The Story Of English Kings According To Shakespeare

Excerpt from The Story of English Kings, According to Shakespeare A little sketch leads up to the story of the second Richard; a glance at his famed ancestor, the Black Prince, in the act of winning his spurs; a look toward the English people of those days as they appeared to the clear vision of Chaucer, of the author of Piers the Plowman, of that rare old chronicler Sir John Froissart. Thereafter each story is a prelude to the one that follows; as, for instance, in telling the tale of Richard II much more than a beginning is made upon that of his successor. At the opening of each story there is a looking back to get the leading string well in hand. The world believes Shakespeare is its greatest dramatist, and, as possessing the profoundest insight, its best teacher of the science of human nature. If teaching by example is history, he is also one of the ablest of historians. These English plays, at least so much of them as are contained in this book, may well be a part of any coarse of general reading. Its perusal by the young, at odd times and at even times, regularly and as a "stop-gap," will hold open the doors into two great empires of thought - English history and Shakespeare. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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Far more than any professional historian, Shakespeare is responsible for whatever notions most of us possess about English medieval history. Anyone who appreciates the dramatic action of Shakespeare's history plays but is confused by much of the historical detail will welcome this guide to the Richards, Edwards, Henrys, Warwicks and Norfolks who ruled and fought across Shakespeare's page and stage. Not only theater-goers and students, but today's film-goers who want to enrich their understanding of film adaptations of plays such as Richard III and Henry V will find this revised edition of Shakespeare's English Kings to be an essential companion. Saccio's engaging narrative weaves together three threads: medieval English history according to the Tudor chroniclers who provided Shakespeare with his material, that history as understood by modern scholars, and the action of the plays themselves. Including a new preface, a revised further reading list, genealogical charts, an appendix of names and titles, and an index, the second edition of Shakespeare's English Kings offers excellent background reading for all of the ten history plays.

A valuable guide to the Richards, Edwards and Henrys, Warwicks and Norfolks who parade across Shakespeare's pages and stages.

Compares the historical kings with their portrayal in Shakespeare's plays.