Table of Contents

List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Chronology of major serial productions/adaptations; Note on the texts; Introduction: Part I. The Story of the Histories: 1. Serialising the chronicles; 2. Staging the national epic; Part II. Henry VI-Richard III: 3. War imagined; 4. The emergence of character; 5. Curses and prophecies; Part III. Richard II-Henry V: 6. Looking back; 7. Hybrid histories; 8. Change and identity; Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Promotional Information

A re-reading of the two sequences of Shakespeare's English history plays.

About the Author

Nicholas Grene is Professor of English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin.

Reviews

"...the study does contribute to understanding how the history plays show different aspects of Shakespeare's process of composition and design as he matured as a playwright." Choice "This work is phenomenal in its scope and importance. Nicholas Grene should be commended for a thoroughly researched study..." Sixteenth Century Journal "The book will deservedly find a wide audience across the English/Drama subject area, offering cogent textual and performance criticism." New Theatre Quarterly