Bagot is one of Richard II’s three principal courtiers—alongside Bushy and Green—who are repeatedly identified as the parasitic flatterers poisoning the king’s judgment. These men represent the corrupting influence of a ruler surrounded by yes-men, courtiers who profit from Richard’s favor while the kingdom crumbles around them. Bagot appears first at court, joining the other courtiers in their observations of Richard’s mismanagement, and later attempts to escape the wreckage of the king’s downfall by fleeing toward Ireland with Richard himself. His presence in the play is brief but significant, as he embodies the shallow, self-serving world of Richard’s inner circle.
When Bolingbroke returns to claim his inheritance and seizes power, Bagot’s survival instincts kick in. Rather than fall with the king, he shifts allegiance and becomes a witness against Aumerle in the parliament scene, accusing the duke of complicity in Gloucester’s death and of having spoken treasonously against Bolingbroke. This move—from loyal courtier to informant—reveals the fragility of courtly bonds when real power is at stake. Bagot represents the type of political survivor who makes himself useful to whoever holds authority, abandoning loyalty the moment circumstances change. His testimony against Aumerle is detailed and damning, suggesting he has not only been a passive flatterer but an attentive observer of the dangerous words and schemes spoken within Richard’s household.
Bagot’s limited but pivotal role in the play underscores Shakespeare’s interest in the machinery of political power and the disposability of those who serve it. Unlike Richard, who clings to the language of divine right and sacred anointing, or Bolingbroke, who builds a political coalition, Bagot simply adapts. He survives by reading the wind and testifying for whoever has won. In doing so, he becomes a minor but telling example of how courts work: loyalty flows toward power, and those without principle—only expedience—are often the ones left standing when the music stops.
