Richard III is the second longest of the English playwright William Shakespeare's plays after Hamlet.
It is the second longest play in the canon after Hamlet , and is the longest of the First Folio , whose version of Hamlet is shorter than its Quarto counterpart .	First Folio	First Folio	canon	Shakespeare's plays	Hamlet	Hamlet	Quarto	Quarto
The plays written by English poet , playwright , and actor William Shakespeare -LRB- 1564 -- 1616 -RRB- have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature .	William Shakespeare	William Shakespeare	Western literature	Western literature	language	language
