Ok, so this play is going to be filled with a bunch of liars and backstabbers! Anger and distrust seem to be prevalent in the first scene. One of Richard's first passage's describes the anger and malice between the characters Bolingbroke and Mowbray and when said charcters enter the stage, it seems as though what Richard said was true. However, after both accusations have been made, in which Mowbray doesn't really help himself but does rather to the contrary, and the gages thrown Richard tries to calm the two of them. Mowbray seems to be cooled almost instantaneously! If you were really that angry and you were honestly falsely accused, that wouldn't happen. Like ever. Then in the second scene, we see that John of Gaunt thinks Richard himself killed Gloucester, "But since correction lieth in those hands/Which made the fault we that we cannot correct/Put we our quarrel to the will of heaven." The king himself did the dirty deed! And he was perfectly fine with letting Mowbray take the blame and possibly get killed for said indictment! There is also the possibility that Mowbray knew it was the King and wants to take the blame so the king doesn't find out. Maybe the two of them will conspire and try to kill Bolingbroke. We really can't be sure. Just from these two scenes it seems apparent that we will not be able to trust anyone's words or actions in this play.

*Tina