Taking One for the Team . . . I mean King

From the very beginning of the play, Richard has subjects who step up to take responsibility for his decisions. Ordering Mowbry to kill Glouchester isn't a radical move for a king fighting to keep the power of his throne. However, the language Shakespeare uses and the secrecy he implements during the scene at Gaunt's house reeks of cowardice, an attribute no one wants in a sovereign.

That being said (and as many posts so far have discussed), Shakepeare's emphasis on Richard's kingliness through Boilingbroke juxtaposes the assumptions we make of a king, especially one who is saved by the grace of history, with the blatant cowardice of his actions. Unless being king exempts him from cowardice? Does power overcome deception, or is power itself a deception if lies are needed to keep it?