Henry IV, Part 2 vs Richard III: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Quartos, In literature, Bibliography, Kings and rulers, Drama, History
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…
Richard III
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"containing his treacherous plots against his brother Clarence, the pittiefull murther of his innocent nephewes, his tyrannicall usurpation, with the whole course of his detested life and most deserved death" (Subtitle…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Richard III has the widest readership — 60209 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Henry IV, Part 2 | Richard III | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (21790) | 3.9 (60209) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (28) | 3.9 (89) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (9) | 4.0 (8) |
Reception
| Henry IV, Part 2 | Richard III | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 21790 | 60209 |
| Editions | 480 | 759 |
| Citations | — | 24 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 13845 | 168 |
| Reading it now | 297 | — |
| Written reviews | 1023 | 33 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3344 | 15977 |
| Pages | 158 | 65 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Henry IV, Part 2 or Richard III?
Richard III has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Richard III 3.9/5, Henry IV, Part 2 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Henry IV, Part 2 or Richard III?
Richard III is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Richard III (65 pages, ≈ 1 h 12 m); Henry IV, Part 2 (158 pages, ≈ 2 h 56 m).
Which is harder to read: Henry IV, Part 2 or Richard III?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Henry IV, Part 2: Demanding; Richard III: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Henry IV, Part 2: 5 film adaptations; Richard III: 5 film adaptations.