num_pages: 625
description: 1 Henry VI was the Rose Theatre's great draw in the spring of 1592, a dramatic tale of the lives of soldiers, diplomats, kings, and insurrectionists. It centres on the fractious instability of the court and nobility of fifteenth-century England, and their squabbles with their French counterparts. Despite its debut performance in 1592, however, 1 Henry VI does not take a printed form until its appearance some thirty years later in the 1623 Folio. There are many questions, therefore, surrounding exactly how many people wrote the play, when they did so, how it was performed, who played what part, and the nature of the manuscript behind the first performance. In his wide-ranging introduction, Michael Taylor offers answers to these questions, and discusses other key issues such as language, structure, performance history, and the role of women in the play.
language: English
title: Henry VI (Parts I, II and III)
titlecomplete: Henry VI (Parts I, II and III) (Signet Classics)
characters: Margaret of Anjou, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, Elizabeth Woodville, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, Richard III of England, Edward IV of England, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, Henry VI of England, Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
genres: Historical Fiction, Theatre, Historical, Drama, Plays, Poetry, Literature, Classics, British Literature, Fiction
ratings_count: 744
places: England
publisher: Signet