History

Richards, Jeffrey. "The Riddle of Richard Ill." History

Today 33, No.8 (August 1983): 18-25.

Attempts to distinguish fact from fiction regarding the reign of Richard III. Richards concludes that King Richard III "was an efficient but unlucky and ultimately unhappy ruler."

Literary Commentary

Berman, Ronald. "Anarchy and Order in 'Richard Ill' and 'King John.'" Shakespeare Survey 20, edited by Kenneth Muir, pp. 51-9. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967.

Contends that Richard III and King John differ from Shakespeare's other history plays in the" cynical and realistic wit" of some of their major characters. Berman sees both plays as a struggle between individual pragmatism and historic order.

Brooks, Harold F. "'Richard III,' Unhistorical Amplifications: The Women's Scenes and Seneca." Modern Language Review 75, Pt. 4 (October 1980): 721-37.

Suggests that when Shakespeare wrote the scenes for the wooing of Anne and the mourning of Margaret, Elizabeth, and the Duchess...