"Richard II" of The Hollow Crown Tetralogy

Richard II is a vain, self-indulgent man who rules with little regard for his people's welfare. He is ultimately overthrown by his cousin Bolingbroke, who ascends the throne as Henry IV (Jeremy Irons). In this scene from the Shakespeare history play, King Richard (Ben Whishaw) relinquishes the crown to Henry Bolingbroke (Rory Kinnear).

This is the first play in "The Hollow Crown" series - so beautifully filmed, so superbly acted.  It had been a long time, since I last read and watch "Richard II," but this film reminded me how much I love this play.  The King is narcissistic, even histrionic, but, oh, how I loved his poetry.  He does the kingdom wrong, and makes for an overall weak leadership.  But Ben Whishaw makes us (me, at least) sympathize with Richard.

In the above clip especially, I wondered about the allusion to Jesus Christ.  Whishaw's hair and beard make for a Jesus in his mid- to late-20s, and his outstretched arms like so is the posture of statues I've seen in Catholic churches.  Then, later in the film, while imprisoned in the Tower, Richard is dressed only in loin cloth, a very familiar bare attire for Jesus.  Once killed, and put into a wooden coffin, his bent legs strikingly resemble those of Jesus on the cross.  The director makes the tie explicit, when the camera pans from Richard in the coffin on the ground, to the crucifix high up on the Henry IV's throne.  

Did Shakespeare suggest a messiah in our midst in "Richard II"?  Were there any hints of such in the actual Richard II?  Or was this a director's artistic license?  I am very intrigued.

PBS makes the entire Richard II available (free) for three more days.  So if you happen to read this article, watch it right away.  I did say it was a superb production, right.  

I memorized the passage of this prison scene, as a university student, and recited it everywhere. I was so enamored with Richard's poetry, and I evidently still am.