A scene between King James II of England and the Duke of Monmouth, after the failure of the Monmouth rebellion in 1685. The Duke lies face down on the wooden floor, his hands tied behind his back, crawling at the feet of the King and pleading for his life. Standing to the right of the Duke is the King, whose pose suggests that he is unimpressed with this performance: he turns his body away from the Duke, folds his arms across his chest and looks down his nose at him. The two figures are situated within a spacious room with panelled walls and aquamarine curtains. It is sparsely furnished with high-backed chairs pushed to the edges: the predominant colour of the background is brown. The King wears shoes, stockings, a hat and coat of black, with white sleeves, and the cowering Duke is in a coat, stockings and shoes of yellow-grey.