King Richard II

by William Shakespeare

Overview

This richly annotated edition takes a fresh look at the first part of Shakespeare's second tetralogy of history plays, showing how it relates to the other plays in the sequence. Forker places the play in its political context, discussing its relation to competing theories of monarchy, looking at how it faced censorship because of possible comparisons between Richard II and Elizabeth I, and how Bolingbroke's rebellion could be compared to the Essex rising of the time. This edition also reconsiders Shakespeare's use of sources, asking why he chose to emphasise one approach over another. Forker also looks at the play's rich afterlife, and the many interpretations that actors and directors have taken. Finally, the edition looks closely at the aesthetic relationship between language, character, structure and political import.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605015958
Publisher:	MobileReference
Publication date:	07/01/2010
Series:	Mobi Classics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	255 KB

About the Author

"He was not of an age, but for all time," declared Ben Jonson of his contemporary William Shakespeare (1564–1616). Jonson's praise is especially prescient, since at the turn of the 17th century Shakespeare was but one of many popular London playwrights and none of his dramas were printed in his lifetime. The reason so many of his works survive is because two of his actor friends, with the assistance of Jonson, assembled and published the First Folio edition of 1623.

Date of Death:

2018

Place of Birth:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Place of Death:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; Preface; Abbreviations and conventions; Introduction; Notes on the text; List of characters; The play; Textual analysis; Appendixes; Reading list.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Gurr's account is hard-headed and scholarly, very deftly interweaving comment on the play's action with discussion of contemporary political events...thorough, scholarly and continuously helpful." The Times Higher Education Supplement

Editorial Reviews

"Gurr's account is hard-headed and scholarly, very deftly interweaving comment on the play's action with discussion of contemporary political events...thorough, scholarly and continuously helpful." The Times Higher Education Supplement

From the Publisher