King Richard II vs Measure for Measure: Which Should You Read?

King Richard II William Shakespeare · 1597 ★★★★☆ 3.8 88 pages · ≈ 1 h 38 m · Challenging

“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?”

"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…

Measure for Measure William Shakespeare · 1700 ★★★★☆ 3.7 222 pages · ≈ 4 h 07 m · Demanding

“Measure for Measure is one of the best of Shakespeare's plays, though it has not always received the appreciation it deserves.”

This play examines the nature of mercy and justice, proposing that a good government is one that is flexible and based on common sense.