How would an actor prepare to play Richard in Shakespeares Richard II

How didst thou sway the theatre! Make us feel The players’ wounds were true, and their swords, steel! Nay, stranger yet, how often did I know When the spectators ran to save the blow? Frozen with grief we could not stir away Until the epilogue told us ‘twas a play. From the point of view of an actor, playing the part of Bolingbroke or Richard is a daunting task. There are a number of ways …

…assuming the role of Richard must first of all acknowledge all the possible ways he can be portrayed before actually settling on one particular way of performing it. Bibliography Bibliography Wells, Stanley & Taylor, Gary The Oxford Shakespeare, The Complete Works Oxford University Press 1998 Brown, John Russell Shakespeare’s Plays in Performance Applause Books, 1993 Ed. Cubeta, Paul M. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Richard II Prentice Hall 1971 Ed. Brooke, Nicholas Shakespeare. Richard II, A Casebook Macmillan Press 1973