Histories
Shakespeare wrote ten history plays dramatizing English (and a few Roman) rulers. They form two great "tetralogies" covering the fifteenth-century Wars of the Roses, framed by earlier and later monarchs.
Defining Features
- Historical subject matter — English kings drawn from Holinshed's Chronicles and Hall's Union
- Political philosophy — meditations on legitimate rule, rebellion, and what makes a good king
- The Tudor myth — a providential narrative in which Richard III's defeat by Henry VII (Tudor) restores England's divine order
- Episodic structure — loose five-act structure covering years of historical time
- National identity — England as character; patriotic rhetoric alongside critique
The Two Tetralogies
First Tetralogy (written first, covering later events)
Dramatizes the chaos of Henry VI's reign and the rise of Richard III.
| Play | Approx. Date | Reign Covered |
|---|---|---|
| Henry VI, Part 1 | 1591–1592 | Henry VI; loss of France; Joan of Arc |
| Henry VI, Part 2 | 1590–1591 | Henry VI; Jack Cade's rebellion; York's rise |
| Henry VI, Part 3 | 1590–1591 | Wars of the Roses; Edward IV; Margaret |
| Richard III | 1592–1593 | Richard III; end of Plantagenets; Tudor dawn |
Second Tetralogy (written second, covering earlier events — the "Henriad")
Dramatizes the deposition of Richard II, the reign of Henry IV, and the triumph of Henry V.
| Play | Approx. Date | Reign Covered |
|---|---|---|
| Richard II | 1595–1596 | Richard II deposed by Bolingbroke |
| Henry IV, Part 1 | 1596–1597 | Henry IV; Hotspur; Falstaff introduced |
| Henry IV, Part 2 | 1597–1598 | Henry IV's illness; Hal's rejection of Falstaff |
| Henry V | 1598–1599 | Henry V; Agincourt; ideal kingship |
Standalone Histories
| Play | Approx. Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| King John | 1596 | Pre-Plantagenet; the Bastard Faulconbridge |
| Henry VIII | 1613 | Late collaboration with John Fletcher; Anne Boleyn |
The Falstaff Problem
Sir John Falstaff, appearing in Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and The Merry Wives of Windsor, is one of Shakespeare's greatest comic creations. His anarchic wit and physicality represent an alternative value system to the cold demands of political power — making Prince Hal's rejection of him in Part 2 one of the most debated moments in the canon.
Kingship as Central Theme
The histories collectively ask: what makes a legitimate king? They contrast different models:
- Richard II — poetic, self-absorbed, divinely appointed but incompetent
- Henry IV — capable but haunted by usurpation's guilt
- Henry V — the ideal warrior-king, but at a human cost
- Richard III — charismatic villainy as a critique of Machiavellian politics
Cross-references
- Tragedies — Richard II and Richard III are often read as tragedies
- Comedies — Falstaff's scenes are essentially comic