Believed to have been written in 1591, William Shakespeare's "Richard III" is one of the bards first plays, the first installment in a tetralogy of plays which includes "Henry IV, Part I," "Henry IV, Part II," and "Henry V." One of the longest of Shakespeare's plays and consequently rarely performed unabridged, "Richard III" is the story of the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England. The play begins with...

Memorable historical drama concerns rebellion against King Henry led by Harry Percy ("Hotspur") and other nobles, complicated by the king's difficulties with his wayward son, Prince Hal. Superb blend of courtly intrigue, battlefield action, and low comedy featuring Sir John Falstaff, all expressed in fine blank verse and stirring prose.

"More troubled and troubling than King Henry IV Part 1, the play continues the story of King Henry's decline and Hal's reform. Though Part 2 echoes the structure of the earlier play, it is a darker and more unsettling world, in which even Falstaff's revelry is more tired and cynical, and the once-merry Hal sloughs off his tavern companions to become King Henry V. James C. Bulman's authoritative edition provides a wealth of incisive commentary on this...

Based on the life of King George III, this is the story of royal intrigue, sexual indiscretions, backstairs plotting and a battle for power between Parliament and the throne, all occuring while the King is being treated for an unknown mental illness.

In the winter of 1183, a royal family prepares for a joyous Christmas holiday reunion of scheming, conniving and deceit. King Henry II summons his cunning prison-bound wife to his side as he prepares to announce the succession of the throne to one of his double-crossing three sons, none of whom are qualified to rule the monarchy.

Pop icon Madonna returns to the director's seat for the first time since her 2008 feature debut, FILTH AND WISDOM, for this ambitious romance detailing one lonely woman's obsession with the relationship between King Edward VIII (James D'Arcy) and American divorcee Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough). To Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish), no act of devotion in history is more romantic than King Edward VIII abdicating the throne to be with his one true...

Christmas, 1168, Henry II has called his wife and three sons together to determine who will succeed him on the throne.

Contains the text of the play, information about Shakespeare and his theater, explanatory notes, and assesses the play in light of today's interests.