Title page of Richard II, from the fifth quarto, published in 1615.

The Tragedie of King Richard the Second is a play written by William Shakespeare around 1595 and based on the life of King Richard II of England. It is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's successors: Henry IV, part 1, Henry IV, part 2, and Henry V, and may not have been written as a stand-alone work. Image File history File links Richard_II_(Play). ... Image File history File links Richard_II_(Play). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan The Fair Maid of Kent. He was born in Bordeaux and became his fathers successor when his elder brother died in infancy. ... A tetralogy is a compound work that is made up of four (numerical prefix tetra-) distinct works; it is sometimes also called a quadrilogy. ... Informal title used by scholars for Shakespeares second historical tetralogy, comprised of Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V It is an argument for debate whether Shakespeare knew he was writing a continuous saga; however, the plays document, over the course of half... Title page of the first quarto (1598) The History of Henrie the Fourth, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare. ... Henry IV part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, first published as part of Shakespeares First Folio. ... Title page of the first quarto (1600) The Cronicle History of Henry the fift is a play by William Shakespeare based on the life of King Henry V of England. ...

Although the First Folio (1623) edition of Shakespeare's works lists the play as a history play, the earlier Quarto edition of 1597 calls itself The tragedie of King Richard the second. The title page of the First Folio with the famous engraved portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout The First Folio is the name given by modern scholars to the first published collection of William Shakespeares plays; its actual title is Mr. ... Quarto has several meanings: In bookbinding and publishing, quarto indicates the book size which results when four leaves of the book are created from a standard size sheet of paper. ...

Performance and Publication

Richard II has one of the most detailed and unusual performance histories of all the plays of the Shakespearean canon.

• The earliest recorded performance was on December 9, 1595, when Sir Robert Cecil watched it at Sir Edward Hoby's house in Canon Row. Such specially-commissioned private performances were not unusual for Shakespeare's company.
• Another commissioned performance of a different type occurred at the Globe Theatre on Feb. 7, 1601. This was the performance paid for by supporters of the Earl of Essex's planned revolt. (See Historical Context below.)
• On September 30, 1607, among the oddest of all early performances: the crew of Capt. William Keeling acted Richard II aboard the British East India Company ship Dragon, off Sierra Leone.
• The play was performed two days in a row at the Globe on June 11 and 12, 1631.

The play was entered into the Register of the Stationers Company on August 29, 1597 by the bookseller Andrew Wise; the first quarto was published by him later that year, printed by Valentine Simmes. The second and third quartos followed in 1598 — the only time a Shakespearean play was printed in three editions in two years. Q4 followed in 1608, and Q5 in 1615. The play was next published in the First Folio in 1623. ] The Right Honourable Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC (1 June 1563–24 May 1612), son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and half-brother of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, statesman, spymaster and minister to Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. Lord Salisbury is the... This article is about the Globe Theatre of Shakespeare (commonly known as Shakespeares Globe Theatre), includes information about both the original and its modern reconstruction. ... Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (10 November 1566 – 25 February 1601), favourite of Queen Elizabeth I of England, is the best-known of the many holders of the title Earl of Essex. ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ... The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. ... The size of a specific book is measured from the head to tail of the spine, and from edge to edge across the covers. ... Valentine Simmes (flourished 1585 – 1622) was an Elizabethan era and Jacobean era printer; he did business in London, on Adling Hill near Bainards Castle at the sign of the White Swan. ... The title page of the First Folio with the famous engraved portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout The First Folio is the name given by modern scholars to the first published collection of William Shakespeares plays; its actual title is Mr. ...

The play retained its political charge in the Restoration: a 1680 adaptation at Drury Lane by Nahum Tate was suppressed for its perceived political implications. Lewis Theobald staged a successful and less troubled adaptation in 1719 at Lincoln's Inn Fields; Shakespeare's original version was revived at Covent Garden in 1738.^[1] King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration. ... The interior of the third and largest theatre to stand at Drury Lane, c. ... Nahum Tate (1652 – July 30, 1715) was an Anglo-Irish poet and lyricist. ... Lewis Theobald (1688 - 1744), British textual editor and author, was a landmark figure both in the history of Shakespearean editing and in literary satire. ... Lincolns Inn Fields is the largest public square in London. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ...

Text and Sources

Richard II exists in a number of variations. The quartos vary to some degree from one another, and the folio presents further differences. The first three quartos (printed in 1597 and 1598, commonly assumed to have been prepared from Shakespeare's holograph) lack the deposition scene. The fourth quarto, published in 1608, includes a version of the deposition scene shorter than the one later printed, presumably from a prompt-book, in the 1623 First Folio. The scanty evidence makes explaining these differences largely conjectural. Traditionally, it has been supposed that the quartos lack the deposition scene because of censorship, either from the playhouse or by the Master of the Revels Edmund Tylney and that the Folio version may better reflect Shakespeare's original intentions. There is no external evidence for this hypothesis, however, and the title page of the 1608 quarto refers to a "lately acted" deposition scene. Quarto has several meanings: In bookbinding and publishing, quarto indicates the book size which results when four leaves of the book are created from a standard size sheet of paper. ... Folio: In bookbinding, a sheet of paper, parchment, or other material folded in half to make two leaves in a codex. ... (Redirected from 1597 in literature) See also: 15th century in literature, other events of the 16th century, 17th century in literature, list of years in literature. ... (Redirected from 1598 in literature) See also: 15th century in literature, other events of the 16th century, 17th century in literature, list of years in literature. ... Deposition is a word used in many fields to describe different processes: In law, deposition is the taking of testimony outside of court. ... (Redirected from 1608 in literature) See also: 16th century in literature, other events of the 17th century, 1700 in literature, list of years in literature. ... The Prompt (sometimes Prompter) in a theatre is traditionally the person who prompts or cues an actor when they forget their next line or neglect to move on the stage to where they are supposed to be situated. ... (Redirected from 1623 in literature) See also: 16th century in literature, other events of the 17th century, 1700 in literature, list of years in literature. ... The title page of the First Folio with the famous engraved portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout The First Folio is the name given by modern scholars to the first published collection of William Shakespeares plays; its actual title is Mr. ... Master of the Revels was an office within the British royal household that originally had minor responsibilities for overseeing royal festivities. ... Edmund Tylney, Master of the Revels. ...

Shakespeare's primary source for Richard II, as for most of his chronicle histories, was Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles; the publication of the second edition in 1587 provides a terminus ad quem for the play. Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Illustrious Families of Lancaster and York appears also to have been consulted, and scholars have also supposed Shakespeare familiar with Samuel Daniel's poem on the civil wars. Raphael Holinshed (died c. ... 1587 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Edward Hall (c. ... Samuel Daniel (1562 – October 14, 1619) was an English poet and historian. ...

A somewhat more complicated case is presented by the anonymous play The First Part of Richard II. This play, which exists in one incomplete manuscript copy (at the British Museum) is subtitled Thomas of Woodstock, and it is by this name that scholars since F. S. Boas have usually called it. This play treats the events leading up to the start of Shakespeare's play (though the two texts do not have identical characters). This closeness, along with the anonymity of the manuscript, has led certain scholars to attribute all or part of the play to Shakespeare; currently, though, most critics view this play as a secondary influence on Shakespeare, and not as his work.^[2] Richard II, Part One is a play that some claim was written by Shakespeare. ... The British Museum in London is one of the worlds greatest museums of human history and culture. ... Frederick Samuel Boas (1862-1957) was an English scholar of early modern drama. ...

Historical context

The play was performed and published late in the reign of the childless Elizabeth I of England, at a time when the queen's age made the succession an important political concern. The historical parallels in the succession of Richard II may have been intended as political comment on the contemporary situation, with the weak Richard II analogous to Queen Elizabeth and an implicit argument in favour of her replacement by a monarch capable of creating a stable dynasty. Elizabeth I redirects here. ...

That the history surrounding the descent from Edward III was viewed as politically explosive is evidenced by the treason trial of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex in 1600. Among the evidence presented at this trial was John Hayward's history of Henry IV, which was dedicated to Essex, whom the crown may have suspected of commissioning the work. Hayward was committed to prison, and he was examined again in January 1601, just before Essex led a failed rebellion against Elizabeth. This article is about the King of England. ... Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (10 November 1566 – 25 February 1601), favourite of Queen Elizabeth I of England, is the best-known of the many holders of the title Earl of Essex. ... Sir John Hayward (c. ...

Shakespeare's play appears to have played a minor role in the events surrounding the final downfall of Essex. On Feb. 7, 1601, the day before the uprising, supporters of the Earl of Essex, among them Charles and Joclyn Percy (younger brothers of the Earl of Northumberland), paid for a performance of the play at the Globe Theatre on the eve of their armed rebellion. By this agreement, reported at the trial of Essex by the Chamberlain's Men actor Augustine Phillips, the conspirators paid the company forty shillings to stage this play, which the players felt was too old and "out of use" to attract a large audience. Eleven of Essex's supporters attended the Saturday performance. Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland (1564 - 1632) is better known for the circles he moved in than for his own achievements. ... This article is about the Globe Theatre of Shakespeare (commonly known as Shakespeares Globe Theatre), includes information about both the original and its modern reconstruction. ... The Lord Chamberlains Men was the playing company that William Shakespeare worked for as actor and playwright for most of his career. ... Augustine Phillips (died May 4, 1605) was an Elizabethan actor who performed in troupes with Edward Alleyn and William Shakespeare. ... Before decimalisation in 1971, a shilling had a value of 12d (old pence), and was equal to 1/20th of a pound: there were 240 (old) pence to the pound. ...

Elizabeth was aware of the political ramifications of the story of Richard II, according to a well-known but dubious anecdote in which she asks William Lambarde, "I am Richard II, know ye not that?" In the same document, the Queen is reported as having complained that the play was performed forty times in "open streets and houses"; there is no extant evidence to corroborate this claim. At any rate, the Chamberlain's Men do not appear to have suffered at all for their association with the Essex group; they performed for the Queen on Shrove Tuesday in 1601, the day before Essex's execution. William Lambarde (October 18, 1536 - August 19, 1601) was an antiquarian and writer on legal subjects. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Mardi gras. ...

Synopsis

As the title suggests, Richard II is the main character of the play. The first Act begins with King Richard sitting majestically on his throne in full state. We learn that Henry Bolingbroke, Richard's cousin, is having a dispute with Thomas Mowbray, and they both want the king to act as judge. The subject of the quarrel is Bolingbroke's accusation that Mowbray killed Richard's uncle the Duke of Gloucester. What is more, Mowbray is also accused of having stolen money which would have been used for military purposes. Richard cannot pass judgement because it is later revealed that he ordered Mowbray to kill the Duke of Gloucester. Bolingbroke and Mowbray challenge each other to a duel, over the objections of both Richard and John of Gaunt, Bolingbroke's father. Henry IV (3 April 1367 – 20 March 1413) was the King of England and France and Lord of Ireland from 1399 to 1413. ... Mowbray, the name of an Anglo-Norman baronial house, derived from Montbray (Manche) in Normandy south of St Lo. ... Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (January 7, 1355 – September 8 (or 9), 1397) was the thirteenth and youngest child of King Edward III of England and Queen Philippa. ...

The tournament scene is very formal with a long, ceremonial introduction. But Richard interrupts the duel at the very beginning and sentences both men to banishment from England. Bolingbroke has to leave for six years, whereas Mowbray is banished forever. The king's decision can be seen as the first mistake in a series that will lead eventually to his usurpation and death. Indeed, Mowbray predicts that the king will fall sooner or later.

After that, Bolingbroke's father, John of Gaunt, dies and Richard II seizes all of his land and money. This angers the nobility, who accuse Richard of wasting England's money, of taking Gaunt's money to fund a war with Ireland, of taxing the commoners, and of fining the nobles for crimes their ancestors committed. Next, they help Bolingbroke secretly to return to England and plan to usurp Richard II. However, there remain some subjects faithful to Richard, among them Bushy, Bagot, Green and the Duke of Aumerle. King Richard leaves England to administer the war in Ireland, and Bolingbroke takes the opportunity to assemble an army and invade the north coast of England. When Richard returns, Bolingbroke first claims his land back but then additionally claims the throne. He crowns himself King Henry IV and Richard is taken into prison to the castle of Pomfret. After interpreting King Henry's "living fear" as a reference to the still-living Richard, an ambitious nobleman goes to the prison and murders the former king. King Henry hypocritically repudiates the murderer and vows to journey to Jerusalem to cleanse himself of his part in Richard's death. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 - February 3, 1399), the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, gained his name because he was born at Ghent in 1340. ... Henry IV (3 April 1367 – 20 March 1413) was the King of England and France and Lord of Ireland from 1399 to 1413. ... Pontefract Castle in the early 17th Century Pontefract is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, England, near the A1 (or Great North Road), the M62 motorway, and Castleford. ...

Structure and language

Shakespeare used a fall and rise structure in the plot. At the beginning, Richard is in power and therefore can banish Bolingbroke from England. As Richard II falls and dies, Bolingbroke rises to become king of England.

Unusually for Shakespeare, Richard II is written entirely in verse. The play contains a number of memorable metaphors, including the extended comparison of England with a garden in Act IV, and of its reigning king to a lion or to the sun. Look up metaphor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Dramatis Personae

• King Richard II
• John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, uncle to the king
• Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, uncle to the king
• Henry Bolingbroke (sometimes spelled Bullingbrook), Duke of Hereford, son of John of Gaunt, afterwards King Henry IV
• The Duke of Aumerle, (Edward, Duke of Albermarle, later Duke of York), son to the Duke of York
• Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk
• Duke of Surrey (Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey)
• Earl of Salisbury (John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury)
• Lord Berkeley (Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley)
• Sir John Bushy, Sir John Bagot, Sir Henry Green, all favourites to King Richard
• Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
• Henry "Hotspur" Percy, his son
• Lord Ross
• Lord Willoughby (William Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby de Eresby)
• Lord Fitzwalter (Walter Fitzwalter, 5th Baron Fitzwalter
• Bishop of Carlisle (Thomas Merke)
• Abbot of Westminster
• Lord Marshal
• Sir Stephen Scroop
• Sir Piers Exton

• Queen to Richard (Isabella of Valois)
• Duchess of York (Isabelle of Castile)
• Duchess of Gloucester (Eleanor de Bohun)

• attendants, lords, soldiers, messengers, etc.

Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan The Fair Maid of Kent. He was born in Bordeaux and became his fathers successor when his elder brother died in infancy. ... John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 - February 3, 1399), the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, gained his name because he was born at Ghent in 1340. ... Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, (June 5, 1341 - August 1, 1402) was a younger son of King Edward III of England, the fourth of the five sons of the King who lived to adulthood. ... Henry IV (3 April 1367 – 20 March 1413) was the King of England and France and Lord of Ireland from 1399 to 1413. ... Edward, Duke of York (1373 - October 25, 1415) was the same Duke of York who died at the Battle of Agincourt, the major English casualty in that battle. ... Thomas Mowbray (1365 - September 22, 1399) was an English nobleman, created 1st Duke of Norfolk in 1397, by King Richard II of England. ... Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey (1374 - January 7, 1400), also 3rd Earl of Kent. ... John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (c. ... Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland (November 10, 1342 - February 20, 1408), was the son of Henry, 3rd baron Percy, and the father of Henry Harry Hotspur Percy. ... A carving of Henry Hotspur Percy Sir Henry Percy, also called Harry Hotspur (May 20, 1364/1366 – July 21, 1403) was the eldest son of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Lord Percy of Alnwick. ... Thomas Merke (died 1409) was an English priest and Bishop of Carlisle from 1397 to 1400. ... Isabella of Valois (1387-1410) was a Princess of France, daughter of King Charles VI and Isabeau de Bavière. ... Eleanor de Bohun (c. ...

Famous Lines

This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle,

This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,

This other Eden, demi-paradise,

This fortress built by Nature for herself

Against infection and the hand of war,

This happy breed of men, this little world,

This precious stone set in the silver sea,

Which serves it in the office of a wall,

Or as a moat defensive to a house,

Against the envy of less happier lands,

This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,

This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings,

Fear'd by their breed and famous by their birth

—John of Gaunt, II,i,42-54 John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 - February 3, 1399), the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, gained his name because he was born at Ghent in 1340. ...

Of comfort no man speak:

Let's talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs;

Make dust our paper, and with rainy eyes

Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth;

Let's choose executors and talk of wills:

And yet not so — for what can we bequeath

Save our deposed bodies to the ground?

Our lands, our lives, and all are Bolingbroke's,

And nothing can we call our own but death,

And that small model of the barren earth

Which serves as paste and cover to our bones.

For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground

And tell sad stories of the death of kings:

How some have been depos'd, some slain in war,

Some haunted by the ghosts they have depos'd,

Some poison'd by their wives, some sleeping kill'd;

All murder'd. for within the hollow crown

That rounds the mortal temples of a king

Keeps Death his court and there the antic sits,

Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,

Allowing him a breath, a little scene,

To monarchize, be fear'd and kill with looks,

Infusing him with self and vain conceit,

As if this flesh which walls about our life,

Were brass impregnable, and humour'd thus

Comes at the last and with a little pin

Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!

Cover your heads and mock not flesh and blood

With solemn reverence: throw away respect,

Tradition, form and ceremonious duty,

For you have but mistook me all this while:

I live with bread like you, feel want,

Taste grief, need friends: subjected thus,

How can you say to me, I am a king?

—King Richard, III,ii, 148-164

Actors who have played Richard II

• Maurice Evans
• Ralph Fiennes
• John Gielgud
• Alec Guinness
• Derek Jacobi
• Ian McKellen
• Alex Jennings
• Briana Sanazzaro
• Fiona Shaw

Maurice Evans (born June 3, 1901 in Dorset; died March 12, 1989 in East Sussex) was a British-born actor who became a US citizen in 1941. ... Ralph Fiennes, (IPA: ), born 22 December 1962 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England), is a Tony Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated and Genie Award-nominated English actor. ... Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH (14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000), known as Sir John Gielgud, was an Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Academy Award-winning English theatre and film actor, and is generally regarded as one of the great British actors in history. ... Sir Alec Guinness CH CBE (April 2, 1914 – August 5, 2000) was an Academy Award and Tony Award-winning English actor who became one of the most versatile and best-loved performers of his generation. ... Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE (IPA: ) (born 22 October 1938) is an English actor and director, knighted in 1994 for his services to the theatre. ... Sir Ian Murray McKellen CBE, (born May 25, 1939) is a veteran English stage and screen actor, the recipient of a Tony Award and two Oscar nominations. ... Alex Jennings (born 10 May 1957 in Essex) is an English actor. ... Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. ...

References

• Barroll, Leeds. "A New History for Shakespeare and His Time." Shakespeare Quarterly 39 (1988), 441-4.
• Bergeron, David. "The Deposition Scene in Richard II." Renaissance Papers 1974, 31-7.
• Bullough, Geoffrey. "Narrative and Dramatic Sources of Shakespeare". Early English History Plays: Henry VI Richard III Richard II, volume III, Routledge: London, New York, 1960.
• Chambers, E. K. William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems. 2 Volumes. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1930.
• Rose, Alexander. Kings in the North - The House of Percy in British History. Phoenix/Orion Books Ltd, 2002, ISBN 1-84212-485-4
• Shakespeare, William. Richard II, ed. by Andrew Gurr, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1990.
• Smitd, Kristian. Unconformities in Shakespeare's History Plays, St. Martin's Press: New York, 1993.
• Tillyard, E. M. W. Shakespeare's History Plays, Chatto&Windus: London,1944.of Virginia

Sir Edmund Kerchever Chambers (1866–1954) was an English literary critic and Shakespearean scholar. ... Eustace Mandeville Wetenhall Tillyard (1889 –1962) was a British classical scholar and literary scholar. ...

See also

• Quotations from the play

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Tragedy of King Richard the Second

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Richard II (play)

• Complete text of play at University of Virginia: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/MobRic2.html
• King Richard the Second - text from Project Gutenberg
• GradeSaver study guide - background, analysis and research essays.

	The complete works of William Shakespeare
Tragedies:	Romeo and Juliet | Macbeth | King Lear | Hamlet | Othello | Titus Andronicus | Julius Caesar | Antony and Cleopatra | Coriolanus | Troilus and Cressida | Timon of Athens
Comedies:	A Midsummer Night's Dream | All's Well That Ends Well | As You Like It | Cymbeline | Love's Labour's Lost | Measure for Measure | The Merchant of Venice | The Merry Wives of Windsor | Much Ado About Nothing | Pericles, Prince of Tyre | Taming of the Shrew | The Comedy of Errors | The Tempest | Twelfth Night, or What You Will | The Two Gentlemen of Verona | The Two Noble Kinsmen | The Winter's Tale
Histories:	King John | Richard II | Henry IV, Part 1 | Henry IV, Part 2 | Henry V | Henry VI, part 1 | Henry VI, part 2 | Henry VI, part 3 | Richard III | Henry VIII
Poems and Sonnets:	Sonnets | Venus and Adonis | The Rape of Lucrece | The Passionate Pilgrim | The Phoenix and the Turtle | A Lover's Complaint
Apocrypha and Lost Plays	Edward III | Sir Thomas More | Cardenio (lost) | Love's Labour's Won (lost) | The Birth of Merlin | Locrine | The London Prodigal | The Puritan | The Second Maiden's Tragedy | Richard II, Part I: Thomas of Woodstock | Sir John Oldcastle | Thomas Lord Cromwell | A Yorkshire Tragedy | Fair Em | Mucedorus | The Merry Devil of Edmonton | Arden of Faversham | Edmund Ironside
See also:	Shakespeare on screen | Titles based on Shakespeare | Characters | Problem Plays | Ghost characters | Reputation | New Words | Influence on English Language | Authorship Question | Chronology of Shakespeare plays | Chronology of Shakespeare's Plays - Oxfordian | BBC Television Shakespeare