Henry VIII Analysis

The history plays read like an armchair traveler's guide and a mini-geography lesson all rolled into one. You know what that means, right? It's time to pack your suitcases and grab your cameras, Sh...

Most literary critics refer to Henry VIII as a "history play." A Shakespearean history play portrays English historical events that resonate with current political issues (current in Shakespeare's...

If you met two scenes of this play on the street, they would be completely different people. One would be all goth, with dark clothes and loads of tats, while the other would be a pretty cheerleade...

Shakespeare wrote this play with his fellow playwright, John Fletcher. Naturally, the style of two writers can be very different, but these two playwrights fused their writing in this play well eno...

So, the title is Henry VIII, so is anyone surprised that the play is about a guy named Henry VIII? But let's get more specific: this is a history play about what happened when Henry ruled, lea...

Did you notice how during the final scene of the play, Cranmer gives a long—and we mean long—speech about how awesome baby Elizabeth will be one day? If you were scratching your head wondering...

We'll admit it: Henry VIII is known to be one of Shakespeare's most difficult plays. There are a lot of different trials going on that make the play hard to follow. First, Buckingham is arrested an...

Treason, Trial, and ExecutionRight after Buckingham starts complaining about how dangerous Wolsey's behavior is to the kingdom, he gets cuffed. He's quickly tried and executed for treason, but not...

When Buckingham is carted off to the Tower after he tells us Wolsey is bad news, we suspect that old Wolsey might be up to no good. But Buckingham's shady servant tells us otherwise; according to...

Buckingham is arrested and executed for treason. We're not sure if he's actually guilty, or if Wolsey has just set him up. Henry meets Anne and wants to divorce Katherine. Wolsey wants to get rid o...

When the Duke of Buckingham (George Villiers) saw the play in 1628, the character Buckingham's execution didn't sit too well with him, so he left the theater. It must have been an omen, because onl...

If the Old Lady were in charge of this play's steaminess rating, she'd probably give it an "R" because she loves making dirty jokes about oral sex and fornication (sex before marriage). We, on the...

1.2: When You See Me You Know Me by Samuel Rowley 2.1: Richard III by William Shakespeare (5.1) 2.2: Henry V by William Shakespeare (3.6.30-38)3.1: Orpheus (Greek mythology) 4.2: vision of celestia...