Henry VIII (Shakespeare Project Lecture)

'Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself.'

Our journey through the works of William Shakespeare continues, and we have now arrived at the great playwright's penultimate work in collaboration with John Fletcher: Henry VIII.

We’re discussing Shakespeare's retirement, how the Globe Theatre burnt down, pomp and pageantry, Elizabethan vs Jacobean plays, the history of Henry VIII and his six wives, the fall of Cardinal Wolsey, the rise of the Church of England, real history vs drama, and much more.

Timestamps:

0:00 the Globe Theatre burns down

2:00 the bard’s collaboration with Fletcher

4:00 appreciating Shakespeare’s Histories

6:00 Elizabethan vs Jacobean plays

8:00 pomp, pageantry & celebration

10:00 why did the Globe burn down?

12:00 how did Shakespeare feel?

14:00 tragedy in Will’s personal life

16:00 Shakespeare retires from the theatre

18:00 my thoughts on the play Henry VIII

20:00 writing about Queen Elizabeth’s father

22:00 is Henry VIII historically accurate?

24:00 examining the prologue of ‘All Is True’

26:00 on Henry VIII and his six wives

28:00 Henry’s first wife Queen Katherine

30:00 Catholicism vs Protestantism

31:00 why did Henry want a divorce?

34:00 who was Cardinal Wolsey?

36:00 Wolsey vs Duke of Buckingham

38:00 my one-passage & great life advice

40:00 Henry VIII meets Anne Boleyn

41:00 the history of the Reformation

43:00 becoming the head of the Church

44:00 a powerful speech from Katherine

47:00 how Henry became supreme authority

48:00 Cardinal Wolsey on his fall from grace

50:00 discussing the figure Sir Thomas More

52:00 who was Thomas Cromwell?

54:00 the ripples of history are set in motion

55:00 chillingly optimistic ending of the play

56:00 from Anne Boleyn to Jane Seymour

58:00 last three wives & Henry’s death

1:00:00 my personal grading for Henry VIII

1:03:00 preparing our rankings of all the plays

1:05:00 what did you make of Henry VIII?

Recommended Resources:

• Arden Edition: The Arden edition of this play is excellent. The critical introduction and annotations are incredibly insightful.

• Shakespeare Appreciation: I wanted to spend time with you and my favourite writer to celebrate my birthday earlier this week. So I put out a podcast reading some of my favourite soliloquies aloud, from plays like Hamlet, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar, and musing on their meaning: Appreciating Shakespeare on My Birthday.

• Film Appreciation: Treat yourself to a viewing of Kenneth Branagh's All Is True, which dramatises the last years of Shakespeare's life. It's a sad and poignant film, which sees the burning of the Globe and thinks through how Will might have spent his time in Stratford-Upon-Avon after retiring from the stage.

• Documentaries & TV: This play gives us a good opportunity to investigate one of the most significant periods in the country's history and, luckily, there are a profusion of great documentaries and television dramas to enjoy. Inside the Court of Henry VIII is excellent and highly recommended. Henry VIII and His Six Wives and The Mind of a Tyrant are also fascinating. And if you're in the mood for a superb series, check out the BBC series based on the superb Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall books.

• History: If you find the history of the kings and queens of England to be fascinating, then you may like David Mitchell's recently book Unruly, which I quoted from in the discussion. Mitchell really brings history alive with his fiendish sense of humour. There's also an excellent interview with him and Dan Snow in which they rank and discuss the monarchs of the country. And, whilst there are many tremendous biographies of each of the king's wives, Alison Weir does a fantastic job at exploring them all in her book The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

• Performance: My favourite production of Henry VIII is this Arkangel audio production. They consistently produce reliable radio productions of Shakespeare's plays, and this one is great to listen to whilst reading at the same time. For a filmed production, the BBC Shakespeare Collection version is a bit dated but still a great performance.

• New to Shakespeare: If you are coming to the bard for the first time, you may find a more powerful entrance to his world through some of his other History plays. As mentioned in the discussion, I think reading through the Henriad Saga via the Hollow Crown to offer one of the most sublime reading and viewing experiences you can ever enjoy. You can enjoy them in sequence of composition, as we have done here, or you can watch them through in historical chronological sequence and enjoy our lectures after each one: Richard II, Henry IV part 1, Henry IV part 2, Henry V, Henry VI, Richard III.

• Our Journey Thus Far: If you want to jump into any specific play, you can check out the works we've enjoyed thus far as part of our read-through here.

Questions for You:

1) Why do you think Shakespeare retired from the stage?

2) Does this play feel different from Shakespeare's other History plays to you?

3) What line, passage, idea, or character most resonated with you? And what is your personal grading for Henry VIII?

Happy reading, Bardolators!