Henry VI part 1 (1591) by William Shakespeare

• 
  by William Shakespeare (possibly with Thomas Nashe)
  
• Genre: Play, Historical play
• Written: 1591
• My edition: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, J.W. Edwards Inc., 2009
• Setting: 1422, England and France, opens at the funeral of Henry V

 

This play is part of the Henriad that is made up of 2 tetralogies, or 2 sets of four plays. The first tetralogy: Richard II, Henry IV part 1, Henry IV part 2, and Henry V, is sometimes considered the Henriad by itself. In a broader definition, the Henriad includes the second tetralogy: Henry VI part 1, Henry VI part 2, Henry VI part 3, and Richard III. And to confuse things just a bit more, the second tetralogy was written earlier than the first, but chronologically takes place later.

 

So, this is the 5th play in the full Henriad, and the 1st play in the second tetralogy of the Henriad.

 

Enough of that!

 

The play opens on the funeral of Henry V. It gets a little depressing after that.  

 

As with any play, it is meant to be enacted. Much is lost when reading a play; reading Shakespeare’s plays is particularly challenging. However, I had a split decision of both the pleasure and the ease of reading this play. I found the action—what was happening—rather easy to follow in this play. But exactly who was doing what, that was a bit confusing due to a dizzying cast of characters. There is a host of English dukes, earls, knights, soldiers, and of course the King, and then there is the same on the French side. There are a few ladies, maidens, and one Joan of Arc.

 

The French were pretty easy to keep track of, but the English? There’s a lot of duplicity going on, and it is difficult to remember who is loyal to whom, and why and when. Some of them even change titles mid-play. I made myself a cheat sheet, and added notes for each English peer as some new intrigue was added to their account. And with that, everything came up roses.

 

Little pun there. This part of the Henriad covers the historical period known as the War of the Roses: a period of the English monarchy, 1455 - 1487 with various houses vying for control, through intrigue, betrayal, covert and overt battles.

 

I am working my way through the Henriad, and I’ve enjoyed it very much. This was no exception. It is one of Shakespeare’s earliest history plays, and it shows. It’s a bit less extravagant. As I said, it was fairly easy to follow the action—not always my experience with Shakespeare.

 

Spoiler alert: As is often the case, the one true, noble, and admirable character doesn’t survive the play: Lord Talbot. He is overpowered by the French because suspicious groups on the English side fail to come to his aid. There is a powerful scene when Lord Talbot urges his own son Jonathan to flee to field, for if he stays they both shall die. Jonathan responds:

Then let me stay; and, father do you fly:

Your loss is great, so your regard should be;

My worth unknown, no loss is known in me.

Upon my death the French can little boast;

In yours they will, in you all hopes are lost.

Flight cannot stain the honour you have won;

But mine it will, that no exploit have done;

You fled for vantage, every one will swear;

But if I bow, they’ll say it was for fear,

There is no hope that ever I will stay,

If the first hour I shrink and run away.

Here, on my knee, I beg morality,

Rather than life preserv’d with infamy.

Besides Lord Talbot, the most interesting character is Joan of Arc. Spoiler alert: She will not survive the play either. She is battling the Duke of York, who thinks she will use witchcraft to change him into some other form. She retorts: 

Chang’d to a worser shape thou canst not be.

Great line, great play! Historically, it marks the beginning of the end of English rule of France; the beginning of the War of the Roses; the beginning of the end of the House of Lancaster; and the rise of the House of York.

 

It is also the start of Shakespeare’s history plays.

 

.