If you know the Three Stooges, Richard II is kind of like Shemp—not quite up to the three main guys. In the Shakespearean history pantheon, Richard II is seen as an "important" play—it's the opener for the Henriad, after all. If you know the quartet, you'll recognize that the other plays are probably a bit more entertaining, with their tavern scenes and pranks, while much of Richard II is high political drama. However, it's full of betrayal and back stabbing (both literal and figurative), so the storyline is an interesting one.

Where students might struggle most in tackling Richard II is with the whole idea of the Divine Rights of Kings, Richard as a flawed human being, and the problem with overthrowing a bad leader who is God's chosen one. We just don't think like that today, but it's a really important concept for the context of the story.