Thomas of Woodstock (The Revels Plays)

Not quite Shakespeare, but gripping, chilling in fact, as the effect of RII's despotism hits the streets, so to speak.The edition is superb, accounting for all the textual divergences, and scholarly opinion, while the text remains readable. Handy, for scholarly types, unlike me, appendixes with the historical sources. I wonder how it would play if it were done BBC style. We could call it "The Hollow Head." Overall, a book to treasure.Bill

It's about an ancestor of mine... what's not to love, except the way he was assassinated by a relative.

This is a very good edition of the play very clearly laid out with footnotes, and with an excellent introduction to put play in context. The play covers historical events prior to Shakespeare's Richard II; reading it definitely clarifies some of the events recounted in the opening scene of Richard II. Thomas of Woodstock is not by Shakespeare ( it is not known who it is by ), but it seems highly likely that Shakespeare was writing his play knowing that his audience might have known this play. I read it to help make more sense of Shakespeare's Richard II - however Thomas of Woodstock is well worth reading in its own right. The central character is well defined and there are 1 or 2 comic scenes which still have a sense of comedy about them eg satirising courtiers who wear the latest fashions, particularly in ludicrous shoes.It isnt in quite the same class as Shakespeare, but it does let you know that there were many other good writers in the 1590s.

useful research