King Richard II (Dover Thrift Editions) - Softcover

Shakespeare, William

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9780486796949: King Richard II (Dover Thrift Editions)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486796949 ISBN 13: 9780486796949

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2015

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"Not all the water in the rough rude sea/Can wash the balm off from an anointed king," declares the soon-to-be deposed ruler of this historical drama. Confident in his divine right, Richard II is an ineffective and unpopular king who abuses his power and sows the seeds of his own downfall. Toppled from the throne by Henry, his ambitious cousin, Richard only learns to value kingship after he loses it, achieving a tragic dignity only with his downfall.
The first play in Shakespeare's "Henriad" series — followed by Henry IV, Parts I and II, and Henry V — Richard II portrays intense psychological struggles as well as a taut political drama. The only one of Shakespeare's plays written entirely in verse, it offers a grand, lyrical allegory and a poignant exploration of character.

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From the Publisher:

Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on standardized tests, Webster’s paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of King Richard II by William Shakespeare was edited for students who are actively building their vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT�, SAT�, AP� (Advanced Placement�), GRE�, LSAT�, GMAT� or similar examinations.

PSAT� is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT� is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE�, AP� and Advanced Placement� are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT� is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT� is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved.

About the Author:

"He was not of an age, but for all time," declared Ben Jonson of his contemporary William Shakespeare (1564–1616). Jonson's praise is especially prescient, since at the turn of the 17th century Shakespeare was but one of many popular London playwrights and none of his dramas were printed in his lifetime. The reason so many of his works survive is because two of his actor friends, with the assistance of Jonson, assembled and published the First Folio edition of 1623.

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