The First Part of King Henry the Sixth is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1588–1590. It is the first in the cycle of four plays often referred to as "The First Tetralogy".
Shakespeare's primary source for Henry VI, Part 1, as for most of his chronicle histories, was Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles; the publication of the second edition in 1587 provides a terminus post quem for the play. Edward ...
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The First Part of King Henry the Sixth is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1588–1590. It is the first in the cycle of four plays often referred to as "The First Tetralogy".
Shakespeare's primary source for Henry VI, Part 1, as for most of his chronicle histories, was Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles; the publication of the second edition in 1587 provides a terminus post quem for the play. Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Illustrious Families of Lancaster and York appears also to have been consulted, and scholars have also supposed Shakespeare familiar with Samuel Daniel's poem on the civil wars.
English patriotism was at a high after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. This patriotism fed the fascination audiences had with history plays and led to their popularity with English audiences.
Henry VI, Part 1 is one of the earliest of Shakespeare's plays, and its date of composition is a matter of conjecture and debate. It is...
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