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The Wars of the Roses rage. Richard, Duke of York, is captured at Wakefield, mocked with a paper crown by Queen Margaret and killed; his sons, led by Edward…
The Wars of the Roses rage. Richard, Duke of York, is captured at Wakefield, mocked with a paper crown by Queen Margaret and killed; his sons, led by Edward, take revenge and seize the throne, while the helpless King Henry sits on a molehill in the middle of a battle and longs for the simple life of a shepherd. Among York's sons is the hunchbacked Richard of Gloucester, who reveals in a great soliloquy his ambition to hack his way through blood to the crown.
Context and significance
Written around 1591, the play completes the story of Henry VI and leads straight into Richard III. A shorter version appeared in 1595 as The True Tragedy of Richard Duke of York; the text here is the First Folio's of 1623. Read Henry VI, Part 2.
About the author
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), born in Stratford-upon-Avon, actor, playwright and shareholder of a London company, wrote about thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets.