Generally, Shakespeare's history consists of ten plays covering English history from the twelfth through the sixteenth centuries and from 1399 to 1485. Shakespeare's historical plays are arranged chronologically, focusing on the ruler of the period in which they are set. Each play is named after and focuses on the monarch of the period.
King John
Richard II
Henry IV Part 1
Henry IV Part 2
Henry V
Henry VI Part 1
Henry VI Part 2
Henry VI Part III
Richard III
Henry VIII
There are five generations of power struggles represented in the plays. Most of them are depictions of the Hundred Year's War between England and France between Henry V and Joan of Arc and the Wars of the Roses between York and Lancaster.
Shakespeare was a keen reader of history and always looked for the dramatic impact of historical characters and events as he read. It is important to keep in mind that they are works of imagination based on very loosely known historical figures. We tend to recall those historical figures in how Shakespeare presented them today.
The image of Richard III in our culture is that of an evil man, a kind of psychopath afflicted with a deformed body and resentful of humanity. Historians can make whatever corrections they choose, but Shakespeare's Richard is stuck in our culture as the true Richard III.
In our minds, Henry V, or Prince Hal, represents the ideal model of kingship because he was educated by indulgence in a misspent youth as well as a perfect human being, but this is only because Shakespeare chose to present him this way to further the themes he wished to develop and the dramatic narrative he desired.
There are reasonable classifications in the folio. In addition to proposing other categories, such as romance and problem plays, many modern studies treat the histories as tragedies featuring historical characters or tragedies. These stories feature Macbeth, set in the mid-11th century during the reign of Duncan I of Scotland and Edward the Confessor, along with the legendary King Lear, as well as Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra from Roman times.
Common Features of the Shakespeare Histories
Shakespeare's histories share several things in common. To begin with, most of them are set during the medieval period of English history. Shakespeare's histories dramatize the Hundred Year's War with France, giving us the Henry Tetralogy, "Richard II," "Richard III," and "King John"—many of which feature the same characters at different ages.
As a second point, Shakespeare offers social commentary through his characters and plots throughout history. The history plays are a more accurate reflection of Shakespeare's time than those of the medieval society in which they are set.
For example, Shakespeare portrays King Henry V as an everyman hero to take advantage of the growing national pride of England. However, his portrayal of this character may be more historically accurate. There is little evidence that Henry V had the rebellious youth that Shakespeare portrays, but Shakespeare wrote him that way to convey his intended commentary.
Sources:
Shakespeare's History Plays: Historical Plays By Shakespeare. https://nosweatshakespeare.com/plays/types/history/
Characteristics of Shakespeare's History Plays. https://www.thoughtco.com/shakespeare-histories-plays-2985246
Comments