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At the court of King Henry VIII, the proud and powerful Cardinal Wolsey destroys the Duke of Buckingham, and the king, longing for a male heir, sets out to…
At the court of King Henry VIII, the proud and powerful Cardinal Wolsey destroys the Duke of Buckingham, and the king, longing for a male heir, sets out to divorce his loyal Spanish queen, Katherine of Aragon, after falling in love with Anne Boleyn. Katherine defends herself with great dignity at her trial, Wolsey himself falls from favour and bids 'a long farewell to all my greatness', and the play ends with the christening of the baby Elizabeth and a prophecy of her glorious reign.
Context and significance
Written around 1613, probably with John Fletcher, it was one of Shakespeare's last plays, and at a performance in June 1613 a cannon fired on stage set the thatch of the Globe Theatre alight, and the theatre burned to the ground. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623, and this text follows it. Compare Richard III.
About the author
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), born in Stratford-upon-Avon, actor, playwright and shareholder of a London company, wrote about thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets.