Shakespeare's Views of History

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how William Shakespeare includes many different views of history throughout his history plays, especially in the Henriad tetralogy. It looks at how in "Richard II", "Henry IV" and "Henry V", Shakespeare focuses on the political aspect of history and how, although he focuses on the political situations of history, he does not always include historical information, thus creating a distorted view of the history of these stories.

From the Paper:

"In 1397, the struggles between King Richard's friends and his nobles erupted again, leading to the opening of Richard II. While the exact cause of the crisis is still unknown and unclear, it is believed that some may have offended King Richard. He arrested Gloucester, Arundel and Warwick, and all three men were convicted; Bolingbroke's position is vague, and probably did not have much to do with this at the time. In January of 1398, Bolingbroke charged Norfolk with treason; the second meeting of the committee in April is the opening scene of Richard II. Perhaps if the readers had known about these historical events prior to reading this play, they might have a different opinion of some of the characters and situations that occur throughout it. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ornstein, Robert. The Kingdom for A Stage: The Achievement of Shakespeare's History Plays. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1972.
• Prior, Moody E. The Drama of Power: Studies in Shakespeare's History Plays. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1973.
• Saccio, Peter. Shakespeare's English King: History, Chronicle and Drama. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.

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• Argumentative Essay # 148224 : "The Elizabethan Age - Its History, Culture, Politics, and View of Theatrical Entertainment"
• Analytical Essay # 147362 : "Sympathy for Shakespeare's "Hamlet"
• Essay # 61069 : "Machiavellian Power Principles in Shakespeare's Works"

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