Henry VI, Part II: A History

Spanning approximately fifty years beginning with the coronation of the king upon the death of Henry V and concluding with the fall of the House of Lancaster, William Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy reveals the king’s struggles under the pressures of prolonged wars with his foreign territories in France and Ireland, and the civil war that threatens his reign.

Strife within the English court escalates into the War of the Roses in Henry VI, Part II. As the king proves unable to resolve the differences between his noblemen, the Earl of Suffolk hopes to influence the king through the king’s recent marriage to Margaret of Anjou. As the earl and the Duke of Gloucester become embattled in ever-more dangerous plots, the king now faces open rebellion as Richard, Duke of York, makes a claim for his throne.

Known as “The Bard of Avon,” William Shakespeare is arguably the greatest English-language writer known. Enormously popular during his life, Shakespeare’s works continue to resonate more than three centuries after his death, as has his influence on theatre and literature. Shakespeare’s innovative use of character, language, and experimentation with romance as tragedy served as a foundation for later playwrights and dramatists, and some of his most famous lines of dialogue have become part of everyday speech.

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