Two of Shakespeare's important and illuminating history plays in a comprehensive and scholarly update. This edition includes a discussion and criticism of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater by outstanding scholars past and present, stage histories of notable actors, directors, and producers, and clear, readable text and commentaries.

ShakespeareShakespeare: An Overview
Biographical Sketch / A Note on the Anti Stratfordians, Especially Baconians and Oxfordians / The Shakespeare Canon / Shakespeare's English / Shakespeare's Theatre / A Note on the Use of Boy Actors in Female Roles / Shakespeare's Dramatic Language: Costumes, Gestures and Silences; Prose and Poetry / The Play Text as a Collaboration / Editing Texts / Shakespeare on the Stage

Introduction to King John
The Life and Death of King John
Textual Note

The Sources of The Life and Death of King John
Raphael Holinshed From Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland
Edward Hall From The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancaster and York

Commentaries
Donald A. Stauffer From Shakespeare's World of Images
Harold C. Goddard From The Meaning of Shakespeare
Muriel St. Clare Byrne From The Shakespeare Season at . . . Stratford-upon-Avon, 1957
Alan C. Dessen Deborah Warner's Stratford-upon-Avon Production (1988)
Sylvan Barnet King John on Stage and Screen

Introduction to Henry VIII
Henry VIII
Textual Note

The Sources of Henry VIII
Raphael Holinshed From Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland
John Foxe From Acts and Monuments of Martyrs

Commentaries
Willaim Hazlitt From Characters of Shakespeare's Plays
Caroline F. E. Spurgeon From Shakespeare's Imagery
G. Wilson Knight A Note on Henry VIII
Mark Van Doren Henry VIII
Jane Lapotaire Playing Katherine in the Vision Scene (4.2) of Henry VIII
S. Schoenbaum Henry VIII on Stage and Screen

Suggested References

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was a poet, playwright, and actor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language. Often referred to as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare's vast body of work includes comedic, tragic, and historical plays; poems; and 154 sonnets. His dramatic works have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.