Amazon.com
Do you know the story of Sharon Kay Penman's first mystery novel, The Sunne in Splendour? She spent every spare moment for years--first as a law student, then as a lawyer--working on the book about Richard III. And when the only copy of the manuscript was stolen from her car, she sat down and wrote it again. Five excellent historical mysteries later, Penman has started a new series set even farther back in time. It's 1193, and King Richard has disappeared on his way back to England after fighting in the Crusades. Justin de Quincy, the well-educated but illegitimate son of a bishop, is tapped to search for the missing ruler, and he turns out to be just the chap to blow away the cobwebs that often hang over historical mystery. Other Penman picks: Falls the Shadow; Here Be Dragons; Reckoning.
Book Description
Epiphany, 1193. Eleanor of Aquitaine sits upon England's throne. Her beloved son Richard Lionheart is missing, presumed dead--and the court whispers that her younger son John is plotting to seize the crown.
Meanwhile, on the snowy highroad from Winchester, a destitute young man falls heir to a blood-stained letter, pressed into his hand by a dying man. The missive becomes Justin de Quincy's passport into the queen's confidence--and into the heart of danger, as he pursues a cunning murderer and jousts with secret traitors in Eleanor's court of intrigue and mystery. . . .
Customer Reviews:
An entertaining medieval mystery.......2007-10-08
Having read and watched several of the Brother Cadfael mysteries, I picked up The Queen's Man. I read through it in a couple of days, intrigued by the story and enjoying Sharon Kay Penman's clear, flowing writing style. She includes plenty of historical background without turning it into a history lesson; the characters are engaging and the mystery kept me guessing right up to the end. I would most definitely pick up her other books, and encourage you to give The Queen's Man a try!
Quick, light read.......2007-05-30
On the bright side it kept my interest for the 6 hours, or so it took to read it and it made a long plane flight easier. On the other hand it is a simple story, with simple characters and at times Justin was frustrating doltish. Maybe she was trying to convey the naivety of a country boy in the 1100s, but good thing he was lucky. The twists and turns in the plot were predictable.
not enough suspense.......2007-05-06
Sharon Kay Penman writes very good non fiction about the Medieval times. Now she has used that quality to write medieval detectives. You can see that she knows that period (King Richard, Prince John) very well. The everyday life and atmosphere are decribed in detail and work fine for me. However, the story is not very eventfull and suspense is almost absent. Still I ordered the following 4 books of the serie, so it must not be all too bad!
Well writen medieval mystery novel that starts the "de Quincey" series.......2007-04-29
With the Queen's Man Sharon Kay Penman introduces a new mystery series with fictional sleuth Justin de Quincey as its lead character. While I have read others in the series with great enjoyment, this first one is exceptionally good and it introduces many of the characters that you will see in other books.
The series is set in England during the last decade of the twelfth century. The "Queen" of the title is Eleanor, who is depicted in her later years as the Queen Mother of Richard the Lionheart. Penman does an excellent job of humanizing and bringing to life both this famous queen and her famous son Prince John. Richard is away during this book (and several sequels) and his absence and John give the book its plot.
The mystery itself is well written with many imaged, but realistic characters. The plot is quite well done, but the fact that Penman's previous works have been historical novels means that you get a much better written mystery than a lot of other mystery writers are capable of creating.
Overall this book is generally recommended for anyone who enjoys the medieval period or mysteries and highly recommended for fans of Penman's historical novels or fans of other medieval mystery series like the Dame Frevisse or Sister Fidelma books.
Later de Quincey mysteries have settings in Wales and France as well, giving an interesting glimpse into other parts of the medieval world in that decade.
Good read for lover's of medieval times.......2007-01-05
Sharon Penman's writing style brings to mind the novels of Diana Gabaldon. The Queen's Man is an intriguing mystery with interesting plot lines and characters. While not as detailed as the Gabaldon novels, The Queen's Man is an enjoyable read.
Amazon.com
Readers of The Queen's Man, Sharon Kay Penman's first book about young Justin de Quincy, will feel right at home as Justin--the bastard son of a bishop--continues to help England's aged Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine find out if her son Richard Lionheart is still alive in a German prison while trying to keep another son, John, from usurping the throne. Newcomers might take a few more pages, but Penman's skill at making the daily life of 1193 England so immediately accessible should soon have them equally comfortable. Why would a messenger grab his mantle but not his boots before jumping out of a Winchester bawdy house window on a mild April night? Because that's where a traitorous message is hidden. What would Justin and his friend Luke have for supper at a Thameside cookshop? "Pork-filled pie and ginger wafers, washed down with cider." Why was "breakfast the day's dubious meal, not quite respectable?" Because, Penman tells us, "people were supposed to be able to satisfy themselves with a hearty dinner and a lighter supper." Details like these bond us quickly with distant ancestors--and make us wonder what particulars of our own lives will be fodder for future writers of historical fictions. --Dick Adler
Book Description
April 1193. England's King Richard Lionheart languishes in a German prison, and treason scents the air. Richard's younger brother, John, seizes Windsor Castle, and Dowager Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine summons her trusted personal "queen's man," Justin de Quincy, to do the impossible--mediate a truce with her rebel son.
Amid such fateful events, the murder of a Welsh peddler's daughter seems small. But the cruel demise of the beautiful Melangell so troubles Justin that not even a threatened French invasion can keep him from investigating her death. Yet can he bring Melangell's craven killer to justice?
Customer Reviews:
Murder most foul.......2007-01-22
It's 1193, and the Welsh girl Melangell is murdered in a London graveyard. Prince John is plotting and generally making a nuisance of himself while his brother King Richard languishes in a jail abroad. John and Richard's mother, Eleanor of Acquitane, is trying to keep the realm together.
Connecting the murder and the Court intrigues is Justin de Quincy - who sets out to solve the mystery of the murder, but he is also needed by the Queen.
This is the first Sharon Penman novel I've read and I found it an amiable enough whodunnit. The two themes of the novel tend to run in parallel rather than to help each other along, and I got the distinct feeling that you have to be prepared to read more of these novels for a full resolution of the Court-based stuff. Of the murder plot - well I sussed the culprit very early, nevertheless I thought it was OK as these type of novels go. In this I benefit from having suffered a Christian Jacq novel - nothing can beat that for dross, so others shine by comparison.
The Medieval background does get lost at times and it's always a problem giving characters who operate in settings so long ago some convincing dialogue - hence you get the occasional "mayhap" and "for certes" just to convince you these are people living in 1193.
Not to be too churlish, it's harmless enough stuff, entertaining in limited way.
G Rodgers
Pleasant reading, but no surprises or depth.......2006-09-27
Justin de Quincy, a young man in the service of Eleanor of Aquitaine, is helping his queen discover what her son John is planning as he tries to usurp the throne while his brother Richard Lionheart is in a German prison. At the same time he is asked by a friend to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. The suspects are two teenage boys, one who was sleeping with her and the other who was truly in love with her. There is a quote at the beginning about the emotion of jealousy being cruel as the grave and their is a great amount of it at the center of both story lines. Cruel as the Grave is a quick and enjoyable read. The techniques used to investigate in the 12th century were interesting as we are now so used to fingerprints and DNA evidence. Some of the details about life in the middle ages were also fascinating. The central mystery however was facile and no surprise in the end. The characters also had little depth. It's a pleasant book but not challenging in any way.
--Interesting story featuring Eleanor of Aquitaine aka Queen of England.......2006-09-26
CRUEL AS THE GRAVE is the second book about Justin de Quincy who is known as the queen's man. Justin works for Queen Eleanor the widow of Henry the II. She employs him as a messenger, spy and man that she can trust to carry out her orders.
The story takes place in the year 1193. During this time frame King Richard's life was in danger and his brother Prince John was hoping that Richard would be killed and not return to rule England. Queen Eleanor, their mother, was caught in the middle of their battle and although she wanted to stop Prince John, she did not want him hurt. Justin walks a fine line in his investigations because no one every wants to cross Prince John since there is a good chance that he will one day be King of England.
There is a dual mystery in this story where Justin also becomes involved in the murder investigation of a young woman.
The characters in this medieval mystery are a combination of historic figures and fictional characters. At the end of the book, in the author's note, Sharon Kay Penman offers some additional information about some of the characters and tells what is factual and what is not in her story. This author does a lot of research for her books, and tries to be as true to history as possible.
First Penman book I read.......2005-11-30
I normally don't read mystery books and to top it off this was my first Penman book I read. I loved it. Yes, I figured it out before the ending, but the story was compelling and I enjoyed it anyway. I loved the setting and loved the characters she has created as well as the historical ones. Penman did an awesome joby in my opinion. Since then I have read another one of her mysteries and I am looking forward to reading all of her books with Justin in them. I love how he is from humble orgins and not in the highborn culture yet he can interact with them and still keep his honor. I also love how he is honorable and just.
Justin de Quincy Undergoes the Tribulations of Success.......2005-02-03
Sharon Kay Penman's "Cruel as the Grave" continues her foray into medieval murder mysteries. In "The Queen's Man," her first such novel, Penman introduced Justin de Quincy to the world. The bastard son of a bishop, Justin is a man of talent but no means until fate brought him into the confidence of England's Queen Eleanor. Through courage, wit, and loyalty, Justin rose mightily in the eyes of both the royal court and with several of his "more common" friends . . . and made a few enemies in the bargain.
In "Cruel as the Grave," set in the early spring of 1193, immediately after "The Queen's Man" ends, Justin reaps the fruit of his success. Now an honored and trusted member of the Queen's inner circle, Justin must undertake several risky ventures to help Eleanor ransom her beloved kidnapped son, Richard Lionheart, king of England -- held in an Austrian prison cell. He must also help Eleanor in a high-stakes chess match --with the throne of England as the prize -- with her cunning younger son, John (dubbed by many, "the Prince of Darkness," and deservedly so). Since John is one of the enemies Justin made in "The Queen's Man," Justin's life is in considerable peril.
Justin must also cope with his new-found fame as a crime solver par excellence with his less-royal but no less demanding friends. A beautiful young woman is found murdered in a local churchyard, and the sons of a local merchant are implicated. Justin is forced to look into the murder, and soon learns that suspects and motives abound in this grisly affair.
Penman balances these two plot lines expertly, and the action sweeps from the streets of London to the courtroom of the palace to the siege of Windsor Castle. Penman writes with her trademark clarity, equally at home with a battle scene as with friends bantering over drinks in the alehouse. (Although fans of carnage would be better suited reading Bernard Cornwell's various works - Penman does not linger long over the violence.)
True to her last murder mystery, Penman injects "Cruel as the Grave" with more humor than her historical epics, and the novel is much shorter, as well (230-odd pages). While these novels are (almost) entirely fictional, they are fantastic opportunities to delve deeper into Penman's captivating treatment of Queen Eleanor's England. Check it out!
Note -- while some "sequels" can be read without reading earlier novels in the series, "Cruel as the Grave" will be much more enjoyable for those who have already read "The Queen's Man." (I would also recommend reading "While Christ and His Saints Slept" and "Time and Chance" first, so the reader can learn the back-story of Queen Eleanor before reading these murder mysteries, which are set in the twilight of her reign -- but reading those two novels is not as essential as reading "The Queen's Man," because Justin de Quincy does not play a role in the other works.)
Book Description
July 1193. King Richard Lionheart lies in a German prison, held for ransom by the emperor. His mother, Dowager Queen Eleanor, ransacks England for gold to buy his freedom, while his younger brother, John, plots with King Philippe of France to ensure that he rots and dies in chains.
When a ransom payment vanishes, Eleanor hastily dispatches young Justin de Quincy to investigate. In wild, beautiful Wales, his devotion to the queen will be supremely tested–as an arrogant border earl, a cocky Welsh prince, an enchanting lady, and a traitor of the deepest dye welcome him with false smiles and deadly conspiracies. The queen’s treasure is nowhere to be found, but assassins are everywhere . . . and blood runs red in the dragon’s lair.
Customer Reviews:
Ransom demand.......2007-04-03
King Richard, caught while on his way back from the Holy Land, has been imprisoned by Henry VI, King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor. Prince John, Richard's hated brother (and the same Prince John from the Robin Hood stories) is plotting with the French king to make sure that Richard doesn't leave prison alive.
Henry sets the ransom at an impossible 150,000 marks (perhaps five times the annual income for the English Crown under Richard), and the Dowager Queen Eleanor has set about raising the ransom. In Wales, a sizable portion of that ransom has gone missing, and she sends Justin de Quincy into Wales to find it.
Davydd ab Owain, Prince of Wales, suspects his nephew, Llewellyn ab Iorweth, who would later grow to be one of the greatest of all Welsh princes. He is married to Emma of Anjou, the highborn half-sister of Richard's and John's father - and Eleanor's deceased husband - King Henry. Davydd is incensed when Justin approaches the problem logically, wanting to inspect the site the ransom was to have been stolen from, conducting interviews, etc.
While not as intricately plotted as the next book in the series, Prince of Darkness, this nevertheless is a fantastic read, especially if you've read and enjoyed Penman's historical fiction, and amongst those, namely Here be Dragons.
Wonderful book!.......2006-08-28
If you haven't discovered the joys of Sharon Kay Penman, then I feel sorry for you. All of her books are fascinating character studies and are rich in action, romance, and period detail. This is one of her delightful short mysteries.
If you are interested in the Medieval time period, then do read Sharon Kay Penman. She has researched this subject so much, that she is able to bring historic characters to life in an exciting and fascinating way.
Check out her novel: "Time and Chance", or any other of her historic novels.
How did they solve murders in the Middle Ages? Penman's mysteries tell you how. Her series is on par with Cadfael, and The Name of the Rose. I love all four of her mysteries and think most readers will too. My only complaint is that they aren't longer!
Dragon's Lair is a fun read. I love the Medieval characters, and think other readers will be happy to discover the wonderful world of Sharon Kay Penman's Middle Ages. Check her out. Her books will hook you!
A Huge Disapointment.......2005-07-27
Personally, I don't see what the fuss is about over Penman. This book was underwhelming in a number of catergories.
For example, the main character Justin de Quincy is two-dimensional and unrealistic. After spending over 300 pages with this character, I feel I know very little about him, and what I do know is somewhat of a contradiction. Whilst de Quincy is loyal to his queen, he has no loyality to the woman that carries his child. Not only does de Quincy cheat on the pregnant woman, he doesn't even think twice about it. Meanwhile, his sense of duty to his queen and stedfast loyality to her are constantly apparent throughout the story. The point is, it is very hard to believe a character who is a loyal professional, but doesn't have the slightest bit of regret by living an amoral personal life.
The second issue I have with this novel is the mystery itself. 'Dragon's Lair' has so much potential in this arena, but falls flat time and time again. The basic premise of trying to find the queen's ransom is appealing, but the way in which the crime unfolds is anti-climatic. Moreover, the murder in this book does not occur until after page 200 of a 320 page book!
Dialogue is another major issue here. When murder finally occurs it announced by a character declairing 'there's been murder done!' - for me, that was a laugh out loud moment. Do people really talk that way? de Quincy's lover constantly says silly things like 'goodbye lover!' and 'thank you lover'. Again, people don't talk that way, and I found it very annoying having to read dialogue that was continuously unrealistic.
Lastly, although this book is historical in nature, there was hardly anything historical about this book. Although the politics of the age affect the events of this story, that alone did not bring the middle ages alive in this story. Penman resorted to cheap tricks such as having over half the book take place in taverns in an attempt to create time and place.
In short, lack of detail, flat characters, bad dialogue, and no real mystery to solve made this book a huge disapointment.
third in a terrific series.......2005-05-04
Sharon Penman's series about Justin de Quincy, the Queen's Man for Eleanor of Aquitaine, is both highly readable and historically accurate. The reader is treated to an interesting plot involving a king's ransom stolen in Wales, as well as the development of the de Quincy character.
I enjoyed reading about Wales and the politics of the region at the time. I also thought the secondary characters were interesting and believable. I have enjoyed other books by this author and will continue to follow this series.
Justin de Quincy Rides Again!.......2005-03-17
Sharon Kay Penman's "Queen's Man" series of historical mysteries is starting to rival her other, longer novels of a more pure "historical fiction" bent. It's no surprise -- her historical mysteries demonstrate better research and command of the period than many "pure" historical novels.
"Dragon's Lair" again features Penman's fictional hero, Justin de Quincy, bastard son of the bishop of Chester. Justin is educated, resourceful, clever, and, as he admits, lucky. As a result, he's the perfect choice to serve Queen Eleanor. Beset by a tide of troubles in her later life, Eleanor in 1193 is trying to ransom her beloved son, King Richard, currently held captive in Germany. While the call has gone out across the realm for the ransom to be compiled, many less-than-loyal subjects desire to keep the ransom for themselves. The leading candidate for betrayal comes from within the royal family, as Eleanor's son John has no desire to see Richard return from confinement.
And so it is no great surprise when a valuable shipment of coin and luxurious wool (worth its weight in gold) goes missing en route from Wales. Eleanor immediately dispatches Justin to this remote, wild kingdom, charged with recovering the lost ransom. Justin soon finds himself in Welsh intrigues as wild and tangled as the Welsh countryside, and there's more than a wee spot of murder afoot, too.
Along the way, Penman feasts the reader on a host of precise details that evoke the time period, but does so in a highly readable fashion. We also delight in learning more about Justin, including meeting some players from his misspent youth.
An entertaining mystery (very realistic in its details) populated by a vivid cast of characters, "Dragon's Lair" keeps you guessing from page to page. A very enjoyable read!
Average customer rating:
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The Complete Works of Christopher Marlowe: Volume III: Edward II (Complete Works of Christopher Marlowe)
Christopher Marlowe
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Marlowe's highly controversial Edward II concerns the conflicting claims of love and politics, the urgency of homoerotic desire, and the cruelty with which unscrupulous authority can exert control. The boldness with which the work confronts these issues makes it unique in the period, yet this is the first critical edition of the play with full scholarly apparatus for twenty-five years. Richard Rowland's edition presents an old-spelling text which adheres more closely to the first quarto of 1594 than any edition hitherto. The present volume is the third in the Oxford English Texts Complete Works of Christopher Marlowe. A full commentary and introduction contextualize the play and give an entirely original account of the relationship betweeen the play, Marlowe's own age, and events which immediately followed it. By re-examining textual cruces, new interpretative possibilities are opened up, and the play is related to the language and ideas of Marlowe's contemporaries. A generous selection from Holinshed, Marlowe's principal source, is also included. As critics and historians continue to debate attitudes to love, sexuality, and politics during the English Renaissance, this edition of Edward II extends that debate, offering a new understanding of the eroticism and violence of the play.
Customer Reviews:
As good as it could get.......2000-01-08
well i thought that the book was good, and even though it was introduced to me in high school, i think that maybe it is for the more mature crowd. if you can get passed the text then you will really enjoy the book. it is best to read the book along with its footnotes. not only is it a little easier on the reader, but it is also more enjoyable when you can actually understand what it is you are reading. but over all the book was excellent. i think of it as one of marlowe's greatest works.
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King Richard II (The New Cambridge Shakespeare)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Othello (Oxford World's Classics)
ASIN: 0521532485 |
Book Description
Andrew Gurr has added a new section to the Introduction of this updated edition in which he describes the growing interest in new historical and political analysis of the play. He also surveys a number of important professional theatre productions and guides the reader through scholarly criticism of recent years. The Reading List has been revised and augmented. First Edition Hb (1984): 0-521-23010-1 First Edition Pb (1984): 0-521-29765-6
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To Shakespeare's contemporaries, Richard II was a balanced dramatisation of the central political and constitutional issue of the time, how to cope with an unjust ruler. But over the last century or so, the play came to be regarded as the poetic fall of a tragic hero. The Introduction to this edition provides a full context for both the Shakespearean and the modern views of King Richard's fall. For this updated edition the editor has added a new section to the Introduction which takes account of the number of important professional theatre productions and the large output of scholarly criticism on the play which have appeared in recent years. The Reading List has also been revised and augmented.
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- Highly Recommended for Style and Presentation
- Good for a reading group
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Richard II (Folger Shakespeare Library)
William Shakespeare , and
Paul Werstine
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
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The Tempest (Folger Shakespeare Library)
ASIN: 0743484916 |
Book Description
Each edition includes:
• Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
• Scene-by-scene plot summaries
• A key to famous lines and phrases
• An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language
• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books
Essay by Phyllis Rackin
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.
Customer Reviews:
Highly Recommended for Style and Presentation.......2007-02-16
Shakespeare can be tough--tough, but well worthwhile---and this book does a good job of presenting Shakespeare in a manner and form that is not overpowering to the reader....
Provides just enough insight and history to aid the reader in understanding, but doesn't overpower the reader with unnecessary "book learning." The real impact of Shakespeare, however, is in the play itself...this book adds to the play and doesn't detract from it by an overpowering explanation or presentation.
Good effort. Barbara Mowat's work is always good.
Good for a reading group.......2006-08-10
I ordered a number of copies of this book -- the New Folger Library edition of Richard II -- for use by members of a Shakespeare reaeding group in Tbilisi, Georgia (that's the country, not the state), most of whose members are not native speakers of English. For this purpose the Foger edition, with notes on the page facing each page of text, was very useful -- more useful, I think, than the Arden edition, whose critical apparatus is very copious but often gets in the way. And in a few cases I found the Folger's notes more accurate and informative. Harry Berger's concluding essay, however, is not so good. It argues a thesis that I find somewhat implausible and one-sided in its reading of the play, so especially for the new student it is not very useful. But coming at the end of the text it is easy to ignore.
Book Description
Three King Richards ruled England in the Middle Ages. All had memorable reigns. Richard I was a crusading hero; Richard II was an authoritarian aesthete who was deposed and murdered; Richard III was the most famous villain in English history, locking his nephews in a tower to secure his reign. This highly readable joint biography shows how much the three kings had in common... All were younger sons, not expected to come to the throne; all failed to produce an heir, leaving instability on their deaths; all were cultured and pious; and all died violently. For centuries, these three kings have attracted accusations but also fascination, being immortalized in theater, movies, myths, and books. In Three Richards, Nigel Saul shows why.
Customer Reviews:
What's in a name?.......2006-04-03
For those unfamiliar with the reigns of the Richards, this book provides some useful points of comparison in an accessible way. Those who want to look at any one of the Richards in more detail will need to read other books.
The strength of Saul's book is that while it provides observation and interpretation, it allows the reader leeway to form his or her own views.
While I'm not convinced that the name alone is a strong enough thread to connect these reigns, I enjoyed the way this was done. Recommended for those 'dipping a toe' into this period of history.
Book Description
This richly annotated edition takes a fresh look at the first part of Shakespeare's second tetralogy of history plays, showing how it relates to the other plays in the sequence. Forker places the play in its political context, discussing its relation to competing theories of monarchy, looking at how it faced censorship because of possible comparisons between Richard II and Elizabeth I, and how Bolingbroke's rebellion could be compared to the Essex rising of the time. This edition also reconsiders Shakespeare's use of sources, asking why he chose to emphasise one approach over another. Forker also looks at the play's rich afterlife, and the many interpretations that actors and directors have taken. Finally, the edition looks closely at the aesthetic relationship between language, character, structure and political import.
Customer Reviews:
One of Shakespeare's great histories in a most helpful and rich edition.......2006-04-21
This play is the first of four histories involving the rise of Harry Bolingbroke into King Henry IV (parts I & II) and then his son, Prince Hal, into Henry V. These four plays are always popular with audiences and have many virtues, although they are quite different in affect and theatrical means. This play is full of poetry and carefully composed verse. The two Henry IV plays are blessed the Falstaff's glorious prose and Henry V has its own interesting dualities in Prince Hal finally becoming the King - are his comments sincere or full or irony or is he blind to the irony of his own making? But those are other plays.
As this play begins, the York line is in power as Richard II who came to power as a child. Henry Bolingbroke is the son of the Duke of Lancaster (John of Gaunt) and is also the Duke of Hereford as the Earl of Derby. Richard shows through his actions and weak decisions (both weak in strength and weak in acumen) that his hold on the throne is open to challenge. When Bolingbroke decides to make the challenge is open to debate, but he picks a fight with Mowbray and both end up banished instead. This causes a tremendous rift with the Duke of Lancaster and when he dies, Richard decides to seize Lancaster's possessions in Ireland instead of letting them pass to Bolingbroke.
Since Bolingbroke is now the new Duke of Lancaster he decides he is no longer the banished Duke of Hereford and returns to England. A number of rumors and challenges lead to Bolingbroke taking power and when Richard returns from Ireland his loss of his kingdom is accomplished without his realizing it. The rest of the play is the fall of Richard and the rise of Henry IV with the attendant strain on the loyalties of the peers.
Shakespeare's genius for verse and the exposition of character is blazingly manifest in this play and that is one of the reasons for its popularity and the walls of books written about this play. Richard's inwardness and self-absorption is quite communicated to us quite differently than Henry's boldness and aggression. The way the peers show their divided loyalties, anger, fear, and duplicity is also wonderfully done.
This Arden edition is from the third series and has some of the features of more modern scholarship. It is also almost exhaustively noted and resourced. The reader of this edition is given more than 150 pages of introductory material on the origins, language, meaning, and performance history of the play and can choose which to read and which to leave for another time. The notes on each page of text include notes to help the reader understand the text, but also notes on the history versus the play and Shakespeare's sources (such as Holinshead). There are longer notes at the back, and a textual analysis in the first appendix, a doubling chart for performance in appendix two, and a genealogical table for the third appendix (very useful). There is also a list of reference works and an index.
I am a huge fan of the Arden editions and enjoy reading the plays with all this helpful material and I strongly recommend this edition of this play.
my opinion.......2005-07-27
i'm very grateful,both for the quality and the delivery time.
thank you very much.
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