Henry IV, Part 2 vs King Richard II: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Quartos, English Young adult drama, Bibliography, English drama, English literature, Drama
Henry IV, Part 2
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Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Summer festival, June 27th to September 10th, 1932. "The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, containing his death, and the coronation of King Henry the Fifth," by William…
King Richard II
“Richard. Old John of Gaunt, time-honored Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Hereford, thy bold son, Here to make good the boist'rous late appeal, Which then our leisure would not let us hear, Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?”
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"Richard is King. A monarch ordained by God to lead his people. But he is also a man of very human weakness. A man whose vanity threatens to divide the great houses of England and drag his people into a dynastic civil…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- King Richard II has the widest readership — 28837 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Henry IV, Part 2 | King Richard II | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (21790) | 3.8 (28837) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (28) | 3.9 (46) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (9) | 4.5 (7) |
Reception
| Henry IV, Part 2 | King Richard II | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 21790 | 28837 |
| Editions | 480 | 840 |
| Citations | — | 55 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 13845 | 14544 |
| Reading it now | 297 | 660 |
| Written reviews | 1023 | 2156 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3344 | 94025 |
| Pages | 158 | 88 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Henry IV, Part 2 or King Richard II?
King Richard II has the higher combined reader rating across sources (King Richard II 3.8/5, Henry IV, Part 2 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Henry IV, Part 2 or King Richard II?
King Richard II is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: King Richard II (88 pages, ≈ 1 h 38 m); Henry IV, Part 2 (158 pages, ≈ 2 h 56 m).
Which is harder to read: Henry IV, Part 2 or King Richard II?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Henry IV, Part 2: Demanding; King Richard II: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Henry IV, Part 2: 5 film adaptations; King Richard II: no film adaptation on record.