Henry VIII (Dover Thrift Editions: Plays)

Henry VIII (Dover Thrift Editions: Plays)

The portrait of a monarchy in crisis, this historical drama concerns the famous king's efforts to secure a divorce from his dignified and popular queen in order to marry an enchanting courtesan and produce a male heir. The play ranks among Shakespeare's most sumptuous and spectacular works, offering a splendid pageant of masques and royal ceremony. Occasional lapses in historical accuracy are compensated for by keen psychological and political insights, vivid characterizations, and evocative language.<BR>Possibly the last of Shakespeare's dramas, <I>Henry VIII</I> was almost certainly co-written with John Fletcher. It is a play of farewells ― to the world, to life, to power ― in which major historical characters make memorable exits, including Cardinal Wolsey's rueful observation: <A name=530>"Had I but served my God with half the zeal/<A name=531>I served my king, he would not in mine age/<A name=532>Have left me naked to mine enemies." Nevertheless, the play ends in triumph and hopeful expectations with the prophecy of the coming Elizabethan age.