{"product_id":"richard-ii","title":"Richard II","description":"\u003ch4 class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHe believed his crown was given by God. He learned that crowns are taken by men.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShakespeare's most poetic history play is a study of power, vanity, and the moment a king becomes a man, and discovers he cannot survive as either.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRichard II is a king who believes in his own divinity. He is beautiful, eloquent, and utterly incapable of ruling. He banishes his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, then seizes Bolingbroke's inheritance to fund his own lavish whims. Bolingbroke returns from exile, claiming he only wants what is rightfully his. But the people flock to him. Richard's army deserts. And Richard, alone in his castle, delivers the most heartbreaking speech in any history play: \"For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground \/ And tell sad stories of the death of kings.\" He is forced to abdicate. He is murdered in prison. And Bolingbroke becomes Henry IV—a king who will spend his reign haunted by the ghost of the man he deposed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is Shakespeare at his most lyrical and politically dangerous: a play about the emptiness of divine right, the loneliness of power, and the terrible price of taking a crown. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRichard II\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was so controversial that Elizabeth I famously said, \"I am Richard II, know ye not that?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWritten around 1595–1596, the first play in Shakespeare's second tetralogy (followed by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHenry IV Parts 1 \u0026amp; 2\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHenry V\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe only Shakespeare history play written entirely in verse, not prose\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFeatures the famous \"hollow crown\" speech and the garden scene, a masterwork of political allegory\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAvailable in multiple formats:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePaperback \u0026amp; Hardcover:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEbook:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAudiobook:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears, or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that a crown is just a circle of gold, and nothing more.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWilliam Shakespeare\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (1564–1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, he moved to London and became a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later the King's Men). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRichard II\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was written around 1595–1596, during a period of intense creativity that also produced \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Midsummer Night's Dream\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRomeo and Juliet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. The play was dangerous: in 1601, supporters of the Earl of Essex paid for a performance of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRichard II\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e on the eve of their rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I. The queen later told a scholar, \"I am Richard II, know ye not that?\" The play's depiction of a weak, beloved king being deposed by a pragmatic usurper resonated dangerously with Elizabeth's own anxieties about succession. Shakespeare's other major works include \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHamlet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHenry V\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKing Lear\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Tempest\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. He died in 1616 at the age of 52 and is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Casa Carlini","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":54423662952820,"sku":null,"price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ebook","offer_id":54423662985588,"sku":null,"price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":54423663018356,"sku":null,"price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":54423663051124,"sku":"9612921003339","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0988\/5561\/6884\/files\/casa-carlini-simple-audiobook-richard-ii-53566709006708.jpg?v=1779965670","url":"https:\/\/casacarlini.com\/products\/richard-ii","provider":"Casa Carlini","version":"1.0","type":"link"}