Historical Plays By William Shakespeare

The Historical Plays by William Shakespeare are 10 of Shakespeare's plays about English history.^[1] They are not textbooks (as they are plays), and the factual basis for historical events portrayed in the plays is questionable. Shakespeare explicitly chose to include and exclude certain events to make certain (but sometimes unclear) points. Eight of the plays – Richard II; Henry IV, parts I & II; Henry V; Henry VI, parts I, II & III; and Richard III – all follow a trail of events closely linked together. Two of the other plays, King John and Henry VIII, are unrelated and are among the most unpopular of Shakespeare's plays.

The Histories[edit]

• The Life and Death of King John
• The Tragedy of King Richard II
• The First Part of King Henry IV
• The Second Part of King Henry IV
• The Famous Life of King Henry V
• The First Part of King Henry VI
• The Second Part of King Henry VI
• The Third Part of King Henry VI
• The Famous Life of King Henry VIII

References and Notes[edit]

1. ↑ Sometimes the Roman plays, including Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra, are classified as histories. Normally, however, they are classified as tragedies. (Tragedies such as Macbeth and King Lear are also loosely based on historical facts.)