King Richard The Second By William Shakespeare

By William Shakespeare, William Griggs, William Aldis Wright, et al.

Book Overview

"King Richard II" is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and chronicles his reign and the events leading up to his deposition. The play explores themes of kingship, legitimacy, power, and the consequences of political actions.

Shakespeare masterfully portrays Richard II as a flawed and complex character, whose weaknesses ultimately lead to his downfall. The play is notable for its poetic language and profound insights into human nature and the nature of power. "King Richard II" remains a significant work in the Shakespearean canon, offering a timeless exploration of history, politics, and the human condition.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1024639339
• ISBN13: 9781024639339
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: Hutson Street Press
• Length: 88 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

KING RICHARD II ARDEN SHAKESPEARE

THIS EDITION IS BEAUTIFULLY ORGANIZED... THE FOOTNOTES ARE THOROUGH AND ENGAGING... THE CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY ARE FULLY EXPLAINED... THIS WAS FOR ME A BEAUTIFUL PATHWAY TO A FABULOUS PLAY

Good for a reading group

I ordered a number of copies of this book -- the New Folger Library edition of Richard II -- for use by members of a Shakespeare reaeding group in Tbilisi, Georgia (that's the country, not the state), most of whose members are not native speakers of English. For this purpose the Foger edition, with notes on the page facing each page of text, was very useful -- more useful, I think, than the Arden edition, whose critical apparatus is very copious but often gets in the way. And in a few cases I found the Folger's notes more accurate and informative. Harry Berger's concluding essay, however, is not so good. It argues a thesis that I find somewhat implausible and one-sided in its reading of the play, so especially for the new student it is not very useful. But coming at the end of the text it is easy to ignore.

Penguin audiotape is excellent

The Penguin production of Richard II is full length and well done. The other version(s) are abridged and not so good. I find it increases understanding and satisfaction of Shakespeare to listen to the tapes while reading.

Well balanced tale

Yes, Mr or Ms Reader, this is a hidden gem of Shakespeare's. Perhaps it is a bit too weighed down with history to ever attract Mr Di Caprio, but the story is intriguing and one's opinion of Richard changes scene by scene. Wonderful wordplay and nobility in abundance make this one to turn too immediately should you wish to delve beyond the traditional canon of the Bard's works.