(16) Henry VI, Part 1

I finished my first History play on this fine last day of September and I enjoyed it. It is at once the same and different from the Comedies I just finished, if that makes any sense. There seems to be a greater emphasis on plot…with political overtones everywhere, which is pretty much what I expected I guess. Shakespeare had something to say about his times and was using this play to say it. Understand though, that he gets his facts wrong all over the place, as the Riverside liner notes happily point out, over and over again. This was perhaps unintentional but probably not; my guess is that he was more interested in furthering his own artistic ends rather than accurately depicting the facts. I’m not sure how I feel about this…seems rather like cheating, doesn’t it?

I am being told that the next four plays I am about to read can be grouped together (Henry VI, Parts 1-3 and Richard III), as they all deal with a specific era in English history, namely The War of the Roses. I’ll be studying this era then, from an historical perspective, as I read these plays from an aesthetic perspective. All good.