Customer Reviews

Shakespeare's English Kings: History, Chronicle, and Drama

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Shakespeare, more than any professional historian, is responsible for the way we think about the English Plantagenet kings. As Peter Saccio argues, "It is he who has etched upon the common memory the graceful fecklessness of Richard II, the exuberant heroism of Henry V, the dazzling villainy of Richard III."

We recognize that Shakespeare created plays for entertainment, not tutorials for history lessons. But somehow Shakespeare's English kings seem so authentic, so much more real than the kings of history texts. And recent historical research and reinterpretation now indicates that Shakespeare's characterizations indeed appear more accurate than we had previously realized. Saccio states, "Shakespeare knew how his late medieval characters looked at things."

Dr. Saccio (Dartmouth College) has created a delightful book that explores how Shakespeare's imagination and actual history are tightly intertwined. He examines history as understood at the time of Shakespeare, as we understand English history today, and how Shakespeare knowingly revised history for dramatic impact.

Saccio's style is very engaging. This book is not only a guide to more fully appreciating Shakespeare's plays, but it is also an enjoyable look at English history. I highly recommend this book for all readers - those new to Shakespeare's histories and those quite familiar with Shakespeare's English kings.

I previously reviewed Desmond Seward's "The Hundred Years War, the English in France, 1337-1453" and suggested that it would serve as a useful background for understanding Henry V. I still recommend reading Seward's book and I still believe that a four star rating is appropriate. I only wish now that I could give Saccio's "Shakespeare's English Kings" more than five stars. I cannot recommend it too highly.

Great book for those looking to get a quick background on the historical events behind Shakespeare's History Plays. Saccio covers all the major points in each King's life and contrasts them very well against Shakespeare's dramatic choices. Presents a wonderful starting point for anyone interested in medieval English history and Shakespeare without tons of time or resources to dedicate. Perfect for students. A must in any Shakesperean enthusiast's library.

I have been recommending this book for years. Informative, insightful, and entertaining, this book is a must-read for English majors and Shakespeare fans. Saccio does a marvelous job of putting the English history plays in the context of the contemporary understanding of the events and people Shakespeare portrayed, with a discussion of the primary source texts. Along with this, the book examines the political situation of Shakespeare's own day, with which Shakepeare's audience would find parallels to the events of the plays. Saccio also addresses the more recent understandings of the underlying historical events. While the book is offers a detailed and knowledgeable analysis, it is accessible and engaging for a casual reader. Saccio as an essayist is second only to Saccio as a professor!

I wish I had this in college...it's an indispensable reference for anyone reading the history plays, and it's a clear and engaging read.

Prof. Saccio's book is certainly interesting on it's own merit but it is most rewarding as background for reading Shakespeare's History plays. Providing insights on Shakespeare's primary sources and contrasting the real historical events to Shakespeare's dramatization , the narrative swings back and forth between historical documentation and discussion of the plays themselves fairly seamlessly.

The first introductory chapter is a remarkably succinct ,yet lucid discourse on the period covered in the plays , outlining the battles ,both physical and political over succession that provides most of the dramatic tension in the plays themselves.

The period leading up to the War Of The Roses is a fascinating subject and yet for the layperson the incredible number of names involved and the sometimes bizarre associations can be difficult to follow. Add to this the fact that many of the primary characters go by several different names and titles creates even more confusion. This book is not immune to getting bogged down in trying to explain these details but Prof. Saccio does an admirable job of explaining while keping the narrative flow in tact creating a highly readable account of these events.

Overall I would say that for those with an interest in Shakespeare this is a fine book to add to your library. It will enhance your appreciation of the History plays and help shed light on where the bard used artistic license to keep the plays sense of drama from getting bogged down.

Great book for those looking to get a quick background on the historical events behind Shakespeare's History Plays. Saccio covers all the major points in each King's life and contrasts them very well against Shakespeare's dramatic choices. Presents a wonderful starting point for anyone interested in medieval English history and Shakespeare without tons of time or resources to dedicate. Perfect for students. A must in any Shakesperean enthusiast's library.

One of the foremost experts on Shakespeare, Peter Saccio, has written a fantastic book on the history and intricacies of relationships between royal families in the works of Shakespeare. I reiterate the same positive things said by other reviewers...an essential book, by a brilliant man, for anyone serious about getting to know Shakespeare's kings much better.

This reviewer first became acquainted with Dr. Peter Saccio by viewing his 36 class course on Shakespeare in the Learning Company DVD series.
Intrigued by his skill in making Shakespeare understandable I picked up a copy of Shakespeare's English Kings. This slim volume provides the historical knowledge needed of each of the king's reigns to enhance appreciation of the Shakespearean plays.
The kings covered are:
Richard II-The Fall of the King
Henry IV-The King Embattled
Henry V-The King victorious-deals with his victory at Agincourt in 1415.
Henry VI-a good survey of this weak headed king's long and disastrous reign.
Henry VI-Edward IV-Deals with the War of the Roses rivalry between the dynastic houses of Lancaster and York.
Richard III-the last Plantagenet-Shakespeare made use of several myths about this king who was nevertheless anything but a boy scout!
John-the Angevin king who succeeded his brother Richard of Lionheart as King-Magna Charta and all that!
Henry VIII-The dissolute but astute Tudor king who made England a modern nation through diplomacy, governmental reform and dissolution of papal ties.
Some readers will be perplexed by all the Richards, Edwards, Henrys and
become confused. A close reading will help as well as ample use of the dynastic geneological charts provided by Saccio.
The book was written in 1977 and revised over twenty years later. If I was teaching a course on the English history plays this book would be required reading.

This book proved to be a very helpful resource in making sense of both Shakespeare's historical context and the somewhat cloudy issue of the War of the Roses. I know longer will have to ask myself just who all those Edwards and Richards were anyway. Excellent book even if it was somewhat brief. I will look for more works by this author in the future.

"Shakespeare's English Kings" is a good guide to the tumultuous stretch of English history from the 1490s into the 1580s, with a brief Tudor detour into the reign of Henry VIII. The fact that this book is specifically designed to help one better understand Shakespeare's historical plays on the kings of that time is almost a bonus. While it's not exactly a scholarly work of historiography or literary study, I'd highly recommend this book for Shakespeare fans and casual British history buffs.