Richard III (Dover Thrift Editions: Plays)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486287475 ISBN 13: 9780486287478

Publisher: Dover Publications, 1995

The final play in Shakespeare's masterly dramatization of the strife between the Houses of York and Lancaster, Richard III offers a stunning portrait of an archvillain — a man of cunning and ruthless ambition who seduces, betrays and murders his way to the throne. In the process, Richard delivers great speeches and engages in formidable confrontations with a large cast of characters, almost all of them caught up in the terrible struggle for power that dominates the play. It is a tribute to Shakespeare's dramatic genius and knowledge of human psychology that by the end of the drama the detestable Richard begins to elicit some sympathy for the awful plight in which he finds himself. Explanatory footnotes and an introductory note are included.

Book Description:

King Richard III is one of Shakespeare's most popular and frequently-performed plays. Janis Lull's introduction to this new edition, which is based on the First Folio, emphasises the play's tragic themes--individual identity, determinism and choice--and stresses the importance of women's roles. A thorough performance history of stage and film versions shows how the text has been cut, rewritten and re-shaped by directors and actors to enhance the role of Richard at the expense of other parts, especially those of the women.

From the Publisher:

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features: Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.