Henriad

In Shakespearean scholarship, the Henriad refers to a group of William Shakespeare's history plays depicting the rise of the English kings. It is sometimes used to refer to a group of four plays (a tetralogy), but some sources and scholars use the term to refer to eight plays. In the 19th century, Algernon Charles Swinburne used the term to refer to three plays, but that use is not current.

In one sense, the Henriad refers to: Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; and Henry V – with the implication that these four plays are Shakespeare's epic, and that Prince Hal, who later becomes Henry V, is the epic hero. (This group may also be referred to as the "second tetralogy" or "second Henriad".)^[1]^[2]

In a more inclusive meaning, the Henriad refers to eight plays: the tetralogy mentioned above (Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; and Henry V), plus four plays that were written earlier, and are based on the civil wars now known as The Wars of the Roses – Henry VI, Part 1; Henry VI, Part 2; Henry VI, Part 3; and Richard III.^[3]

^ Dobson, Michael. Wells, Stanley. "Henriad". The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. Oxford University Press (2015) ISBN 9780198708735
^ Zarin, Cynthia. "Nine Hours of Shakespeare." The New Yorker Magazine. 15 May 2016
^ Skura, Meredith Anne. Shakespeare the Actor and the Purposes of Playing. University of Chicago Press, 1993. p. 131. ISBN 9780226761800

[1] Dobson, Michael. Wells, Stanley. "Henriad". The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. Oxford University Press (2015) ISBN 9780198708735

[2] Zarin, Cynthia. "Nine Hours of Shakespeare." The New Yorker Magazine. 15 May 2016

[3] Skura, Meredith Anne. Shakespeare the Actor and the Purposes of Playing. University of Chicago Press, 1993. p. 131. ISBN 9780226761800

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