Students in our High School Fellowship program are studying Henry VIII, Pericles, and Richard III this year.  One of my colleagues in the Education Division described the plays to potential students in the program as being among Shakespeare’s “lesser known gems.”  Richard III is most likely better known and more often staged than either Pericles  or Henry VIII, so the designation probably holds true for two of the three.  All of the plays have something to recommend them for study. So, why don’t we teach these “lesser known gems” more often?