Henry VI Part 1

Even though the three Henry VI plays could have been written and staged out of their chronological order, it’s probably easiest to deal with them in this way. Henry VI Part 1, Henry VI Part 2, Henry VI Part 3 and Richard III are often grouped together as the first tetralogy, they follow on from one another, dealing with the chaotic status of the English crown during the Wars of the Roses: there is the reign of Henry VI, followed by Edward IV’s usurpation, and then Richard of Gloucester (Edward’s brother) and his bloody path to the throne as Richard III.

1 Henry VI, as it’s usually rendered, is notable by one of Shakespeare’s very first dominant, powerful female chracters: Joan la Pucelle, who we now know as Joan of Arc. There are numerous onstage fights, and the added intrigue of seeing an extremely young Shakespeare begin to find his feet on the stage, perhaps even sowing the seeds of his later tragic greatness.

King Henry VI, via.

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