Richard II (play)

Richard II, also called The Life and Death of King Richard the Second and The Tragedy of King Richard the Second, is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1595 covering the last two years of the eponymous King's life and the rise of Henry Bolingbroke, the future Henry IV, to the throne.

Donald Canmore's dismissal of the Scottish throne (and his family's incessant in-fighting) as nothing more than a "hollow crown" is a reference to Act III, Scene ii of the play. ("Fools Rush In...")

Real World Background

As with most of Shakespeare's history plays, the primary source that he is believed to have consulted the 1587 edition of Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Although the First Folio considered Richard II one of Shakespeare's history plays, it was considered a tragedy in a 1597 Quarto. As a history play, it is part of a tetralogy that is followed by Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V covering seventeen-odd years of key moments in English history.

Production Background

Valois is one Gargoyles character connected to Richard II, but it is not yet clear if his name alone is the intended reference, or if there is more in play.

See Also

• Richard II (play) at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia