num_pages: 224
description: The first part of the 'Henriad', continued with the two parts of Henry IV and concluded by Henry V¸ William Shakespeare's Richard II is a history play dramatizing the rebellion of Henry Bolingbroke, that would eventually see him made King of England. This Penguin Shakespeare edition is edited by Stanley Wells with an introduction by Paul Edmondson. 'Not all the water in the rough rude sea Can wash the balm off from an anointed king' Banishing his cousin, Bolingbroke, King Richard II prevents a dispute from turning bloody. But Richard is an arrogant and despotic ruler, prone to tyranny and vanity, who listens only to his flatterers. As favour turns against him and Bolingbroke returns to reclaim his land, Richard is humbled and grieved to see that the throne given to him by God might be taken from him by men. This book contains a general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theatre, a separate introduction to Richard II, 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 II, you might like Henry IV Part I, also available in Penguin Shakespeare. 'We go to Shakespeare to find out about ourselves' Jeanette Winterson
language: English
title: Penguin Classics Richard Ii
titlecomplete: Penguin Classics Richard Ii
characters: 2nd Herald, 2nd Lady, Sir Stephen Scroop, 1st Herald, Groom, Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley, Welsh Captain, William de Ros, 6th Baron Ros, Thomas Merke, Bishop of Carlisle, 2nd Gardener's Man, Gardener, Henry V of England, William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, King of Mann, Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 1st Gardener's Man, Edward, 2nd Duke of York, Duke of Aumerle, William Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, Sir Henry Greene, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, Edward of Langley, 2nd Duke of York, Joan Holland, Sir William Bushy, Sir Piers Exton, Walter FitzWalter, 4th (or 5th) Baron FitzWalter, Eleanor de Bohun, Duchess of Gloucester, Sir Edward Bagot, William de Colchester, Abbott of Westminster, Keeper of Pomfret Prison, Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, Lord Marshal, Isabella of Valois, Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, 1st Lady, Henry IV of England, John Montagu, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, Richard II of England, Henry Percy "Hotspur"
genres: Historical, Literature, Classics, School, Drama, Plays, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Theatre
ratings_count: 24180
series: Wars of the Roses
publisher: Penguin Classic