The Characters of Bolingbroke and Richard II “What tongue speaks my straight drawn sword can prove” is the sentence which concludes a short speech delivered by Henry Bolingbroke to the king Richard. II (1.1.6). These words are only the first demonstration of the marked difference between the characters mentioned above in The Tragedy of Richard II. The line presents a man determined for action, a foil to the main character, a man of words. When Bolingbroke first appears in the play, he accuses Thomas Mowbray of treason and then declares that he is prepared to follow through on his accusations, to draw his sword against Mowbray. He states: “Moreover, I say it and I will prove it in battle…” (1.1.92, emphasis mine). Richard gives in to the demand for trial by combat. This was a decision he later reversed, banishing both parties rather than authorizing their confrontation. This is a great example of Richard using his authority through decisions and statements rather than actions, even to the point of rejecting an action. . Bolingbroke, on the other hand, is fully prepared to fight, whatever the consequences. Moments before Richard ends the proceedings, Bolingbroke says: "...let no noble eye profane a tear / For me, if I be gorged with Mowbray's spear" (1.3.58-59). Here is a man resolute in his intention. Certainly, even in the banishment that follows, Bolingbroke is not embarrassed. When he learns of the seizure of the property of his deceased father, John of Gaunt, by Richard, he returns to England despite the ...... middle of paper ...... wiping out everyone who was around or even he is just addressing himself. However, Bolingbroke is not a man of many words; he feels the need to physically atone for his part in the murder, “to wash this blood from [his] guilty hand” (5.6.50). Nevertheless, as a man of action, Bolingbroke achieved for himself the goal of reclaiming his Father Gaunt estates and much more. Ultimately, he is the king, King Henry IV. And although Richard, as king, was full of pomp and ceremony, these things were no match for ambition carried to its maximum. His strong words belied his incompetence as a leader and he could not retain his position. It seems that it was inevitable that Bolingbroke would finally be victorious. Richard should have paid more attention to his usurper, before he was, this man he called "the bold son of Gaunt »." (1.1.3).