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    Henry VI, Part I
    Henry VI, Part I
    Henry VI, Part I
    Ebook184 pages1 hour

    Henry VI, Part I

    By William Shakespeare

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    With the untimely death of England's great soldier-king, Henry V, the crown passes to his young and inexperienced son. While the nobles quarrel among themselves and compete for influence over the new monarch, the French seize the opportunity to reclaim their former territories from English possession. The success of the French armies rests upon an unlikely leader: the peasant girl Joan La Pucelle, known to history as Joan of Arc.
    The first of three plays based on the life of the England's 15th-century monarch, this historical drama chronicles the conflict between the York and Lancaster factions that led to the War of the Roses. Each part of the trilogy is self-contained and can be appreciated without knowledge of the others. Vivid characterization, dark comedy, and powerful language combine for a memorable portrait of a country devastated by civil war.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateAug 11, 2015
    ISBN9780486790015
    Author

    William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—an older daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.

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    Reviews for Henry VI, Part I

    3.5/5

    151 ratings9 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 1/5
      Simply awful. Very much had the feel of being thrown together which, appropriately enough, seems to have been the case. An afterthought prequel to Parts II and III. The caricature of Joan of Arc was outrageous. Even if one believed she was a lunatic, it was a bit over the top.
    • 3/5
      For a play about Henry VI, he was barely even in it! There is quite a bit of jockeying for power that is easy to forget if you do not read this in one setting (and I did not). The first half is a bit lacking, but the back half is better. Joan of Arc (de Pucelle in the play) intrigued me, especially with her proclamations. Is she prophetic or deluded? The end is a fascinating cliffhanger, however, with hints that the move Henry is making will indeed be a bad one.

      It seems as if both Shakespeare and George R.R. Martin drew inspiration from history for their work, and I am curious to see how Shakespeare pulls me into the royal drama. On to Part II!
    • 4/5
      A very good - although unabashedly idiosyncratic - approach to one of the more challenging plays in the Shakespeare canon.
    • 4/5
      Great play. I am not one who loves all Shakespeare (especially the histories) but this one is very accessible. The language isn't too arcane plus it involves historical events that many will recognize (Joan of Arc, the War of the Roses, the 100 Years War etc.)

      Read as part of my Kindle edition of "The Complete Works of Shakespeare"
    • 4/5
      The more I read these history plays, the more I enjoy them. As I read them and research some of the actual history behind them, they make more sense and have a continuity.

      This play, in particular, had a can't-set-it-down quality to it. I had to see what was going on with Talbot, who would win the battle? What were the dastardly deeds that would work against him? Will the boy king be able to survive his "mentors?" Even though I know the answers from history, I don't know how William Shakespeare interpreted the history, so the tension of the read is still there.
    • 3/5
      This is a confusing play, where BIG Bill follows a principal source, and then fits in some humanizing bits. It seems WS didn't write all of it, and the group of scenarists have some fights before production.
      Henry V being quite unexpectedly dead, the nobles of England attempt to bring the war in France to a successful conclusion. Joan of Arc, who is seriously defamed in the play, appears and re-animates the French defence. The losing English nobles fall to quarreling with each other, and we are worried about what will happen next. The play ends with Joan's execution, and the proposal of peace by the marriage of Henry VI, to Margaret a French lady the daughter of the Titular King of Jerusalem, a title with no territory to go with it. I think it's a hint that Henry will always go for form over substance, and the land will suffer for it.
      This play is recorded as being produced in 1592, and it's very early WS. it seems I've been over nine times, looking for good bits.
    • 3/5
      The text of Henry VI, Part I is easier to interpret than that of most other Shakespearean plays I’ve read. There seems to be academic contention about how many lines of Part I are due to Shakespeare, so it’s tempting to claim the language is easy because William didn’t write very much of it.

      Be that as it may, Part I is rather dull. Welcome exceptions to the dullness, when excitement fills the stage, include when the nobles are plucking the white and red roses and whenever Joan la Pucelle appears. Joan of Arc must have been quite a historical figure to witness, not that we could count on impartial witness coinciding well with the Joan presented in this play. Concerning her, Part I would have benefited from changes of attitude on the part of the playwright(s). What an interesting play we then could have had.

      The next Henry VI, called Part II, is, in contrast to Part I, a rouser.
    • 5/5
      Shakespeare’s histories have always felt less accessible to me than his other work. But I realized the other day that it’s probably because I’m not that familiar with the people involved. What is the musical “Hamilton” if not our version of Shakespeare's histories? It’s a theatrical show based on our own country’s history. Shakespeare's histories are not as easy for us to understand because we they are covering a time period that we don’t always learn about. But during Shakespeare's time everyone knew who those dukes and kings were, just as we know names like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

      Anyway, all of that to say that these three plays worked much better for me than some of the other histories of his I've tackled and I think it’s because I finally made that connection. It was also incredibly helpful to me to watch the Hollow Crown series before reading the plays. It covers all three of these plays although it's called Henry VI Part one and two, it's really a combination of parts 1, 2 and 3.They are so well done and watching those first helped me picture a face with a name while reading the place, which helped me keep all the characters straight.

      These plays are part of the eight plays that make up the War of the Roses. Henry VI Part 1 includes the original scene where the characters pick a white or red rose to declare their allegiance. From there it’s a constant stream of battle and betrayal as they all fight for the thrown. Poor King Henry VI is thrust into his role as monarch when he’s only a baby. The death of his father meant a life time watching others attempt to steal his throne. Almost everyone in the plays comes to a bloody end by the final curtain.

      A few thoughts:
      Margaret was such a bad ass. She was conniving, but she was strong where her husband, King Henry VI, was weak. I have to admire her and she certainly has some of the best lines.
      We meet the infamous Richard in these plays. I'd read and seen Richard III before, so reading these gave me a better understanding of his character's background. He’s a delicious villain and one that I loved getting to know.

      “Why, I can smile and murder whiles I smile,
      And cry 'content' to that which grieves my heart,
      And wet my cheeks with artificial tears,
      And frame my face for all occasions”

      BOTTOM LINE: I ended up loving them. I was surprised by how hooked I got on the War of the Roses drama, but it’s like a soap opera. It’s amazing to see how power seems to corrupt all the touch it. Even those who are not driven with a desire for power are often the easiest to steal power from, because they aren’t as vicious as others. I would definitely read part 1, 2, and 3 back-to-back because they work better as one continuous story. I also highly recommend watching the Hollow Crown series first, but just dive into the plays and enjoy them!

      “Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind.”

      “For where thou art, there is the world itself,
      With every several pleasure in the world,
      And where thou art not, desolation.”

      “Unbidden guests are often welcomest when they are gone.”
    • 3/5
      William Shakespeare's "Henry VI, part one" certainly doesn't live up to the bard's later historical plays. The Henry VI series was apparently one of his first plays and it shows -- the language lacks sparkle and the writing seems a little flat.

      That said, I enjoyed it more than I expected to, mostly due to Joan of Arc, who is given an interesting yet fiercely anti-French portrayal as you'd expect from an Elizabethan playwright.

      The story starts with the unexpected death of Henry V, who leaves an infant as his heir. Powerful lords fight in the War of the Roses for control all while England and France remain at war.

      I'm interested to find out what happens in parts two and three.

    Book preview

    Henry VI, Part I - William Shakespeare

    Henry VI

    Part I

    William Shakespeare

    DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC.

    Mineola, New York

    DOVER THRIFT EDITIONS

    G

    ENERAL

    E

    DITOR

    : M

    ARY

    C

    AROLYN

    W

    ALDREP

    E

    DITOR OF

    T

    HIS

    V

    OLUME

    : A

    LISON

    D

    AURIO

    Copyright

    Copyright © 2015 by Dover Publications, Inc.

    All rights reserved.

    Theatrical Rights

    This Dover Thrift Edition may be used in its entirety, in adaptation, or in any other way for theatrical productions, professional and amateur, in the United States, without fee, permission, or acknowledgment. (This may not apply outside of the United States, as copyright conditions may vary.)

    Bibliographical Note

    This Dover edition, first published in 2015, contains the unabridged text of Henry VI, Part I, as published in Volume V of The Macmillan & Co. Edition of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Macmillan & Co., London, 1892. The introductory Note was prepared specially for this edition, and the explanatory footnotes from the Macmillan edition have been removed.

    International Standard Book Number

    eISBN-13: 978-0-486-79001-5

    www.doverpublications.com

    Note

    W

    ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

    (1564–1616) was born in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, England. Although much of his early life remains sketchy, it is known that he moved to London around 1589 to earn his way as an actor and playwright. He joined an acting company known as Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 1594, a decision that finally enabled him to share in the financial success of his plays. Only eighteen of his thirty-seven plays were published during his lifetime, and these were usually sold directly to theater companies and printed in quartos, or single-play editions, without his approval.

    Written around 1591, this is the first installment in Shakespeare’s three-part history play. Rich in treachery and dramatic battle scenes, part I of Henry VI commences shortly after the death of Henry V. It deals with the familial squabbles that mark the beginnings of the War of the Roses and play a major role in the loss of England’s territories in France.

    DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

    K

    ING HENRY

    the Sixth.

    D

    UKE OF GLOUCESTER,

    uncle to the King, and Protector.

    D

    UKE OF BEDFORD,

    uncle to the King, and Regent of France.

    T

    HOMAS BEAUFORT,

    Duke of Exeter, great-uncle to the King.

    H

    ENRY BEAUFORT,

    great-uncle to the King, Bishop of Winchester, and afterwards Cardinal.

    J

    OHN BEAUFORT,

    Earl, afterwards Duke, of Somerset.

    R

    ICHARD PLANTAGENET,

    son of Richard late Earl of Cambridge, afterwards Duke of York.

    E

    ARL OF WARWICK.

    E

    ARL OF SALISBURY.

    E

    ARL OF SUFFOLK.

    L

    ORD TALBOT,

    afterwards Earl of Shrewsbury.

    J

    OHN TALBOT,

    his son.

    E

    DMUND MORTIMER,

    Earl of March.

    S

    IR JOHN FASTOLFE.

    S

    IR WILLIAM LUCY.

    S

    IR WILLIAM GLANSDALE.

    S

    IR THOMAS GARGRAVE.

    Mayor of London.

    W

    OODVILE,

    Lieutenant of the Tower.

    V

    ERNON,

    of the White-Rose or York faction.

    B

    ASSET,

    of the Red-Rose or Lancaster faction.

    A Lawyer. Mortimer’s Keepers.

    C

    HARLES,

    Dauphin, and afterwards King, of France.

    R

    EIGNIER,

    Duke of Anjou, and titular King of Naples.

    D

    UKE OF BURGUNDY.

    D

    UKE OF ALENÇON.

    B

    ASTARD OF ORLEANS.

    Governor of Paris.

    Master-Gunner of Orleans, and his Son.

    General of the French forces in Bourdeaux.

    A French Sergeant. A Porter.

    An old Shepherd, father to Joan la Pucelle.

    M

    ARGARET,

    daughter to Reignier, afterwards married to King Henry.

    C

    OUNTESS OF AUVERGNE.

    J

    OAN LA PUCELLE,

    commonly called Joan of Arc.

    Lords, Warders of the Tower, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and Attendants.

    Fiends appearing to La Pucelle.

    S

    CENE:

    Partly in England, and partly in France.

    CONTENTS

    Act I

    Scene I. Westminster Abbey

    Scene II. France. Before Orleans

    Scene III. London. Before the Tower

    Scene IV. Orleans

    Scene V. The Same

    Scene VI. The Same

    Act II

    Scene I. Before Orleans

    Scene II. Orleans. Within the Town

    Scene III. Auvergne. The Countess’s Castle

    Scene IV. London. The Temple-garden

    Scene V. The Tower of London

    Act III

    Scene I. London. The Parliament-house

    Scene II. France. Before Rouen

    Scene III. The Plains Near Rouen

    SCENE IV. Paris. The Palace

    Act IV

    Scene I. Par is. A Hall of State

    Scene II. Before Bourdeaux

    Scene III. Plains in Gascony

    Scene IV. Other Plains in Gascony

    Scene V. The English Camp Near

    Scene VI. A Field of Battle

    Scene VII. Another Part of the Field

    Act V

    Scene I. London. The Palace

    Scene II. France. Plains in Anjou

    Scene III. Before Angiers

    Scene IV. Camp of the Duke of York in Anjou

    Scene V. London. The Royal Palace

    ACT I.

    SCENE I. Westminster Abbey.

    Dead March. Enter the Funeral of K

    ING

    H

    ENRY

    the Fifth, attended on by the D

    UKE

    of B

    EDFORD,

    Regent of France; the D

    UKE

    of G

    LOUCESTER,

    Protector; the D

    UKE

    of E

    XETER,

    the E

    ARL

    of W

    ARWICK,

    the B

    ISHOP

    of W

    INCHESTER,

    Heralds, &c.

    B

    ED.

    Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night!

    Comets, importing change of times and states,

    Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky,

    And with them scourge the bad revolting stars

    That have consented unto Henry’s death!

    King Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long!

    England ne’er lost a king of so much worth.

    G

    LOU.

    England ne’er had a king until his time.

    Virtue he had, deserving to command:

    His brandish’d sword did blind men with his beams: [10]

    His arms spread wider than a dragon’s wings;

    His sparkling eyes, replete with wrathful fire,

    More dazzled and drove back his enemies

    Than mid-day sun fierce bent against their faces.

    What should I say? his deeds exceed all speech:

    He ne’er lift up his hand but conquered.

    E

    XE.

    We mourn in black: why mourn we not in blood?

    Henry is dead and never shall revive:

    Upon a wooden coffin we attend,

    And death’s dishonourable victory [20]

    We with our stately presence glorify,

    Like captives bound to a triumphant car.

    What! shall we curse the planets of mishap

    That plotted thus our glory’s overthrow?

    Or shall we think the subtle-witted French

    Conjurers and sorcerers, that afraid of him

    By magic verses have contrived his end?

    W

    IN.

    He was a king bless’d of the King of kings.

    Unto the French the dreadful judgement-day

    So dreadful will not be as was his sight. [30]

    The battles of the Lord of hosts he fought:

    The church’s prayers made him so prosperous.

    G

    LOU.

    The church! where is it? Had not churchmen pray’d,

    His thread of life had not so soon decay’d:

    None do you like but an effeminate prince,

    Whom, like a school-boy, you may over-awe.

    W

    IN.

    Gloucester, whate’er we like, thou art Protector,

    And lookest to command the prince and realm.

    Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe,

    More than God or religious churchmen may. [40]

    G

    LOU.

    Name not religion, for thou lovest the flesh,

    And ne’er throughout the year to church thou go’st

    Except it be to pray against thy foes.

    B

    ED.

    Cease, cease these jars and rest your minds in peace:

    Let’s to the altar: heralds, wait on us:

    Instead of gold, we’ll offer up our arms;

    Since arms avail not now that Henry’s dead.

    Posterity, await for wretched years,

    When at their mothers’ moist eyes babes shall suck,

    Our isle be made a nourish

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