Henry IV of England

Shakespeare’s plays, Henry IV, Part 1 (1H4) and Macbeth (Mac.), support the Tudor myth through the representation of monarchy and the theme of a king’s divinity. From a historical perspective, Shakespeare portrays Henry IV and his descendants as unworthy of kingship as Henry IV disrupts the divine right of kings and thus instigates the Tudor myth. This representation is implemented in order to appease Elizabeth I through affirming her sanctioned appointment to the throne. The depiction of kingship

In Henry IV and Henry V by Shakespeare, a father and son have diametrically different reigns as king. While both kings are politically savvy and gain the favor of the people, only one, Henry V, has the divine right of kings. The divine right of kings is the belief that power is instilled in them by God and rebellion against them is considered a sin. The influence of divine intervention is shown through the punishment and guilt of Henry IV and the success of Henry V. The rule of Henry IV illustrates

Shakespeare’s history plays are not his most popular plays, but through them Shakespeare comments on a controversial topic in a Christian England: the belief of a divinely appointed king. Under the rule of Richard II, a troubled England began to question loyalty to a flawed but rightful and divinely appointed king. The presence of Bolingbroke, a strong, popular leader who seemed much more fit for the crown than Richard II, furthered the country’s lack of confidence in Richard II. In Shakespeare’s

Rewriting History in Henry IV         The master of historiography is, perhaps, Shakespeare as evidenced by his History Plays. Whereas most writers merely borrow from history to fuel their creative fires, Shakespeare goes so far as to rewrite history. The First Part of Henry the Fourth follows history fairly closely, and Shakespeare draws this history primarily from Raphael Holinshed's Chronicle of England, Scotland, and Ireland and from Samuel Daniel's verse epic The Civil Wars (Abrams 823)

throne of England. For a total of thirty three years the House of Lancaster and the House of York fought for the right to rule. Neither party thought that the other had the right qualifications to lead the country through battle, keep the economy stable, and rule with a strong hand. As a result, the War of the Roses began.     How can there be a war over the throne when, in England, it's an hereditary monarch, meaning it stays in the family? Well King Richard II did not name an heir and Henry IV murdered

Shakespeare’s Development of the King in Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV, Henry V                        Shakespeare's plays beginning with Richard II and concluding with Henry V presents an interesting look at the role of a king. England's search for "the mirror of all Christian kings" provided the opportunity to explore the many facets of kingship showing the strengths and weaknesses of both the position and the men who filled that position. Through careful examination, Shakespeare develops

Hundred Years War, dissent in England led to civil strife, and many of the royal family of Plantagenet were killed in their attempts to seize the throne. Back in 1337, Edward III declared war on France, after Philip VI’s refusal to return territories to England. This struggle would devastate both nations for 116 years until 1453, ultimately leaving England with even less territory in France than they had started with. In 1422, near the end of the war, the effective king Henry V died of dysentery, leaving

Catastrophe: 1 and 2 Henry IV From its first lines, 1 Henry IV makes it clear that Henry’s position as king is not an enviable one. The newly crowned sovereign himself opens the play, explaining his wish to lead a crusade “in strands afar remote” from the shores of England (1.1.4). His reasoning is twofold. Firstly, he wishes to atone for deposing and murdering Richard II. More interestingly for our purposes, we learn that only “lately” came a “furious close [to the] civil butchery” in England following Henry’s

be investigating how Shakespeare establishes the authority of the English monarchy in Henry V. Henry V forms the fourth part of Shakespeare’s tetralogy that deals with the historical rise of the House of Lancaster. The three prequels to Henry V are Richard II and Henry IV parts 1 and 2. Out of the tetralogy, Henry V is the most popular play and King Henry is portrayed as a perfect leader. While the actual Henry V was a rather ruthless king who slaughtered the French soldiers and starved their women

Prince Hal in Shakespeare's Henriad The question that Shakespeare raises throughout the series of Henry IV, Part I, Henry IV, Part II, and Henry V is that of whether Prince Hal (eventually King Henry V), is a true manifestation of an ideal ruler, and whether he is a rightful heir to his father’s ill-begotten throne. England is without a true king, being run by a ruler without the right of divine providence on his side– altogether, a very difficult situation for a young, inexperienced, and slightly