Famous quotes from Richard II
Richard II opens Shakespeare’s Henriad tetralogy of English history plays and is one of his most eloquent. Explore some of the play’s most well-known lines, in order of their appearance.
Richard II and the divine right of kings
In an excerpt from Thinking Through Shakespeare, author David Womersley looks at Richard II and how the monarch misunderstands the divine right of kings in ways that lead to his eventual downfall despite the warnings of others around him.
The Lead-Up to Shakespeare’s Richard II
In an excerpt from The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV, historian Helen Castor travels back in time to the weeks just before Shakespeare’s play begins.
Shakespeare in prison: How Richard II and Macbeth speak to those in solitary confinement
Blood hath been shed ere now, i’ th’ olden time, Ere humane statute purged the gentle weal; Ay, and since too, murders have been performed Too terrible for the ear. (Macbeth, 3.4.91) What would a roomful of convicted killers see…
King and Country: Shakespeare treasures from the Folger
A special exhibition of rare quartos, promptbooks, and other treasures from the Folger collection accompanies the Royal Shakespeare Company staging of King and Country: Shakespeare’s Great Cycle of Kings at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York this month. Director Gregory…