Richard II
Richard IIThe most lyrical of Shakespeare's history plays, Richard II marks an enormous change from its predecessor in the genre, Richard III. It is written entirely in verse, as are 1 Henry VI, Richard Duke of York (3 Henry VI), and King John, but neither these plays nor the three histories which continue the story of Bolingbroke's usurpation and its consequences (1 and 2 Henry IV and Henry V) match Richard II's tragic plangency. In its heavy use of rhyme it is recognizably akin to Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595), and an invitation from Sir Edward Hoby to Sir Robert Cecil dated 7 December 1595 to come to supper and see ‘King Richard present himself to your view’ has usually been identified as alluding to a private performance of Richard II, presumably then new. The dating of the play to 1595 is confirmed by its indebtedness to Samuel Daniel's epic...
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