J Richardson: 104 books
The Complete Henry the Eighth
An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play
Language: English
Release Date: January 20, 2016
Despite its title, Henry the Eighth deals with three other, more important stories: the fall of Cardinal Wolsey, the fall of Queen Katherine, and the raising of Anne Bullen (Boleyn). For Elizabethans, the culmination of the play was, of course, the birth of Elizabeth, heralding their queen and her...
by Donald J. Richardson
Language: English
Release Date: November 29, 2013
Language: English
Release Date: November 29, 2013
Like many writers, I suppose I have an idealized picture of the past, of my youth, when everything was green and golden and all the calves sang to my huntsmans horn. All the potential was ours, all that mattered was the immediate present, and the future belonged to some non-threatening, never-to-be-achieved...
The Complete Two Gentlemen of Verona
An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play
Language: English
Release Date: January 23, 2015
The Two Gentlemen of Verona doesnt enjoy a high reputation among Shakespeareans. As an early comedy, it suffers from internal inconsistencies and a questionable resolution. However, having produced and directed a radio version of the play (for WSUI in Iowa City, Iowa), I have partial feelings for...
by Donald J. Richardson
Language: English
Release Date: December 15, 2010
Language: English
Release Date: December 15, 2010
Alexandria Hodgeman represents a composite of many people I have known, Catholic and non-Catholic, senior citizens and middle-aged. Her search for definition--for the meaning of her life--I intend as the type of search anyone ought to be pursuing, especially someone who is eighty-nine years old. Her...
The Complete Antony and Cleopatra
An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play
Language: English
Release Date: July 15, 2014
Like Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra is an archetypal love story but of more mature lovers. However, the play isnt only that; it is also an epic rife with political machinations. In addition it is a character study, revealing Antony beset by very human emotions and a tragic weakness, and Cleopatra,...
by Donald J. Richardson
Language: English
Release Date: November 11, 2016
Language: English
Release Date: November 11, 2016
Alzheimers continues to be of concern to those of us who are aging. As the disease cannot be prevented, cured, or slowed, it remains one of the leading causes of death. Thus, how one deals with it becomes a measure of personality and character. Perhaps this is what Ernest Hemingway was getting at when he talked of performing with grace under pressure.
The Complete Much Ado About Nothing
An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play
Language: English
Release Date: November 7, 2013
Much Ado About Nothing is a delightful play which pits two intelligent, thinking people against each other, both of whom protest against love (and each other), but who finally come to embrace the other both literally and emotionally. The contretemps between Beatrice and Benedick is emotionally and...
The Complete Measure for Measure
An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play
Language: English
Release Date: November 4, 2015
Measure for Measure is usually considered one of [Shakespeares] unpleasant comedies (Asimov, 635) since mercy is offered to the villain (Asimov). The duplicity of the Duke is debatable too, along with the final resolution that offers mercy toward the guilty. Like Alls Well That Ends Well, the play...
by Donald J. Richardson
Language: English
Release Date: October 28, 2011
Language: English
Release Date: October 28, 2011
Bernard Frank is a member of an under represented population, someone who is not equipped to take advantage of the traditional way education has been presented in the United States. This does not mean he is unintelligent nor that he lacks insight. Living with his mother during the Great Depression,...
The Complete King Lear
An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play
Language: English
Release Date: June 27, 2013
Because Julius Caesar has been required reading in most high schools, it may be the Shakespeare play most familiar to students. However, as one reader protested, it cant be much of a play when the hero dies early in the third act. However, many of us have been instructed that Julius Caesar is not...
The Complete All’S Well That Ends Well
An Annotated Edition
Language: English
Release Date: July 18, 2015
The plot of Alls Well That Ends Well is illustrated by what one character says (III.66), The web of our life is a tangled yarn. Through all of the twists and machinations, justice triumphs, and loyalty is rewarded. The play is challenging, however, because of the somewhat inconsistent direction; it...
The Complete First Part of Henry Vi
An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play
Language: English
Release Date: June 14, 2017
One recurrent criticism of the First Part of HVI is its cavalier disregard for chronology and historical events. However, Lawrence V. Ryan argues that the disjointing of time . . . enables him [Shakespeare] to achieve striking dramatic and didactic effects (xxx). Thus, one is enjoined to remember...
Complete the Two Noble Kinsmen
An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare and Fletcher Play
Language: English
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Based on Chaucers The Knights Tale in Canterbury Tales, The Two Noble Kinsmen takes as a motif the rules of courtly love endorsed by both Arcite and Palamon who, unfortunately, are nearly indistinguishable. As Mowat and Werstine assert, So fraught are the human relations of the play that only the...
The Complete Henry Iv, Part Two
An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play
Language: English
Release Date: September 26, 2014
Henry IV, Part Two as a sequel to or continuation of Henry IV, Part One is disappointing. The resolution of the uprising is anticlimactic, and the Falstaff scenes are not comparable to those of Part One. The bawdy is substantially increased with, unfortunately, a lessening of the actual comedy. Falstaff...