Home » Introductions to Shakespeare's Plays » Histories
Category Archives: Histories
A Companion to Shakespeare’s Richard II
This discussion aims to facilitate your basic reading and understanding of Shakespeare’s Richard II. It offers guidance on online performances, structure, historical contexts and sources. A final section addresses Richard’s characterisation in relation to the play’s ethics and politics. References are to William Shakespeare. Richard II, ed. Stanley Wells, intro. Paul Edmondson (London: Penguin, 2008). […]
Shakespeare’s Henry V: Introductory Lectures
These four lectures cover the aspects of Henry V outlined below. Each lecture includes detailed discussions of one or more passages from the play. Lecture One: The late Medieval and Elizabethan contexts; the play’s structure and development. Lecture Two: Henry’s characterization in relation to heroism, war, and patriotism. Lecture Three: How other aspects of Henry V relate to these […]
A Companion to Shakespeare’s Richard III
This friendly scene-by-scene guide may help you to keep up with events, characters and themes as you read your way through Richard III. It includes historical background to events and people in Shakespeare’s play, and some simple interpretations.