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King Richard III (Arden Shakespeare: Second Series)

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King Richard III is a play we must most carefully read today in our present crises, as we wander without ethics, without morality, without mercy, without grace. We have here the epitome of the Machiavellian politician, for whom no crime is too great to achieve total earthly power, for whom the ends justify the means. Such means are now accepted as part of the game in our national political discourse.

And so we must read and meditate this great and early play, which is listed amongst Will's Histories (as the King Henry IV (Arden Shakespeare Second), etc.) rather than Tragedies (King Lear (Arden Shakespeare), and we read it best in this authoritative edition with its nearly two hundred closely typed page introduction by Antony Hammond, associated as well with the Richard III: Playgoer's Edition (Arden Shakespeare Playgoer's Edition).

His introduction begins with a lengthy and detailed textual criticism. Rather early in this academic and authoritative exercise, as he pauses to catch his second wind, Hammond in fact writes: "After this long and somewhat scholastic study of how many compositors can dance on the tail of a thin-space, we may survey the remaining quartos much more succinctly (p. 30)." Truth be told, he is only warming up. Not only do we find in his learned and lengthy introduction a most careful combing of all nits in the various Quarto (over six) and Folio editions, with reasons established over the years for preferring one reading over another, but we also find an extensive discussion of several aspects of the play itself, including its Theology.

One cannot imagine a more thorough and profound treatment of all aspects of the play, and then we have the play itself, in the most authoritative version possible, including of course as ever with Arden, the variorum, including later editors such as Capell and Theobald, and footnotes for each page. I find Hammond takes a refreshingly modern dialect in these notes, which keeps them fresh yet brief, concise, to the point, profound and helpful. Lengthier and brilliant notes are included in Appendix II.

Appendices follow presenting the lengthier series of lines included exclusively in the first Quarto or Folio but omitted from the other. Hammond does wisely include within the play itself the Quarto's interesting and telling clock metaphor in Act IV, and the Folio's lengthy speech by Richard after Act IV scene iv line 288 in his fascinating interview with Elizabeth.

The Introduction includes a lengthy discussion of sources; the third appendix presents these sources nearly in their entirety, including the various references and tangential material in The Mirror for Magistrates, and Halls' Union with Hall's redaction of Saint Thomas More's History of King Richard III, also available separately as The History of King Richard III and Selections from the English and Latin Poems (Selected Works of St. Thomas More Series) among others.

In short this book, first published in 1981, serves as a substantial and comprehensive presentation of this play for the most serious student. Fortunately the excellent and traditional Norton Critical Editions will soon publish its own study of King Richard III which is already available for pre-order here on amazon.com.

By reading the play itself here in its most reliable text we realize how much was lost and gained in Ian McLellan's Richard III, and how much was also lost in Sir Laurence Olivier's Richard III (The Classic Collection). We may also find interesting a viewing of Al Pacino's usual passionate efforts in Pacino: An Actor's Vision (Chinese Coffee / Looking for Richard / The Local Stigmatic).

In short, this Arden edition not only presents very reliably every aspect of the play itself, but may serve as a portal to further discovery, further reading and further study. The six pages of tiny font entitled Abbreviations and References serves as a wholesome bibliography for any student drawn to learn more about this play, although the front pages of our newspapers may also serve for further reflection. Hammond in particular indicates the psychological breakdown of King Richard by the end of the play.

In intriguing study referenced is The Woman's Part: Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare which should provide each of us substantial food for thought.