Richard II Study Guide
Text of Richard II (from the University
of Virginia's Electronic Text Center): web
version | e-book
| Palm
A
Richard II Study Guide
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family tree for Shakespeare's history plays
Ian
Johnston's note on Shakespeare's history plays
Wikipedia
entry for the Wars of the Roses
Discussion Questions
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This play is written entirely in verse, and is often described as the most
lyrical of Shakespeare's history plays. How does the play's lyricism affect
it thematically and dramatically?
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Richard II is often described as one of Shakespeare's most interesting
personalities. Do you agree? What makes him "interesting"?
How would you describe his personality?
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What kind of king is Richard? How would you describe his political
ideology?
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What kind of character is Bolingbroke? What kinds of changes does
he experience during the course of the play?
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How would you describe Bolingbroke's political ideology?
Bibliography
(The
links below can only be accessed from a computer on the Longwood network.)
Friedman,
Donald. "John of Gaunt and the Rhetoric of Frustration." ELH
43 (1976): 279-299.
Hamilton,
Donna. "The State of Law in Richard II." Shakespeare
Quarterly 34 (1983): 5-17.
Kantorowicz, Ernst H. The King's Two Bodies: A Study in
Medieval Political Theology. Princeton: Princeton University
Press, 1957.
Pye,
Christopher. "The Betrayal of the Gaze: Theatricality and Power in
Shakespeare's Richard II." ELH 55 (1988):
575-598.
Rackin,
Phyllis. "The Role of the Audience in Shakespeare's Richard II."
Shakespeare Quarterly 36 (1985): 262-281.