William Shakespeare: Richard II

about

An authoritative study of Richard II in its theatrical, cultural and political contexts.

Contents

Professor Hattaway's study places Richard II within the contexts of Shakespeare's life and of the strenuous political debates that were taking place at the end of the reign of Elizabeth I. It offers a commentary upon the unfolding action of the play, stressing possible alternative readings of the text, and noting how directors have made particular decisions about these. It ends with two shorter linked chapters on aspects of the play's critical traditions and on selected stage productions.

author

Michael Hattaway is Professor Emeritus of English Literature at the University of Sheffield, and now teaches at New York University in London. His publications include: (as author) Elizabethan Popular Theatre (1982); Hamlet: The Critics Debate (1987); Renaissance and Reformations: An Introduction to Early Modern English Literature (2005); (as editor) A Companion to English Renaissance Literature and Culture (2000); The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare's History Plays (2002); (as co-editor) The Cambridge Companion to English Renaissance Drama (1990 and 2003) and Shakespeare in the New Europe (1994).