King Richard II

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, 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 emphasize 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. A textual analysis of the play’s eight early editions, a doubling chart for casting, and geneological tables are included as appendices.

The Arden Shakespeare has developed a reputation as the pre-eminent critical edition of Shakespeare for its exceptional scholarship, reflected in the thoroughness of each volume. An introduction comprehensively contextualizes the play, chronicling the history and culture that surrounded and influenced Shakespeare at the time of its writing and performance, and closely surveying critical approaches to the work. Detailed appendices address problems like dating and casting, and analyze the differing Quarto and Folio sources. A full commentary by one or more of the play’s foremost contemporary scholars illuminates the text, glossing unfamiliar terms and drawing from an abundance of research and expertise to explain allusions and significant background information. Highly informative and accessible, Arden offers the fullest experience of Shakespeare available to a reader.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

General Editors’ Preface

Preface

Introduction

Politics

Historical Context and the Issue of Topicality

The Connection with Essex

Ideology: Competing Conceptions of Monarchy

Characterization: Attitudes towards Richard and Bolingbroke

Politics in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth- Century Stagings

Language

Style

Imagery, Major Themes, Symbolism, Patterns of Allusion

Rhetoric

Afterlife

The Date

The Relation to Edward II and Woodstock

Richard II and the Second Tetralogy

Probable Venues of Early Performance

Sources

Holinshed

Hall

The Mirror for Magistrates

Daniel

Woodstock

Froissart; Creton; Traison

Edward II

Minor Sources

Text

THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE SECOND

Longer Notes

Appendices

1 Textual Analysis

2 Doubling Chart

3 Genealogical Tables

Abbreviations and references

Abbreviations used in notes

Works by and partly by Shakespeare

Editions of Shakespeare collated or referred to

Other works

Modern stage and television productions cited

Index