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In addition to comedy and tragedy, the third classification for Shakespeare’s plays in the First Folio was history. Unlike the other two genres, history plays were determined by who they were about, not what they were about. All ten history plays are named for and concern the lives of English monarchs who ruled between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries: Kings John, Edward, Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, and Henry VIII. Shakespeare based his English history plays on a collaboratively written document known as Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, which detailed the lives of the monarchs and their roles in history. However, we should remember that Shakespeare’s plays are not unbiased accounts; he interpreted events in ways aimed to secure the favor of the ruling powers of the day. Shakespeare provided favorable depictions of Queen Elizabeth’s ancestors from the house of Tudor. Shakespeare also fictionalized historical characters. His portrayal of Richard III as an evil, scheming ruler has become the standard interpretation of the king, but in fact we have little evidence of what Richard was really like.
Shakespeare’s Histories: King John, Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, Henry V, Henry VI Part 1, Henry VI Part 2, Henry VI Part 3, Richard III, Henry VIII
