Shakespearean history
Decline
Several causes led to the decline of the chronicle play in the early 17th century: a degree of satiety (many more chronicle plays were produced than the surviving ones listed below); a growing awareness of the unreliability of the genre as history; the vogue for 'Italianate' subject-matter (Italian, Spanish or French plots); the vogue for satirical drama of contemporary life ('city comedy'); the movement among leading dramatists, including Shakespeare, away from populism and towards more sophisticated court-centred tastes; the decline in national homogeneity with the coming of the Stuarts, and in the 'national spirit', that ended in civil war and the closing of the theatres (1642).

Shakespearean history

Section Title: Decline
Table Section Text: Several causes led to the decline of the chronicle play in the early 17th century: a degree of satiety (many more chronicle plays were produced than the surviving ones listed below); a growing awareness of the unreliability of the genre as history; the vogue for 'Italianate' subject-matter (Italian, Spanish or French plots); the vogue for satirical drama of contemporary life ('city comedy'); the movement among leading dramatists, including Shakespeare, away from populism and towards more sophisticated court-centred tastes; the decline in national homogeneity with the coming of the Stuarts, and in the 'national spirit', that ended in civil war and the closing of the theatres (1642).

Reign	Play	Playwright(s)	Date(s)

Edmund Ironside	Edmund Ironside, or War Hath Made All Friends	Shakespeare (?)	written c.1588-89 (?)

...

John	Kynge Johan	John Bale	written 1540s (?)

The Troublesome Raigne of John, King of England	George Peele (?) / Shakespeare (?)	written c.1588; published 1591

The Life and Death of King John	Shakespeare	written c.1595; published 1623

Henry III	—	—	—

Edward I	The Famous Chronicle of King Edward the First	George Peele	written 1590-91; published 1593

Edward II	The Troublesome Reign and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England	Christopher Marlowe	written c.1591-2; published 1594

Edward III	The Raigne of King Edward the Third	Shakespeare (?)	written c.1589, revised c.1593-94; published 1596

Richard II	The Life and Death of Iack Straw, a Notable Rebell in England	George Peele (?)	published 1593

Thomas of Woodstock; or King Richard the Second, Part One	Samuel Rowley (?) / Shakespeare (?)	written c.1590

The Tragedie of King Richard the Second / The Life and Death of King Richard the Second	Shakespeare	written c.1595; published 1597, later enlarged

Henry IV	The Historie of Henrie the Fourth / The First Part of Henry the Fourth	Shakespeare	written c.1597; published 1599

The Second Part of Henrie the Fourth	Shakespeare	written c.1598; published 1600

Henry V	The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth	Samuel Rowley (?) / Shakespeare (?)	written c.1586; published 1598

The Cronicle History of Henry the Fift (Quarto)	Shakespeare	written 1590s; published 1600

The Life of King Henry the Fift (Folio)	Shakespeare	written 1599, published 1623

The True and Honourable Historie of the Life of Sir John Oldcastle	Anthony Munday, Michael Drayton, Richard Hathwaye and Robert Wilson	published 1600

Henry VI	The First Part of Henry the Sixt	Shakespeare	written c.1590-91; published 1623

The First Part of the Contention Betwixt the Two Famous Houses of Yorke and Lancaster (Quarto)	Shakespeare	written c.1589-90 published 1594

The Second Part of Henry the Sixt (Folio)	Shakespeare	published 1623

Henry VI and Edward IV	The True Tragedie of Richard Duke of Yorke, and the Death of Good King Henrie the Sixt (Quarto)	Shakespeare	written c.1589-90; published 1595

The Third Part of Henry the Sixt (Folio)	Shakespeare	published 1623

Edward IV	The First and Second Partes of King Edward the Fourth, containing His Mery Pastime with the Tanner of Tamworth, as Also His Loue to Faire Mistrisse Shoar	Thomas Heywood	published 1599

Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III	The True Tragedie of Richard the Third	Thomas Lodge (?) / George Peele (?) / Thomas Kyd (?) / Shakespeare (?)	written c.1585 (?) or 1587–88 (?) or c.1589-90 (?); published 1594

The Tragedy of King Richard the Third	Shakespeare	written c.1591-3; published 1597

Henry VII	The Chronicle History of Perkin Warbeck	John Ford	written c.1630; published 1634

Henry VIII	All is True or The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight	Shakespeare and (?) John Fletcher	written c.1613; published 1623

Sir Thomas More	Anthony Munday, Henry Chettle, Thomas Heywood, Thomas Dekker, Shakespeare	written 1590s

The True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of Thomas Lord Cromwell	Wentworth Smith (?)	published 1613

When You See Me You Know Me; or The Famous Chronicle Historie of King Henrie the Eight, with the Birth and Virtuous Life of Edward Prince of Wales	Samuel Rowley	published 1605

Edward VI

Mary I	Sir Thomas Wyatt	Thomas Dekker and John Webster	written c.1607

Mary I, Elizabeth I	If You Know Not Me, You Know No Bodie, or The Troubles of Queene Elizabeth	Thomas Heywood	published 1605

Elizabeth I	The Second Part of If You Know Not Me, You Know No Bodie, or The Troubles of Queene Elizabeth	Thomas Heywood	published 1606

Sentence(s)

John Bale's play Kynge Johan in Shakespearean history.

final_sentence: John Bale's play Kynge Johan in Shakespearean history.