Henry VIII

William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 142K words
Chapters: 15

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Henry VIII by William ShakespeareAuthor: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2000

Editor's review

Henry VIII is often regarded as a late Shakespeare play, and its textual nature and division of authorship have long been debated, so it is best read with an open mind about its collaborative character. Centered on court politics and marital upheaval, the play shows the rise and fall of several figures to display the instability of fortune and favor in the corridors of power; structurally it is closer to a series of arranged scenes than a single line of action. Its elaborate ceremonies, pageants, and trial scenes carry considerable weight, and the language tends toward solemnity, unlike the lively comedy of the middle-period histories. This edition is a public-domain English text from Project Gutenberg, easy to search and cite, suitable as supplementary material for studying late Shakespeare or Tudor history. Knowing roughly the background of Henry VIII's marriages and the Reformation will clearly lower the threshold; also note the play's measured judgments of its characters, which are often not simple praise or blame.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary scholars studying late Shakespeare and questions of collaborative authorship
Readers interested in Tudor court politics and history plays
Writers needing a public-domain English text for citation or comparison
Theater enthusiasts willing to enter a scene-based structure patiently

Not a good fit for

Newcomers to Shakespeare who want to start with better-known tragedies
Readers who prefer a tight single plot over multiple arranged scenes
Readers who only read Chinese translations and do not want to consult the English

Reading tips

First map Henry VIII's marital upheavals and the offices of the main characters, then enter the text.
Mark the court ceremonies and trial scenes separately and observe how ritual carries political meaning.
Note differences in how characters judge the same event, and avoid simple praise or blame.
If authorship interests you, read the text first, then consult introductions and overviews of the debate.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Did Shakespeare write this play alone?

Scholars generally allow that Henry VIII may be collaborative, and the style and handling of some scenes are often cited in support. The exact division and proportions remain disputed, so do not assume a single author; use introductions to survey the different views.

Why doesn't the plot seem to move in a single line?

The play is closer to a series of scenes displaying the rise and fall of power at court than a tight plot around one protagonist. With many characters and a broad span of events, it reads in a sectional way; grasp the main thread of marriage and politics and you will be fine.

What historical background should I know before reading?

A rough sense of Henry VIII's marriages and their relation to the Reformation, plus the shifting fortunes of nobles and church factions at court, will clearly lower the threshold. No specialist training is needed; one pass through a background summary is enough.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

William Shakespeare Author · English · 1564–1616

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was the greatest playwright, poet and actor of the English Renaissance. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, he is known as the "Bard of Avon." He wrote roughly thirty-seven to thirty-nine plays, one hundred and fifty-four sonnets and narrative poems. His representative works include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. His works span tragedy, comedy and history play, distinguished by rich, poetic language and profound characterization. His explorations of human nature, power, love and fate have had a lasting influence, and his works have been translated into many languages and circulated widely around the world.