Richard III

by William Shakespeare

Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only

Written
c. 1592-1593
Form
Drama
Language
English
Length
Medium · 330 pp120 to 300 pages
Difficulty
Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader

We recommendRichard IIIFolger Shakespeare Library (Simon and Schuster), 2004The family trees and notes make the crowd of Yorks and Lancasters manageable.

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With the Wars of the Roses won by his family, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, tells the audience he is determined to prove a villain and sets out to remove everyone between himself and the throne. He woos Lady Anne over the corpse of the husband he killed, has his brother Clarence drowned in a wine butt, and has his young nephews murdered in the Tower after seizing the crown. Haunted by the ghosts of his victims on the eve of Bosworth, he is killed by Richmond, the future Henry VII.

No reading guide yet

The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Richard III are verified against each program's published list.

What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.

Browse the 48 works that do have a guide →

The Tragedy of King Richard the Third, The Life and Death of Richard the Third, Duke of Gloucester, Clarence, Lady Anne, Buckingham, Princes in the Tower, Bosworth, Richmond, Margaret, winter of our discontent, Shakspere, the Bard, the Bard of Avon