Richard II
By William ShakespearePublisher Description
Against the advice of his counselors, Richard II has been taking money from England’s coffers and spending it on fashion and close friends. In order to continue his wasteful spending, he raises taxes on the commoners and leases portions of English land to wealthy noblemen. He also sees an opportunity to seize more land and money after hearing news of John of Gaunt’s failing health.
King Richard arrives at Windsor Castle to settle a dispute between Henry Bolingbroke, the Duke of Hereford and son of John of Gaunt, and Thomas Mowbray, the Duke of Norfolk. Bolingbroke accuses Mowbray of numerous counts of treason: embezzling funds for Richard’s soldiers, conspiring against the king for the past eighteen years, and murdering the Duke of Gloucester. Mowbray denies these charges and claims to have repented for any wrongs he has caused in the past. John of Gaunt tries to convince the two to reconcile, but his attempts fall on deaf ears. Richard determines that a trial by combat will settle the matter.
This Standard Ebooks production is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright’s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities217 Reviews
Faith
Created 7 days ago
“Hmmm, I will definitely have to do more research on the nuances of this play—I was a bit lost. The dynamic between Richard and Henry was interesting though.”
Saraa
Created 9 days agoLivy
Created 21 days agoCornelius Van Ess
Created about 1 month ago
“I liked this a lot more than I expected I would. It's an interesting exploration of what it means to be a leader and who is deserving. Richard II takes the idea of the Divine Right of Kings to an extreme, seeing himself as invulnerable to the point of watching his reign crumble around him. Yet, our "hero," Bolingbroke isn't exactly heroic either. Such is the way of royalty, I suppose. My favorite part of the play was the forced decorum between people who clearly hated each other, and some actively scheming against one another.”Jenny
Created about 1 month agoAbout William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (bapt. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. His works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
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