Richard II (MAXNotes Literature Guides)
()
About this ebook
The MAXnotes offers a comprehensive summary and analysis of Richard II and a biography of William Shakespeare. Places the events of the play in historical context and discusses each act in detail. Includes study questions and answers along with topics for papers and sample outlines.
Michael Morrison
Michael Morrison is a writer, developer, toy inventor, and author of a variety of books covering topics such as Java, Web scripting, game development, and mobile devices. Some of Michael's notable writing projects include JavaScript Bible, 6th Edition (Wiley, 2006),Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours, 7th Edition (Sams Publishing, 2005), Beginning Mobile Phone Game Programming (Sams Publishing, 2004) and Java Unleashed (Sams Publishing, 1997). Michael is the intructor of several Web-based courses, including DigitalThink's Introduction to Java 2 series, JavaBeans for Programmers series, and Win32 Programming series (www.digitalthink.com). In addition to his primary profession as a writer and technical consultant, Michael is the founder of Stalefish Labs (www.stalefishlabs.com), an entertainment company specializing in games, toys, and interactive media. When not glued to his computer, skateboarding, playing hockey, or watching movies with his wife, Masheed, Michael enjoys hanging out by his koi pond.
Read more from Michael Morrison
As You Like It (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Richard II (MAXNotes Literature Guides)
Related ebooks
Henry V (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHenry IV, Part I (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAntony and Cleopatra (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIdeas of Order: A Close Reading of Shakespeare's Sonnets Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tempest, The (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Midsummer Night's Dream (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMuch Ado About Nothing (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKing Lear (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Julius Caesar (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHamlet (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTaming of the Shrew, The (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Study Guide for William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMacbeth (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStudy Guide to Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Study Guide for William Shakespeare's The Sonnets Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStudy Guide to Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTwelfth Night (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Study Guide for William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 29" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGale Researcher Guide for: Shakespeare Studies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Globe Guide to Shakespeare Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMiddlemarch (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTess of the D'Urbervilles (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Scarlet Letter (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOthello Thrift Study Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Aeneid (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmma Thrift Study Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Tale of Two Cities Thrift Study Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Moll Flanders (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTale of Two Cities, A (MAXNotes Literature Guides) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Book Notes For You
Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by John Gottman: Conversation Starters Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill: Conversation Starters Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig: Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCaste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson: Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor: Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab: Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SUMMARY Of The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in Healthy Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Good Energy by Casey Means:The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInvisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez: Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Workbook for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counter intuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides: Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker: Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTwelfth Night: No Fear Shakespeare Side-by-Side Plain English Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy: Conversation Starters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Guide to Bessel van der Kolk's, MD The Body Keeps the Score Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tempest: No Fear Shakespeare Side-by-Side Plain English Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver MD: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi: Summary by Fireside Reads Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest : Discussion Prompts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUntamed by Glennon Doyle: Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Richard II (MAXNotes Literature Guides)
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Richard II (MAXNotes Literature Guides) - Michael Morrison
William Shakespeare’s
Richard II
Text by
Michael Morrison
(Ph.D., CUNY)
Department of English
DeVry Institute
Woodbridge, New Jersey
Illustrations by
Arnold Turovskiy
Research & Education Association
MAXnotes® for
RICHARD II
Copyright © 1996 by Research & Education Association. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 96-67421
International Standard Book Number 0-87891-043-3
MAXnotes® is a registered trademark of
Research & Education Association, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854
I-1
What MAXnotes® Will Do for You
This book is intended to help you absorb the essential contents and features of William Shakespeare’s Richard II and to help you gain a thorough understanding of the work. The book has been designed to do this more quickly and effectively than any other study guide.
For best results, this MAXnotes book should be used as a companion to the actual work, not instead of it. The interaction between the two will greatly benefit you.
To help you in your studies, this book presents the most up-to-date interpretations of every section of the actual work, followed by questions and fully explained answers that will enable you to analyze the material critically. The questions also will help you to test your understanding of the work and will prepare you for discussions and exams.
Meaningful illustrations are included to further enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the literary work. The illustrations are designed to place you into the mood and spirit of the work’s settings.
The MAXnotes also include summaries, character lists, explanations of plot, and section-by-section analyses. A biography of the author and discussion of the work’s historical context will help you put this literary piece into the proper perspective of what is taking place.
The use of this study guide will save you the hours of preparation time that would ordinarily be required to arrive at a complete grasp of this work of literature. You will be well prepared for classroom discussions, homework, and exams. The guidelines that are included for writing papers and reports on various topics will prepare you for any added work which may be assigned.
The MAXnotes will take your grades to the max.
Dr. Max Fogiel
Program Director
Contents
Section One: Introduction
The Life and Work of William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s Language
Shakespeare’s Sentences
Shakespeare’s Words
Shakespeare’s Wordplay
Shakespeare’s Dramatic Verse
Implied Stage Action
Historical Background
Master List of Characters
Summary of the Play
Estimated Reading Time
Each Scene includes List of Characters, Summary, Analysis, Study Questions and Answers, and Suggested Essay Topics.
Section Two: Act I
Act I, Scene 1
Act I, Scene 2
Act I, Scene 3
Act I, Scene 4
Section Three: Act II
Act II, Scene 1
Act II, Scene 2
Act II, Scenes 3 and 4
Section Four: Act III
Act III, Scene 1
Act III, Scene 2
Act III, Scene 3
Act III, Scene 4
Section Five: Act IV
Act IV, Scene 1
Section Six: Act V
Act V, Scene 1
Act V, Scene 2
Act V, Scene 3
Act V, Scenes 4 and 5
Act V, Scene 6
Section Seven: Sample Analytical Paper Topics
Section Eight: Bibliography
SECTION ONE
Introduction
The Life and Work of William Shakespeare
The details of William Shakespeare’s life are sketchy, mostly mere surmise based upon court or other clerical records. His parents, John and Mary (Arden), were married about 1557; she was of the landed gentry, and he was a yeoman—a glover and commodities merchant. By 1568, John had risen through the ranks of town government and held the position of high bailiff, which was a position similar to mayor. William, the eldest son and the third of eight children, was born in 1564, probably on April 23, several days before his baptism on April 26 in Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare is also believed to have died on the same date—April 23—in 1616.
It is believed that William attended the local grammar school in Stratford where his parents lived, and that he studied primarily Latin, rhetoric, logic, and literature. Shakespeare probably left school at age 15, which was the norm, to take a job, especially since this was the period of his father’s financial difficulty. At age 18 (1582), William married Anne Hathaway, a local farmer’s daughter who was eight years his senior. Their first daughter (Susanna) was born six months later (1583), and twins Judith and Hamnet were born in 1585.
Shakespeare’s life can be divided into three periods: the first 20 years in Stratford, which include his schooling, early marriage, and fatherhood; the next 25 years as an actor and playwright in London; and the last five in retirement in Stratford where he enjoyed moderate wealth gained from his theatrical successes. The years linking the first two periods are marked by a lack of information about Shakespeare, and are often referred to as the dark years.
At some point during the dark years,
Shakespeare began his career with a London theatrical company, perhaps in 1589, for he was already an actor and playwright of some note by 1592. Shakespeare apparently wrote and acted for numerous theatrical companies, including Pembroke’s Men, and Strange’s Men, which later became the Chamberlain’s Men, with whom he remained for the rest of his career.
In 1592, the Plague closed the theaters for about two years, and Shakespeare turned to writing book-length narrative poetry. Most notable were Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, both of which were dedicated to the Earl of Southampton, whom scholars accept as Shakespeare’s friend and benefactor despite a lack of documentation. During this same period, Shakespeare was writing his sonnets, which are more likely signs of the time’s fashion rather than actual love poems detailing any particular relationship. He returned to playwriting when theaters reopened in 1594, and did not continue to write poetry. His sonnets were published without his consent in 1609, shortly before his retirement.
Amid all of his success, Shakespeare suffered the loss of his only son, Hamnet, who died in 1596 at the age of 11. But Shakespeare’s career continued unabated, and in London in 1599, he became one of the partners in the new Globe Theater, which was built by the Chamberlain’s Men.
Shakespeare wrote very little after 1612, which was the year he completed Henry VIII. It was during a performance of this play in 1613 that the Globe caught fire and burned to the ground. Sometime between 1610 and 1613, Shakespeare returned to Stratford, where he owned a large house and property, to spend his remaining years with his family.
William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, and was buried two days later in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church, where he had been baptized exactly 52 years earlier. His literary legacy included 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and five major poems.
Incredibly, most of Shakespeare’s plays had never been published in anything except pamphlet form, and were simply extant as acting scripts stored at the Globe. Theater scripts were not regarded as literary works of art, but only the basis for the performance. Plays were simply a popular form of entertainment for all layers of society in Shakespeare’s time. Only the efforts of two of Shakespeare’s company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, preserved his 36 plays (minus Pericles, the thirty-seventh).
Shakespeare’s Language
Shakespeare’s language can create a strong pang of intimidation, even fear, in a large number of modern-day readers. Fortunately, however, this need not be the case. All that is needed to master the art of reading Shakespeare is to practice the techniques of unraveling uncommonly-structured sentences and to become familiar with the poetic use of uncommon words. We must realize that during the 400-year span between Shakespeare’s time and our own, both the way we live and speak has changed. Although most of his vocabulary is in use today, some of it is obsolete, and what may be most confusing is that some of his words are used today, but with slightly different or totally different meanings. On the stage, actors readily dissolve these language stumbling blocks. They study Shakespeare’s dialogue and express it dramatically in word and in action so that its meaning is graphically enacted. If the reader studies Shakespeare’s lines as an actor does, looking up and reflecting upon the meaning of unfamiliar words until real voice is discovered, he or she will suddenly experience the excitement, the depth, and the sheer poetry of what these characters say.
Shakespeare’s Sentences
In English, or any other language, the meaning of a sentence greatly depends upon where each word is placed in that sentence. The child hurt the mother
and The mother hurt the child
have opposite meanings, even though the words are the same, simply because the words are arranged differently. Because word position is so integral to English, the reader will find unfamiliar word arrangements confusing, even difficult to understand. Since Shakespeare’s plays are poetic dramas, he often shifts from average word arrangements to the strikingly unusual so that the line will conform to the desired poetic rhythm. Often, too, Shakespeare employs unusual word order to afford a character his own specific style of speaking.
Today, English sentence structure follows a sequence of subject first, verb second, and an optional object third. Shakespeare, however, often places the verb before the subject, which reads, Speaks he
rather than He speaks.
Solanio speaks with this inverted structure in The Merchant of Venice stating, I should be still/Plucking the grass to know where sits the wind
(Bevington edition, I, i, ll. 17-19), while today’s standard English word order would have the clause at the end of this line read, where the wind sits.
Wind
is the subject of this clause, and sits
is the verb. Bassanio’s words in Act Two also exemplify this inversion: And in such eyes as ours appear not faults
(II, ii, l. 184). In our normal word order, we would say, "Faults do not appear in eyes such