which “kin” will fight against “kin,” clearly alluding to the War of the Roses, which split many of the noble families of England and turned family members into bitter enemies. 

Through this allusion to the War of the Roses, Shakespeare suggests that these later events were sparked by the crisis of royal succession following from the dethronement of Richard II. Shakespeare, then, highlights the important role that the events of this play held in shaping the future of Britain.