Shakespearean history

• 1. Defining The Genre

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  The First Folio of 1623 placed William Shakespeare's plays into three distinct categories: comedies, histories, and tragedies. This classification system defined the theatrical genre of history plays for centuries to follow. Alongside works by his Renaissance contemporaries, these plays formed a unique body of biographical work about English kings from the previous four centuries. The collection included King John, Edward III, and Henry VIII alongside a continuous sequence known as the Henriad. This eight-play cycle focused on Prince Hal, who became King Henry V of England. Later scholars expanded the definition to include Roman plays like Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. They also grouped tragedies such as King Lear and Macbeth under this broad historical umbrella due to their royal characters.

• 2. Historical Sources And Myths

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  Raphael Holinshed published Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande in 1577 and again in 1587. This book served as the principal documentary source for the political drama found in Shakespeare's English history plays. Thomas North released an English translation of Plutarch's Parallel Lives in 1579 to provide background for the Roman history plays. Tudor family myths shaped the political narratives within these texts. The Lancaster Myth claimed that the deposition of Richard II was divinely sanctioned. It stated that military victories achieved by Henry V were divine favours bestowed upon the crown. The York Myth argued that Edward IV restored the throne to rightful heirs through divine intervention. The Tudor Myth condemned the York brothers for murdering King Henry VI and Prince Edward. Chroniclers Polydore Vergil, Edward Hall, and Raphael Holinshed stressed lessons learned from past divine interventions. Edward Hall wrote in Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke in 1548 that divine Providence cursed England for the murder of Richard II. He then laid peace upon the realm through Henry Tudor and his dynasty.

• 3. Tetralogies And The Henriad

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  The first tetralogy appeared in the early 1590s and discussed the politics of the Wars of the Roses. These four plays included Henry VI parts I, II, and III along with The Tragedy of Richard the Third. The second tetralogy completed its cycle in 1599 and comprised Richard II, Henry IV parts I and II, and Henry V. Academic H. A. Kelly examined Shakespeare's political bias in Divine Providence in the England of Shakespeare's Histories published in 1970. He analyzed how divine influence shifted from historical sources to opinions voiced by spokesmen characters. Lancastrians spoke the sentimental myth of the House Lancaster while Yorkists spoke the sentimental myth of the House of York. Henry Tudor personified the sentimental myth of the House of Tudor. This literary recasting allowed each play to create a unique ethos from which spring actions of protagonists and antagonists. Richard, Duke of York, stressed justification of providential justice to Parliament during his defense of claims to the throne. In the first tetralogy, Henry VI did not perceive his troubles as divine retribution. The allusions to hereditary punishment by Providence appear in Richard II's prediction of civil war at his abdication.

• 4. Political Propaganda Under Elizabeth

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  William Shakespeare lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I who ruled from 1588 until 1603. She was the last dynastic monarch of the House of Tudor which held power from 1485 to 1603. The history plays functioned as political propaganda that warned against the wrack-and-ruin of civil war. They celebrated the founders of the House of Tudor for their role in stabilizing England. The Tragedy of Richard the Third appeared in 1594 and derogated King Richard III as that bottled spider and that foul bunchback'd toad. It praised Richard's successor Henry VII as the better man to be King of England. The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth concluded with celebration of the birth of Elizabeth. Themes of societal decline in the Late Middle Ages spanned from 1300 to 1500. Machiavellianism influenced politicking that propelled action in Richard III. Nostalgia for less treacherous ways of life characterized many history plays. Royal proclamations issued on the 16th of May 1559 and the 12th of November 1589 banned playwrights from touching matters of divinity or state. The Master of Revels acted as licenser throughout this period.

• 5. Evolution Of Chronicle Drama

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  Chronicle plays enjoyed great popularity from the late 1580s until around 1606. By the early 1590s they were more numerous than plays of any other kind. John Bale wrote a morality play called Kynge Johan around 1547 which served as a forerunner to the genre. Patriotic feeling during the Spanish Armada contributed to appeal of chronicle plays about the Hundred Years War. Plays based on earlier dynastic struggles became topical due to unease over succession at close of Elizabeth's reign. Early chronicle plays like The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth were loosely structured and haphazard. Battles pageantry spirits dreams and curses added to their appeal. Under influence of Marlowe's Tamburlaine circa 1587 these plays rapidly became more sophisticated in characterization. Marlowe moved from rhetoric and spectacle of Tamburlaine to interplay of human character in Edward II written circa 1591. Shakespeare brought deeper insights into nature of politics kingship war and society. He also brought noble poetry to genre and deep knowledge of human character. W. D. Briggs described national historical drama embodying profoundest sentiments by which English people were collectively inspired.

• 6. Roman History Plays

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  Late 16th and early 17th century Roman history plays drew episodes from Virgil Livy Tacitus Sallust and Plutarch. Their appeal lay partly in exotic spectacle and partly in unfamiliar plots that explored topical themes safely detached from English context. John Webster added non-historical episode about starvation of Roman troops in Appius and Virginia written circa 1626. Dangerous themes such as rebellion and tyrannicide could be treated more safely through Roman history. Shakespeare treated them in Julius Caesar while exploring character and moral values outside inhibiting Christian framework. Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and pseudo-historical Titus Andronicus were among more successful and influential Roman history plays. Jonson's Sejanus His Fall performed at the Globe in 1604 was hissed off stage due to clotted style lacking irony. Shakespeare's later Roman work Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus carefully avoided Sejanuss grinding moral emphasis. These works allowed exploration of civic duty versus private ambition without direct reference to current English politics.

• 7. Modern Stage And Screen Adaptations

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  The phrase Wars of the Roses describes civil wars between Lancastrian and Yorkist dynasties in England. Numerous stage performances occurred during twentieth and twenty-first centuries including full cycles by Royal Shakespeare Company in 1964. The first tetralogy appeared as cycle alongside second tetralogy known as Henriad. A conflation titled The War of the Roses performed by Sydney Theatre Company in 2009 condensed eight plays into single narrative. Tetralogies filmed for television five times twice as entire cycle. An Age of Kings directed by Michael Hayes aired in 1960 featuring David William as Richard II and Sean Connery as Hotspur. The Wars of the Roses based on RSC staging adapted by John Barton and Peter Hall appeared in 1965 with Ian Holm as Richard III. BBC Television Shakespeare produced Henry IV plays and Henry V trilogy in 1978/1979 directed by David Giles. First Tetralogy filmed for BBC Television Shakespeare in 1981 directed by Jane Howell featured Ron Cook as Richard III. The Hollow Crown for BBC2 in 2012 included Ben Whishaw as Richard II and Tom Hiddleston as Henry V.