King Richard III

This history play, printed in 1597, follows Richard, Duke of Gloucester, as he schemes his way from the Yorkist victory at Tewkesbury toward the English throne. He isolates his brother Clarence, courts Lady Anne over a coffin, and, after Edward IV's death, removes the young princes and his remaining rivals with the help of Buckingham and hired killers. The action is concentrated in London and the court: speeches of self-revelation, public piety, and private murder. Opposition gathers around Henry Tudor. The play is a political tragedy about a usurper who makes theater of conscience while he dismantles a dynasty from within.

Bound in dark blue cloth with a feather design in gold and black. Mottled grey slipcase.