Richard II

When King Richard II banishes two feuding noblemen from England, he sets into motion a series of events that will eventually cost him his crown and his life. Mishandling several issues that enrage the nobility, King Richard II brings the wrath of Henry Bolingbroke, the future King Henry IV, down upon his throne. Richard II is the first of four connected plays about successive British monarchs, and is followed by Henry IV, Part I, Henry IV, Part II, and Henry V.

Known as "The Bard of Avon," William Shakespeare is arguably the greatest English-language writer known. Enormously popular during his life, Shakespeare's works continue to resonate more than three centuries after his death, as has his influence on theatre and literature. Shakespeare's innovative use of character, language, and experimentation with romance as tragedy served as a foundation for later playwrights and dramatists, and some of his most famous lines of dialogue have become part of everyday...