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Full Description
In his first tetralogy of history plays (Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3, and Richard III), Shakespeare offered the most extensive dramatic sequence since the great days of ancient Greek drama in Athens. Critics have sometimes disparaged this first tetralogy as episodic and amateurish. There are various lively scenes, and some characters radiate vitality - in Richard III, Shakespeare (defying historical fact) created a superbly memorable monster, the grotesque and arrogant villain whom audiences love to hate. But if the Shakespeare of the first tetralogy blithely embarrasses his modern fans by the abundance of jingoistic propaganda, his second tetralogy (Richard II, Henry IV Parts One and Two and Henry V) is much more sophisticated and ambiguous. Indeed, in view of the problems of censorship which he faced, Shakespeare provides remarkably incisive insights into the behaviour of kings and their followers and opponents. The second tetralogy is rich in characterisation, memorable in heroic and plangent rhetoric, crafty in its plotting, and exceptionally intelligent in the way it relates low life to high life, the small to the great, the farcical to the tragic. The vitality of Shakespeare's second tetralogy has ensured its endurance for more than four centuries. It is not simply a sequence of perennially entertaining plays; it is part of England's cultural identity, and continues to contribute to the shaping of that identity. The tetralogy dramatises nostalgia poignantly and critically; now it, too, forms part of the nation's cultural nostalgia. At the same time, it exposes the continuing wiles of politicians, and offers ever-topical warnings about the cost of military ventures overseas.
Contents
Introduction What are the main themes of the four plays? Richard II A summary of the plot To what extent is Richard II a tragedy? What is the moral dilemma at the heart of Richard II? What is so special about the language of Richard II? How does Richard II foreshadow the plays which follow it?Henry IV Part 1 A summary of the plot What makes Henry IV Part 1 so effective? What is Henry IV Part 1 about? How Machiavellian is Hal?How do pseudo-digressions enrich this play? What is it that makes Falstaff so extraordinary? Henry IV Part 2A summary of the plot What is Henry IV Part 2 about? What is the mood of Henry IV Part 2?Henry V A summary of the plot Why is Henry V now seen as a paradoxical play? How seriously should we take the romantic view? How subversive is the play's subtext? How does Henry cope with his responsibility? Why is Falstaff killed off ? What is the purpose of the Chorus? ConclusionHow sceptical was Shakespeare? What view of the world does Shakespeare leave us with in his second tetralogy?
