Richard III

By William Shakespeare

The final play in Shakespeare's masterly dramatization of the strife between the Houses of York and Lancaster, Richard III offers a stunning portrait of an archvillain--a man of cunning and ruthless ambition who seduces, betrays and murders his way to the throne. In the process, Richard delivers great speeches and engages in formidable confrontations with a large cast of characters, almost all of them caught up in the terrible struggle for power that dominates the play. It is a tribute to Shakespeare's dramatic genius and knowledge of human psychology that by the end of the drama the detestable Richard begins to elicit some sympathy for the awful plight in which he finds himself. Explanatory footnotes and an introductory note are included.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Apr 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9780486111315

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is arguably the most famous playwright to ever live. Born in England, he attended grammar school but did not study at a university. In the 1590s, Shakespeare worked as partner and performer at the London-based acting company, the King’s Men. His earliest plays were Henry VI and Richard III, both based on the historical figures. During his career, Shakespeare produced nearly 40 plays that reached multiple countries and cultures. Some of his most notable titles include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar. His acclaimed catalog earned him the title of the world’s greatest dramatist.

Book preview

ACT I.

SCENE I. London. A Street.

Enter RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, solus

GLOU. Now is the winter of our discontent

Made glorious summer by this sun of York;¹

And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house

In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;

Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;

Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,

Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.

Grim-visaged war hath smooth’d his wrinkled front;

And now, instead of mounting barbed² steeds

To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,

He capers nimbly in a lady’s chamber

To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.

But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks,

Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;

I, that am rudely stamp’d, and want love’s majesty

To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;

I, that am curtail’d of this fair proportion,³

Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,⁴

Deform’d, unfinish’d, sent before my time

Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,

And that so lamely and unfashionable

That dogs bark at me as I halt by them;

Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,⁵

Have no delight to pass away the time,

Unless to spy my shadow in the sun,

And descant on mine own deformity:

And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover,

To entertain these fair well-spoken days,⁶

I am determined to prove a villain,

And hate the idle pleasures of these days.

Plots have I laid, inductions⁷ dangerous,

By drunken prophecies, libels and dreams,

To set my brother Clarence and the king

In deadly hate the one against the other:

And if King Edward be as true and just

As I am subtle, false and treacherous,

This day should Clarence closely be mew’d up,⁸

About a prophecy, which says that G

Of Edward’s heirs the murderer shall be.

Dive, thoughts, down to my soul: here Clarence comes.⁹

Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY

Brother, good day: what means this armed guard

That waits upon your grace?

CLAR. His majesty,

Tendering¹⁰ my person’s safety, hath appointed

This conduct¹¹ to convey me to the Tower.

GLOU. Upon what cause?

CLAR. Because my name is George.

GLOU. Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours;

He should, for that, commit your godfathers:

O, belike his majesty hath some intent

That you shall be new-christen’d in the Tower.

But what’s the matter, Clarence? may I know?

CLAR. Yea, Richard, when I know; for I protest

As yet I do not: but, as I can learn,

He hearkens after prophecies and dreams;

And from the cross-row¹² plucks the letter G,

And says a wizard told him that by G

His issue disinherited should be;

And, for my name of George begins with G,

It follows in his thought that I am he.

These, as I learn, and such like toys as these

Have moved his highness to commit me now.

GLOU. Why, this it is, when men are ruled by women:

‘Tis not the king that sends you to the Tower;

My Lady Grey his wife, Clarence, ’tis she

That tempers¹³ him to this extremity.

Was it not she and that good man of worship,

Anthony Woodville, her brother there,

That made him send Lord Hastings to the Tower,

From whence this present day he is deliver’d?

We are not safe, Clarence; we are not safe.

CLAR. By heaven, I think there’s no man is secure,

But the queen’s kindred and night-walking heralds,

That trudge betwixt the king and Mistress Shore.

Heard ye not what an humble suppliant

Lord Hastings was to her for his delivery?

GLOU. Humbly complaining to her deity

Got my lord chamberlain his liberty.

I’ll tell you what; I think it is our way,

If we will keep in favour with the king,

To be her men and wear her livery:

The jealous o’erworn widow and herself,¹⁴

Since that our brother dubb’d them gentlewomen,

Are mighty gossips in this monarchy.

BRAK. I beseech your graces both to pardon me;

His majesty hath straitly given in charge

That no man shall have private conference,

Of what degree soever, with his brother.

GLOU. Even so; an ’t please your worship, Brakenbury,

You may partake of any thing we say:

We speak no treason, man: we say the king

Is wise and virtuous, and his noble queen

Well struck in years, fair, and not jealous;

We say that Shore’s wife hath a pretty foot,

A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue;

And that the queen’s kindred are made gentle-folks:

How say you, sir? can you deny all this?

BRAK. With this, my lord, myself have nought to do.

GLOU. Naught to do with Mistress Shore! I tell thee, fellow,

He that doth naught¹⁵ with her, excepting one,

Were best he do it secretly alone.

BRAK. What one, my lord?

GLOU. Her husband, knave: wouldst thou betray me?

BRAK. I beseech your grace to pardon me, and withal

Forbear your conference with the noble duke.

CLAR. We know thy charge, Brakenbury, and will obey.

GLOU. We are the queen’s abjects,¹⁶ and must obey.

Brother, farewell: I will unto the king;

And whatsoever you will employ me in,

Were it to call King Edward’s widow sister,

I will perform it to enfranchise you.

Meantime, this deep disgrace in brotherhood

Touches me deeper than you can imagine.

CLAR. I know it pleaseth neither of us well.

GLOU. Well, your imprisonment shall not be long;

I will deliver you, or else lie for you:¹⁷

Meantime, have patience.

CLAR. I must perforce. Farewell.

[Exeunt CLARENCE, BRAKENBURY, and Guard.]

GLOU. Go tread the path that thou shalt ne’er return,

Simple, plain Clarence! I do love thee so,

That I will shortly send thy soul to heaven,

If heaven will take the present at our hands.

But who comes here? the new-deliver’d Hastings?

Enter LORD HASTINGS

HAST. Good time of day unto my gracious lord!

GLOU. As much unto my good lord chamberlain!

Well are you welcome to the open air.

How hath your lordship brook’d imprisonment?

HAST. With patience, noble lord, as prisoners must:

But I shall live, my lord, to give them thanks

That were the cause of my imprisonment.

GLOU. No doubt, no doubt; and so shall Clarence too;

For they that were your enemies are his,

And have prevail’d as much on him¹⁸ as you.

HAST. More pity that the eagle should be mew’d,¹⁹

While kites and buzzards prey at liberty.

GLOU. What news abroad?

HAST. No news so bad abroad as this at home;

The king is sickly, weak and melancholy,

And his physicians fear him²⁰ mightily.

GLOU. Now, by Saint Paul, this news is bad indeed.

0, he hath kept an evil diet long,

And overmuch consumed his royal person:

’Tis very grievous to be thought upon.

What, is he in his bed?

HAST. He is.

GLOU. Go you before, and I will follow you.

[Exit HASTINGS.]

He cannot live, I hope; and must not die,

Till George be pack’d with post-horse up to heaven.

I’ll in, to urge his hatred more to Clarence,

With lies well steel’d with weighty arguments;

And, if I fail not in my deep intent,

Clarence hath not another day to live:

Which done, God take King Edward to his mercy,

And leave the world for me to bustle in!

For then I’ll marry Warwick’s youngest daughter.²¹

What though I kill’d her husband and her father?

The readiest way to make the wench amends

Is to become her husband and her father:

The which will I, not all so much for love,

As for another secret close intent,

By marrying her which I must reach unto.

But yet I run before my horse to market:

Clarence still breathes; Edward still lives and reigns:

When they are gone, then must I count my gains.

[Exit. ]

SCENE II. The Same. Another Street

Enter the corpse of KING HENRY THE SIXTH, Gentlemen with halberds²² to guard it; LADY ANNE being the mourner

ANNE. Set down, set down your honourable load—

If honour may be shrouded in a hearse—

Whilst I awhile obsequiously lament

The untimely fall of virtuous Lancaster.

Poor key-cold²³ figure of a holy king!

Pale ashes of the house of Lancaster!

Thou bloodless remnant of that royal blood!

Be it lawful that I invocate thy ghost,

To hear the lamentations of poor Anne,

Wife to thy Edward, to thy slaughtered son,

Stabb’d by the selfsame hand that made these wounds!

Lo, in these windows that let forth thy life

I pour the helpless balm of my poor eyes.

Cursed be the hand that made these fatal holes!

Cursed be the heart that had the heart to do it!

Cursed the blood that let this blood from hence!

More direful hap²⁴ betide that hated wretch,

That makes us wretched by the death of thee,

Than I can wish to adders, spiders, toads,

Or any creeping venom’d thing that lives!

If ever he have child, abortive be it,

Prodigious,²⁵ and untimely brought to light,

Whose ugly and unnatural aspect

May fright the hopeful mother at the view;

And that be heir to his unhappiness!

If ever he have wife, let her be made

As miserable by the death of him,

As I am made by my poor lord and thee!

Come, now towards Chertsey²⁶ with your holy load,

Taken from Paul’s²⁷ to be interred there;

And still, as you are weary of the weight,

Rest you, whiles I lament King Henry’s corse.²⁸

Enter GLOUCESTER

GLOU. Stay, you that bear the corse, and set it down.

ANNE. What black magician conjures up this fiend,

To stop devoted charitable deeds?

GLOU. Villains, set down the corse; or, by Saint Paul,

I’ll make a corse of him that disobeys.

GENT. My lord, stand back, and let the coffin pass.

GLOU. Unmanner’d dog! stand thou, when I command:

Advance thy halberd higher than my breast,

Or, by Saint Paul, I’ll strike thee to my foot,

And spurn upon thee, beggar, for thy boldness.

ANNE. What, do you tremble? are you all afraid?

Alas, I blame you not; for you are mortal,

And mortal eyes cannot endure the devil.

Avaunt, thou dreadful minister of hell!

Thou hadst but power over his mortal body,

His soul thou canst not have; therefore, be gone.

GLOU. Sweet saint, for charity, be not so curst.

ANNE. Foul devil, for God’s sake, hence, and trouble us not;

For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell,

Fill’d it with cursing cries and deep exclaims.

If thou delight to view thy heinous deeds,

Behold this pattern of thy butcheries.

0, gentlemen, see, see! dead Henry’s wounds

Open their congeal’d mouths and bleed afresh.

Blush, blush, thou lump of foul deformity;

For ‘tis thy presence that exhales²⁹ this blood

From cold and empty veins, where no blood dwells;

Thy deed, inhuman

Reviews for Richard III

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

(My first book finished during the readathon!)

I don't like reading plays, really. I much prefer to see them performed -- they make much more sense when you do. And I'm not really a fan of Shakespeare: either he's too modern for me or not modern enough (my interest peters out shortly after Malory, ish, and doesn't revive until it starts to struggle back to life with Austen -- and even then...). No doubt some of you are just itching to say (probably not the first time) that I must be a pretty crappy lit student. To which I say, pfffttt. There's more to literature than Shakespeare.

Still, I did think I would take at least one module on Shakespeare -- not counting the Renaissance Lit module I've already done -- and so I'm doing one on the history plays, starting with Richard III. In my experience of reading plays, this is an extremely compelling one. It's never boring, and there's a lot of quick back-and-forth, particularly between Richard and Anne, and Richard and Elizabeth, that's wonderful to read (better yet, I imagine, to see). Richard's a horribly compelling character, though I found that shone through best in the first act.

It's funny how many Shakespearean references I make without knowing exactly where they come from. I found several in this play. Now I know!

[tkcs-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Josephine Tey book I just finished got me interested in Richard III. At the same time, I've been meaning to read some Shakespeare, and since I've never read The Tragedy of KR III it seems like a good place to start. I seldom read Shakespeare but I always enjoy it when I do. I remember loving a Shakespeare class at BYU. I took it summer term from Nan Grass, and some sessions we met in her family cabin in Provo Canyon--Vivian Park for those who know it. Great memories!

[jonfaith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

O teach me how I should forget to think

I was prepared to be underwhelmed by a jaded near fifty return to this plethora of love-anchored verse. It was quite the opposite, as I found myself steeled with philosophy "adversity's sweet milk" and my appreciation proved ever enhanced by the Bard's appraisal of the human condition. How adroit to have situated such between two warring tribes, under a merciful deity, an all-too-human church and the wayward agency of hormonal teens. Many complain of this being a classic Greek drama adapted to a contemporary milieu. There is also a disproportionate focus on the frantic pacing in the five acts. I can appreciate both concerns but I think such is beyond the point. The chorus frames matters in terms of destiny, a rumination on Aristotelian tragedy yet the drama unfolds with caprice being the coin of the realm. Well, as much agency as smitten couples can manage. Pacing is a recent phenomenon, 50 episodes for McNulty to walk away from the force, a few less for Little Nell to die.

Shakespeare offers insights on loyalty and human frailty as well as the Edenic cursing of naming in some relative ontology. Would Heidegger smell as sweet? My mind's eye blurs the poise of Juliet with that of Ophelia; though no misdeeds await the Capulet, unless being disinherited by Plath's Daddy is the road's toll to a watery sleep. The black shoe and the attendant violent delights.

[judithrs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare. Folger Shakespeare Library. 1992. As I said above, this was a book club selection. Cannot remember when I last read this play, but I loved reading it this time. How can I forget how much I love Shakespeare?!! After I read the play, I found a BBC Radio production with Kenneth Branagh playing Romeo and Judie Dench playing Nurse! I really enjoyed reading along as I listened and got more out of the play the second reading. I sort of wanted to listen to it again, but instead decided to watch Zeffierlli’s movie and am so glad I did. A great way to enjoy Shakespeare!

[sdtaylor555 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm not a big Shakespeare fan, so I won't rate any of his works very high

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Romeo and Juliet- Manga Classics – by William Shakespeare, by Stacy King, Crystal S. Chan (Adaptation), Julien Choy (Art), Akanovas (Lettering), Jeannie Lee (Lettering)There is no need to go into the synopsis or plot of one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays. We all know the basics of this story by now. Many have read the play in school or have seen a stage or movie adaptation at one point. So, I think it is safe to skip the analysis. For me, Manga is something I flat out ignored for years because I presumed without ever giving it a fair chance that it would not be something I’d enjoy. Then I discovered it was often geared towards teens or young adults, which was yet another strike against it. But, by sheer accident, I discovered Manga covered a lot of areas, and was much more complex than I’d given it credit for. Having gotten to an age where I’ve dipped my toes in many different genres, and sub-genres, I find that the ‘I’ve outgrown this’ or ‘aged out of’ attitude closes off many unexplored avenues and because I like to think I’m open minded, I’ve begun to reconsider areas I’ve previously closed off. As a result, I’m having a lot of fun learning about Manga, Graphic Novels, and Comics. Much to my surprise, I’ve found a nice selection of classic stories, in Manga/Graphic Novel format. After recently reading a memoir by Olivia Hussey, the actress who portrayed Juliet in the famous Zeffirelli 1968 film, this play was on my mind quite a lot. So, when I noticed this Manga version on Netgalley, it grabbed my attention immediately. For anyone who may be thinking the dialogue is 'updated' with more modern dialect, you’d be wrong. This is the same script you’d find in the original play- except there are no stage directions. Instead, those are replaced by images, which works out much better than I’d have imagined. The artwork is spectacular, as is the adaptation. Obviously, a great deal of thought went into how to present this classic in Manga form, and I’d say it came off beautifully. Granted, I’m still a novice at this, but I was pleased with the presentation. I did have a few technical issues, since this one is not in Kindle/ MOBI format. I had to use Adobe Edition, which is a pain, and the scrolling was terrible, especially since, of course it’s back to front. Several times my screen jumped to the end of the book and caused a great deal of frustration.Shakespeare is still difficult to read and adjusting to this format made it an even bigger challenge. It took me a good long while to get through it. (If anyone has a suggestion on how to make this less daunting- please feel free to offer me some suggestions.) However, despite the heaviness of the drama, and the extra effort it required to read the book, I was impressed, and enjoyed reading this classic with the well-drawn illustrations and art work which certainly enriched and enhanced my experience.Despite the disdain of melodrama- I liked all the angst between Romeo and Juliet- but not that sad ending! It still makes a great cautionary tale- even after all these years. 4 stars

[adaorhell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Richard, you hero, you villain. I am not sure how I feel about this play, I might have done a bad reading of it originally. But I am enraptured with Richard III any way. He did great things for the poor, he murdered children. He was the last King to die on the battlefield, he wasn't a legitimate King anyway. Sly, cunning, vicious and ambitious, Richard III is coming close to taking Macbeth away as my favourite Shakespeare.

[frankjl_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Shakespeare's take on Richard III. Very dark historical play, but just a play. Mostly inaccurate historically though.Very long play, S's 2nd longest just behind Hamlet.

[lisapeet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So how geeky is it to have his'n'hers copies of Richard III? Don't answer that. We saw the Brooklyn Academy of Music production with Kevin Spacey last year and both wanted to read it through again first. The play, by the way, was fun -- a big spectacle, kind of like the circus for grownups without the animal cruelty. But with plenty of scenery chewing. Anyway, the play is bad ass. But you all knew that.

[kimmr_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've just seen the wonderful Kevin Spacey / Sam Mendes production which opened at the Old Vic this year and is on a world tour. An amazing production and a superlative performance by Spacey.

[francescaforrest · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was the most stagey of any Shakespeare play I've ever read--or at least the most stagey I remember. Richard comes out at the start and announces his evil intentions. Later, characters whisper asides to the audience while lying to their interlocutors on stage. And at the end, ghosts.

It was interesting, but the over-the-top villainry of Richard somehow left me a little cold. A small thing along the way that bugged me was the ease with which Richard won over female characters who hated and excoriated him. A little sweet talk, and they acquiesce. What?! Please. Way to give women a bad name, Bill!

[stillatim · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Am I the only person who thinks Richard is kind of sympathetic? Seriously, *every* other person in the play is a moron. I've never been comfortable with Nietzsche's whole 'the weak gang up to ruin the world by undermining the strong' nonsense, but as an analysis of this book? Pretty good. Look, everyone in this play is morally repulsive. The difference between them and RIII is that the king's much smarter. He moves the pieces around the board pretty well. And for that he's the greatest villain the world has ever seen? I don't get it.

As for this edition (most recent Arden), it's got a very well-written introduction that provides a lot of background information; maybe too much background information. I would have liked a bit more interpretation. Same thing with the annotation, which was very heavy on the manuscript-variations but a bit light on historical information. But thankfully no fatuous 'thematic' interpretation stuff at all.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, plots to kill brothers and nephews on his way to the throne of England.I had a tough time organizing my thoughts after reading this play. Richard is such a rich character. He plots and schemes, but he has some fantastic lines and he's very charismatic. I had a tough time following all the Henry's and Edward's and such, more so than Shakespeare's audience would have, I'm sure. The plotting portion was much more interesting to me than his inevitable downfall, but I think that's at least in part because of how it reads rather than how it would play out on stage. The lines "sword fight and ____ dies," for example, are so quick that I hardly took it in before it was over. I'm not sure that I would read it again, but I'd definitely watch a film version and read up on my English history to learn more about the historical Richard.

[catherinestead · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great drama, a somewhat... um... flexible attitude to history, and scarcely a character alive by the end. There are the famous lines ("Now is the winter of our discontent"; "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!") and some that really ought to be more famous ("fair Saint George,/ Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons!"). Very entertaining.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Following the deaths of Edward IV and Edward V in 1483, Richard III becomes monarch of England. It is quite a bit into the play before we are introduced to Richard III, but when we are, we see him as a tyrant. What a vivid picture of his wickedness Shakespeare paints! One can't help but wonder if the people of England didn't sing, "Ding, dong, the king is dead, the wicked king is dead" when he died a couple of years after assuming the throne. I really think I'd love to see this one performed live. I may have to settle for a movie version, but I really think that live would be preferable.

[kaboomcju · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not a big fan of Shakespeare's history plays. See some of the film and stage adaptations of this play...they're more entertaining.

[lyzadanger · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My first Shakespeare history: I've been avoiding them for years. I care too much about keeping everything straight: the four characters named Richard, the handful of Edwards, the nobility calling each other by their titles sometimes, their Christian names other times. And then titles will change. And I care about the events and the lineages and I manage to get all wound up and muddled and frustrated.Of course it's better if you just read it as a play. And for that, it still has a profoundly different tone than the tragedies or the comedies. There's a lot of vitriol here. Not a lot of subtlety. Strong female characters. A LOT of characters. Children.It wasn't my favorite. It wasn't my least favorite. It was more of another notch in my complete-works-of-the-Bard-read stick.

[sly_wit · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this play, and it was only enhanced by the audio version bringing it to life. It was an interesting follow-up to Tey's A Daughter of Time, which presents a very different picture of Richard and his character and motivations. I remember having tickets I couldn't use to McKellen's Richard years ago and I'm sorry I've never seen this play on stage.

[amerynth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It wasn't by design, but I managed to save a great play for my final Shakespare (because apocrypha be damned.) Richard III was one definitely one of my favorites.... great story, great dialog and great pacing, what more could you ask for in a play?The play tells the story of the nefarious Richard's rise to the throne and ultimate demise. He's an evil mastermind behind the deaths of kings and princes, and even those who supported his aims fall to his sword. This isn't one of Shakespare's subtler works, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[bookwoman247 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I think that almost everyone knows Shakespeare's verson of the story of the monstrous King Richard III, how he plotted the murder of anyone who stood in the way of his gaining the crown of England. This was certainly not my first encounter with Shakespeare. I've read his work several times before. However, I seem to have missed the history plays, until now.I'm embarrassed to admit, that this is also the first time that I've felt the magic of Shakespeare. It's the first time I've been held in the thrall of the power of his words.I've always enjoyed his work, but I never understood what all the fuss was about. Now I get it.

[briony_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I never thought I would enjoy this as much as I did, and the Ian McKellen adaptation of this just makes it even better.

[michael_rose-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Like most, I imagine, I was forced to read this in high school (freshman year, specifically). I was no fan of Shakespeare at the time, though I've since come around somewhat. While I've not read it since, I've no real desire to. They're just a couple of horny teenagers thinking they're experiencing true love and all that. For that reason, this work does not entertain me as one might want. However, I do appreciate what it's lent to our culture, and specifically to derivative works. Without this book, we would not have West Side Story, which I do happen to be fond of.

[libstaff2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.25 StarsA fanciful retelling of Romeo and Juliet in Manga format. Emotive artwork and much of the dialogue is in true Shakespeare form. A nice addition to the Manga Classics series. Keep up the good work! For classics and adaptation fans.Net Galley Feedback

[heycaye · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I would've given a star for the crazy plot. But then again, that's what makes this unforgettable. The story's crazy. Also, Shakespeare's as smooth as usual, especially in the language of love. I can see why this has become a classic.

[dukefan86 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful language, classic Shakespeare.

[df5b_roberts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ah, my favorite classic.

[katieloucks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

great classic

[bluedelirium · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This review is for the Frankly Annotated First Folio Edition, with annotations by Demitra Papadinis.The layout of the book is fantastic, making it easy to keep your place in the play when checking on the notes. The notes themselves are fantastic, going in depth and not leaving out the dirty jokes. A thoroughly enjoyable and educational edition!

[coach_of_alva · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After reading and watching this play, I have now “heard” it. What I noticed, in this version, was that the effect of hearing was to level the players. Richard III is usually regarded as having one interesting character and many boring ones, and so being dependent on a show-stopping performance by the lead to make a performance watchable. Here, the lead actor, David Troughton, is good as the king but not domineering. Instead of ruining the performance, though, his refusal to chew scenery allows the other actors to bring their characters to life. Especially memorable are rages of a furious, dying Edward IV at the backbiting court that failed to protect his brother from himself and the lesson Queen Margaret gives Queen Elizabeth in the art of cursing. I was also happy to find this production unabridged.

[dr_cicle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was pretty good but some parts were confusing.