Nearly every chapter in “The Shah,” Abbas Milani‘s skillful biography of Iran‘s last king, begins with a phrase from Shakespeare’s “King Richard II,” about a tragic figure who believes he is ordained by God to lead his people. He likens himself to the sun and to the lion, is usually festooned in finery and jewels, and is surrounded by sycophants rather than sages. Not an evil king but an insecure one – weak, indecisive and out of touch. Ultimately, by dint of his hubris, he is overthrown and dies
