THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD II. WITH 123035 INTRODUCTION, FULL TEXT, NOTES, AND GLOSSARY. BY C. W. CROOK, B.A., B.Sc., HEAD MASTER OF THE HIGHER GRADE SCHOOL, WOOD GREEN, N. (AUTHOR 66 OF HELPS TO THE STUDY OF SHAKESPEARE'S 'HENRY THE FIFTH,'” ETC.) London: RALPH, HOLLAND & CO TEMPLE CHAMBERS, E.C 1903. Preface. By the kind permission of Messrs. Macmillan & Co., the Text of their admirable Globe Edition has been used in this book. In collecting the materials for the illustration of the Text, the requirements of the students for whom it is intended have been carefully considered, and, while it is hoped that nothing has been omitted which would give them a thorough knowledge of the play of Richard II., nothing has been added which has no direct bearing upon its story. For this reason illustrative quotations from the other plays of Shakespeare have been omitted, and such very controversial but highly interesting points as the relation of the Quartos to the Folio. The date at which the deposition scene was written, and its relation to older plays, have only been touched upon. The land of Shakespearian comment has been so thoroughly gleaned by predecessors that in the year 1903 but few grains of value are left unrevealed, and the only merit possible to a new edition is that of careful compilation and omission, and the adaptation of the matter to those for whom it is intended. In this the author trusts to have succeeded, and wishes to express his thanks to all his forerunners for the help their labours have given. Selections from Holinshed's Chronicle and a Glossary, principally upon the authority of Skeat's Dictionary, are given as Appendixes. Finally, from the publishers many valuable hints on the Notes, and much good advice on the opening chapters of the Introduction, have been freely given and fully utilised. C. W. CROOK. |