num_pages: 200
description: A history play whose villainous usurper is one of William Shakespeare's most memorably cunning and sinister characters, Richard III is edited by E.A.J. Honigmann with an introduction by Michael Taylor in Penguin Shakespeare. 'Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York' Richard of York, the bitter, deformed brother of King Edward IV, is secretly plotting to seize the throne of England. Charming and duplicitous, powerfully eloquent and viciously cruel, he is prepared to go to any lengths to achieve his goal. In his skilful manipulation of events and people - coercing the king into eliminating the Duke of Clarence, next in line to the throne; imprisoning the King's sons, princes Edward and Richard, in the Tower of London; and purging court of any who might oppose his rule - Richard is a chilling incarnation of the lure of evil and the temptation of power. This book contains a general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theatre, a separate introduction to Richard III, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, an essay discussing performance options on both stage and screen, and a commentary. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), many of which are regarded as the most exceptional works of drama ever produced, including Romeo and Juliet (1595), Henry V (1599), Hamlet (1601), Othello (1604), King Lear (1606) and Macbeth (1606), as well as a collection of 154 sonnets, which number among the most profound and influential love-poetry in English. If you enjoyed Richard III, you might like Macbeth, also available in Penguin Shakespeare. 'Exciting, funny, sexy and violent' Sir Ian McKellen
language: English
title: Richard III
titlecomplete: Richard III
characters: Sir Thomas Vaughan, Scrivener, Miles Forrest, 2nd Murderer (Richard III), William, Lord Hastings, John Morton, Bishop of Ely, John Dighton, John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, Keeper of the Tower, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, Edward V of England, Sir William Brandon, Francis Lovell, 9th Baron Lovell, 6th Baron Holand, Sir William Catesby, Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, Richard III of England, Sir James Blunt, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, Elizabeth Woodville, Lady Anne Neville, Sir Richard Grey, Lord Grey, John, a Priest, Berkeley, gentleman attending Lady Anne, Sir Christopher Urswick, Edmund Shaa, Lord Mayor of London, Elizabeth of York, Sir James Tyrrel, Sir Robert Brakenbury, 2nd Citizen (Richard III), Tressel, gentleman attending Lady Anne, Sir Walter Herbert, Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, Sheriff (Richard III), Cardinal Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, Henry VII of England, Sir Richard Ratcliffe, Pursuivant, 1st Murderer (Richard III), Sir Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset, Thomas, Lord Stanley, Earl of Derby, Margaret of Anjou, Third Citizen (Richard III), Jane Shore, 1st Citizen (Richard III), Henry VI of England, Thomas Rotherham, Archbishop of York, Margaret Plantagenet, Edward Plantagenet, Page to Richard III, Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick, Edward IV of England
genres: Historical, Literature, Classics, School, Drama, Plays, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Theatre
ratings_count: 52278
places: Bosworth Field, Tower of London, London, England
series: Shakespeare's Minor Tetralogy, Wars of the Roses
publisher: Penguin UK