Shakespeare's histories, or history plays, dramatize the lives of England's monarchs during the Middle Ages. These plays are not historically accurate, but focus on themes of war, kingship, power struggle, and class. The famous Wars of the Roses between the noble houses of York and Lancaster are dramatized in Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, and 3, and Richard III. Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, by Raphael Holinshed, published in 1577 and revised in 1587, was Shakespeare's main source of historical information for his history plays. Shakespeare also used The Union of the Noble and Illustre Families of Lancaster and York by Edward Hall for his early plays.
Falstaff and King Henry V (Act 5, scene 4)
Shakespeare's Histories:
- Henry VI, Part 2 created 1591, first performed 1591, printed 1594
- Richard III created about 1591, first performed 1600-1601, printed 1597
- Henry VI, Part 1 created 1592, first performed 1592, printed 1623
- Henry VI, Part 3 created 1592, first performed 1592-1593, printed 1623
- King John created between 1593 and 1596, first performed 1596-1597, printed 1623
- Richard II created about 1595, first performed 1601, printed 1597
- Henry IV, Part 1 created 1596-1597, first performed 1597-1598, printed 1598
- Henry IV, Part 2 created 1597, first performed 1597-1598, printed 1600
- Henry V created about 1599, first performed 1598-1599, printed 1600
- Henry VIII (All is True) created 1613, first performed 1612-1613, printed 1623
Here are some interesting articles discussing Shakespeare's history plays:
Shakespeare's Histories, by Sir Ian McKellan
How Well Did Shakespeare Know History?
Return to Shakespeare's Works
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Sources
BBC News. (2008) How Well Did Shakespeare Know History? Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7283166.stm
British Library. (2010). Treasures in Full: Shakespeare in Quarto.
Retrieved from http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/plays.html
Ganeri, Anita. (1999). The Young Person's Guide to Shakespeare. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace.
McKellan, Ian. (1970). Shakespeare's Histories. Retrieved from http://www.mckellen.com/writings/stage/700000r2.htm
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