Thomas of Woodstock (play) is alive again at the beginning of "Richard II" until his execution is ordered by Bolingbroke in Act III. There is no instance of a character dying twice in the validated works of Shakespeare. There are, however, inconsistencies in Shakespeare, such as the claim at the end of "Henry IV, Part 2" that Falstaff will be seen again in "Henry V", a promise which is not kept. Furthermore, the character of Falstaff is arguably a different one in the history plays than the character encountered in "The Merry Wives of Windsor", not to mention the apparent setting of that play
Richard III (play) to power, bringing even more weight and depth to this iconic character." Abraham Lincoln was renowned for his love of Shakespeare, and of "Richard III" in particular. This fed Confederate propaganda, especially in Virginia, where residents of Richmond saw Lincoln as a Richard-like tyrant and identified their capital city with the Earl of Richmond, the hero of Shakespeare's play. (See photo of Richmond slaying Richard, above.) Some interpreted Richard's Act IV speech as an omen favorable to the South: The connection between Lincoln and the play was indelibly printed on history when on 14 April 1865, within a fortnight of