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  • Published: 1 January 1999
  • ISBN: 9780451527196
  • Imprint: Signet
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $19.99

Richard II




Part of the authoritative and acclaimed Penguin Shakespeare series, now rejacketed in the celebrated Penguin Classics livery

The ill-fated reign of King Richard II and his eventual overthrow take center stage in one of Shakespeare's greatest history plays.

This title in the Signet Classics Shakespeare series includes:

• An overview of William Shakespeare’s life, world, and theater
• A special introduction to the play by the editor, Kenneth Muir
• A note on the source from which Shakespeare derived Richard II—a generous selection of Raphael Holinshed’s The Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland
• Dramatic criticism from Walter Pater, Richard D. Altick, Derek Traversi, and others
• A stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions of Richard II
• Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable format
• Recommended readings

  • Published: 1 January 1999
  • ISBN: 9780451527196
  • Imprint: Signet
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $19.99

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About the author

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, and was baptised on 26 April 1564. His father was a glove maker and wool merchant and his mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of a well-to-do local land owner. Shakespeare was probably educated in Stratford’s grammar school. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway, and the couple had a daughter the following year and twins in 1585.

Shakespeare’s theatrical life seems to have commenced around 1590. We do know that he was part of the Lord Chamberlain’s Company, which was renamed the King’s Company in 1603 when James I succeeded to the throne. The Company acquired interests in two theatres in the Southwark area of London, near the banks of the Thames - the Globe and the Blackfriars.

Shakespeare’s poetry was published before his plays, with two poems appearing in 1593 and 1594, dedicated to his patron Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. Most of Shakespeare’s sonnets were probably written at this time as well.

Records of Shakespeare’s plays begin to appear in 1594, and he produced roughly two a year until around 1611. His earliest plays include Henry VI and Titus Andronicus. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice and Richard II all date from the mid to late 1590s. Some of his most famous tragedies were written in the early 1600s; these include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Antony & Cleopatra. His late plays, often known as the Romances, date from 1608 onwards and include The Tempest.

Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 and was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. The first collected edition of his works was published in 1623 and is known as ‘the First Folio’.

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