Henry VI Part 1

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Independently Published, 2018 M09 12 - 147 páginas
PART 1 Henry VI was probably written in 1592. One of Shakespeare's history plays, this work concerns the events following the death of Henry V, covering the origins of the War of the Roses and the loss of Britain's territories in France. The genre of the history play held a particular fascination for the English public in the 1590s and helped create a sense of a collective national memory. (See Analysis for more details on the history play.) Patriotic sentiment probably ran particularly high in the years following 1588, when the English repulsed an attack by the invading Spanish Armada. The history play drew upon such sentiments. 1 Henry VI, in particular, appears to reference the specific event of the English campaign in France, led by Queen Elizabeth's charismatic nobleman Essex. The play's depiction of 15th-century noblemen attacking the city of Rouen would certainly have called to mind Essex's 1592 efforts at Rouen to aid the French in quashing a Protestant uprising.Shakespeare wrote two other plays about the reign of Henry VI, 2 Henry VI and 3 Henry VI. Interestingly, the second two plays were published first, and some believe them to have been written first, as well, though no one knows whether the Shakespearean plays' order of publication actually reflects their order of composition. The Henry VI plays figure among Shakespeare's first forays into the genre of history play, and they were followed by plays tracing the years after Henry VI's death and the ensuing civil wars over succession. Only later in his career did Shakespeare look back to the events prior to Henry VI's kingship, including that of his father Henry V (see Shakespeare's Henry V).Shakespeare probably made use of contemporary chronicles of the 15th century and the struggles during these years between the Yorks and the Lancasters in the War of the Roses. Raphael Holingshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland seem a particularly likely source for many of his history plays.Some scholars theorize that Thomas Nashe authored portions of 1 Henry VI; some believe Shakespeare himself wrote only the scene in the Temple Garden and the battle scenes in which Talbot and his son meet their death. Other scholars believe Shakespeare wrote the whole play, adding that the playwright would not likely have collaborated with other authors so early in his career.

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Acerca del autor (2018)

William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616 Although there are many myths and mysteries surrounding William Shakespeare, a great deal is actually known about his life. He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, son of John Shakespeare, a prosperous merchant and local politician and Mary Arden, who had the wealth to send their oldest son to Stratford Grammar School. At 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the 27-year-old daughter of a local farmer, and they had their first daughter six months later. He probably developed an interest in theatre by watching plays performed by traveling players in Stratford while still in his youth. Some time before 1592, he left his family to take up residence in London, where he began acting and writing plays and poetry. By 1594 Shakespeare had become a member and part owner of an acting company called The Lord Chamberlain's Men, where he soon became the company's principal playwright. His plays enjoyed great popularity and high critical acclaim in the newly built Globe Theatre. It was through his popularity that the troupe gained the attention of the new king, James I, who appointed them the King's Players in 1603. Before retiring to Stratford in 1613, after the Globe burned down, he wrote more than three dozen plays (that we are sure of) and more than 150 sonnets. He was celebrated by Ben Jonson, one of the leading playwrights of the day, as a writer who would be "not for an age, but for all time," a prediction that has proved to be true. Today, Shakespeare towers over all other English writers and has few rivals in any language. His genius and creativity continue to astound scholars, and his plays continue to delight audiences. Many have served as the basis for operas, ballets, musical compositions, and films. While Jonson and other writers labored over their plays, Shakespeare seems to have had the ability to turn out work of exceptionally high caliber at an amazing speed. At the height of his career, he wrote an average of two plays a year as well as dozens of poems, songs, and possibly even verses for tombstones and heraldic shields, all while he continued to act in the plays performed by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. This staggering output is even more impressive when one considers its variety. Except for the English history plays, he never wrote the same kind of play twice. He seems to have had a good deal of fun in trying his hand at every kind of play. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, all published on 1609, most of which were dedicated to his patron Henry Wriothsley, The Earl of Southhampton. He also wrote 13 comedies, 13 histories, 6 tragedies, and 4 tragecomedies. He died at Stratford-upon-Avon April 23, 1616, and was buried two days later on the grounds of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. His cause of death was unknown, but it is surmised that he knew he was dying.

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