Henry Viii: The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth, A Tragedy

By William Shakespeare

Desperate for a son and heir, King Henry VIII risks both his realm and his immortal soul when he divorces Katherine of Aragon in favour of Anne “Bullen.” The last of Shakespeare’s histories, Henry VIII remains famous for more than just its subject matter—a mishap during the performance of the play resulted in the original Globe theatre burning to the ground.

Known as “The Bard of Avon,” William Shakespeare is arguably the greatest English-language writer known. Enormously popular during his life, Shakespeare’s works continue to resonate more than three centuries after his death, as has his influence on theatre and literature. Shakespeare’s innovative use of character, language, and experimentation with romance as tragedy served as a foundation for later playwrights and dramatists, and some of his most famous lines of dialogue have become part of everyday speech.

HarperPerennialClassics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Dec 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781443443364

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright the world has seen. He produced an astonishing amount of work; 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. He died on 23rd April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.

Book preview

���bbook_preview_excerpt.htmluZ�v�ȑ���w��c����Oϡ$J�i�l��h��هP$�Pt �o�����/و,�(j^}�͟7ÃoϷ�6�i��t��yW�:7jV������ �W,���.���i�>�ħybC���ԭ�j�Ɵ���=��սZ�����W����[�8}z�d�|?^0�����z0��X8���eb|�muv���*5E
���k�v��6��*�M�]�/-�+Ώ]��wjz3[?L�-��}���ty�[��|݆��y�����G����t��_g����t�G��n�?,総���:}���]�zSko�کWsz������ ƿ!����a=����䊽��”��Ԅ��ʿ7�Tꫮ�-[�ͽ1�!�h�}w��,��3��S���w#Z��j��+>���OS_��w6�3'绍�W�0�4�+�
GgKn����r��VW��jc���%�{ĝs���7�!���R[t0�X���Źn�zҗ(����w��\x��T�"����y6[�����t ��=z�;�O�h*�(��-�8 �̾9���l��{��O*f�ĺ&�Ļ��-�M��}>�����8Q; �� ��M����4ǡIaTHM�j�룄Ĝ䮻bt��?�w�狑�� ��+P�X�{�����ƈ���~&�J:���Wek�VU�Z�4��U ����5�?L�7-�g�tj��J��q�}3�����pMMӡ2&Z�\ZX�6�T���2|S�ٝ[�����˾�����81,�"+]�ApJ�_M �q@�0x#��5͓��]������QS!�j��y}�t$ y\ԭY�4ǭ��Gǫ�~h|�Rr]9u����<"�4eH����y��O��� ��Ž�����V;V=��H{U +�� G��=���h8�$��^��&3)B/d�jG ��(wFx�F��Ny l�Z�2�UV9"fb�:3vu��;&����c3��v��#�~��(�8�+�"ʦ���q[Y!6M���h�m����I4|c���V�sF�H� ȥ�E0 �#�F��
�\y��U{�2�vP
��;"iH>p���Ctg�qR}8����ѝ�X1� nc���5G�@�"�&3��S
c��Ur��RR��i%
��Z�7�}ݲM�x^*d����MSP=
�2^��4���u}\i(8V !� <��g �*�Sƌ�
��cp�"%1e%�A��p��j|G
� o�1��ym�=xBQ�IG�HQAy��dDçL�>R���V��T��h����NԿ�\���t�S�NM�{�X��W�Hb�t�����{r������}p~�h�NiA �����"g��x���=p���g�LB�۲�M����7��{/�.ۣ�W���$��1�������Z��ʆI� j���`��^̒�BPQN�QBrg����/iь�z���JS&aL`ݲ X8h"ҟ��CF
9�4���B�}G[S�:���j�d\ci ����e�/ż(��������ۆ�b��G�"[�GjK�3��0
�׬�w�(�̇B��r5p���S�F@��@2$(��]�� ��r3N'N �`�ݕ�i��N�te�ݘT7RsA �� �a��
X���$m�.�tI�;�E��rdBy�xM�A�M�j韍����� Q�*��`t��g|��hf�Ҏ13fp� y��}�TtVd�5oЉp�2�l럅-NB�R @�\6:!j�\�
�3t�;�2ޛqP�n�X����-j�.�钃�۴t5� 9�ͼ�(�3���(����x"}��/��Y'u}\9���\�闿��Jf�a}u���3+
���y\� �8'*�kT���j�T�!�*A���h0�P�%f��> )�-��� H(�`-�%�Q'�}U����OCKi�~���71�g�sɝ�Q��M4��P?�֤�Дny����e�qT �"y2�Ǩ|�13�^�W���5��z/eB a�sqjJ�Q^ZB��a���( ���r���߈�I��#g5�{���������/mm�rBA�2L� �8��+��ڡQ��!�Hks���`[,U�dX.�`A����`y���Z d@�Mf��J?tc�XR�ٱa�E �j"T�G������s���������w;v�����L�r�?��)VJ5dKZ��?�̠OQ���(�}

�=x��gWpbu�m�ъ��o��(� 5�`2%��)�s?
w����0B�\�n�+zP��<��9�(梓َD���E?\�5T���)Ʈ��W��F������V�ƾ�>J�+�8;�X�&.;�ga�$��8[ ��-tW!L� � �`\1����@z��U?'<��ĶE�mJ�&H�����ϔ�OX @������ï�m�/6&k�v��7t��Fy� �d�V��ZfI�9����y�n�`�� u*\�X,h'�.j�{~<�Qؠ�f��5/t��܌���� lU�OY�VXj�y[Ns�=�j��nKZB�/R y��g���3� ��D�I�?�8M/H�g�&��̆���T[E��[ �������c��F�f+Q�P7�]���ߢ��ԁ�'��TN�w8!� O7�eI{����[��k���RW��~dYXAR;��H!8xT;�I�M�\��J�� *ceX�����a]�\�[�38B��A�O,~z���q��\��sJy4Ʉ��edN��Î��n1�6(b��D��3rk���2�r������9���svb��#�Ҥ9�ámr,cG�[���ekN 2R5�֞����g.gF$𞜗 �#��9G�ŷ�(��\�Z*�ȼ��ƚ�[@IJ�
}G~F�պ���
��A!yZ ��בh�m�\f�uOLog(��௼l��2�#+�<�j�aG�F�.ܷ͇�L|D����:χn[
p��V�G=���9J9���e��>{�H{D�凯sH���]E��hT���?}�x�/�Ѵ(l�fg�>0`b�v<�x�W#椖gy.aF i-uuT-͊�� )l-C�XY���D
)G�t�u����I�5ʦ��p�'C ����9qiW���+��c�+$�� ��Q }� �����:�S�|�R_k��� �Y��$��x��Î6���Ğ��7����`$J�\�G$l��Xg�ߩ!r}���$�ɐ�Gq�����D ^'�����1��^b�W ���+sju1���E�zh����ur�T6�"�p�0@�8`Ch.'^h�8aE�5o���ϐ�SM���"n"�rX��h�*�uw��Ui�d�CΥCg]k<���F@�u��<��e���w"uOot�:
#��栝��mBS���%ƭ/�ؠ��bjinҨm�˖ʔ3��t��$s��jϵ�8oB\e#%��\Yf�)A(X����l�U;�I�v�t��2�^�T�d>�'�8�_f�� �*��{Ҟ� g.�3�H��CI�;F�<� ��C��h������A@&-튛cI>��eM�ƹ�@j?��_p��|0E����Z����^鄇�2��ы��m-W����0ݥ���:{��9>��T���U�Z>�D����Wm%

Reviews for Henry Viii

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Don't look for an educated review here, I've barely touched the surface having only read the play one time. I tried to watch two versions of this, but they did not catch my fancy. I enjoyed the reading of it though, and intend to read the second part very soon. Action, intrigue, a bit of comedy/farce. Good stuff.

[booksfordinner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Folger editions are my fave.

[dmyates-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading part 1. Shakespeare has a way with words that few authors do. I loved his interpretation of Falstaff and the humor he assigned to this character. The war scenes were brilliantly done. By the end of the book, Prince Henry has done what he vowed he would - become a prince his father could be proud of. Fun, fun read.

[stillatim · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was a bit worried that I wouldn't get it, since I always have trouble with any books or movies which mix the funny and the serious. But I had no problems with this (unlike, say, The Tempest). Looking forward to part II and Henry V.

"But thoughts, the slaves of life, and life, time's fool
And time, that takes survey of all the world,
Must have a stop." Hotspur, V 4 80-82.

"Why? She's neither fish nor flesh; a man knows not where to have her."
"Thou art an unjust man in saying so. Thou or any man knows where to have me, thou knave thou." Falstaff & Mrs Quickly, III 3 126-129.

[trilliams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It doesn't have the famous speeches of Henry V, but it has the action, the humor, Hotspur, and... FALSTAFF. I can only imagine some Elizabethan Chris Farley got rich off this part. It would only make sense.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Much more interesting than Richard II. The love of Henry IV for Hotspur over his own son seems to foreshadow the King Lear tragedy. Shakespeare depicts HIV as a fairly weak king, in my opinion, but I suppose this is meant to boost HV's status.The Hal/Falstaff robbery scene was quite amusing and set up the drama of the Hal/Hotspur confrontation with Falstaff taking credit for Hotspur's death.

[mstrust · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Henry has decided to divorce his first wife, Katherine, after twenty years of marriage, in order to marry Anne Bullen. At his side is the manipulative Cardinal Wolsey, common born yet with the King wrapped around his finger. Though Katherine pleads with her husband, Wolsey is instrumental in her downfall, and in the execution of the Duke of Buckingham, accused of treasonous gossip. The whole court holds its breath waiting for the day the King will realize he's been Wolsey's puppet.Clearly written to be performed for Elizabeth I, Shakespeare is currying favor. Henry VIII is a man who was manipulated into treating Katherine badly, and who rejoiced that Anne had given birth to a daughter (ha!). Anne is a sweet maiden who worries about Katherine, and the play ends with a gushing speech about Elizabeth herself. This probably won't make anyone's list of the best of Shakespeare, but it is interesting and there are some good scenes, such as Katherine ripping into Wolsey.

[medievalgirl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This play was the second in a series of 8 which together formed Shakespeare’s masterful saga of 'History' plays chronicling the turbulent final century of the Plantagenet Dynasty from the deposition of Richard II in 1399 to the death of Richard III at Bosworth field in 1485.

Altogether, they have all the high drama of an epic saga with their vivid accounts of treachery, ambition, power, betrayal, feuding and war in an age of bloody upheaval.
If all this sounds gloomy and depressing, there are also colourful well-developed and memorable characters including the 'man mountain' plump and usually tipsy John Falstaff and the heroic Henry V as well as plenty of courage, chivalry and deeds of daring-do with a smattering of romance and humour.

Whoever said Shakespeare was boring? It should be said, however, that I could not fully appreciate these plays by simply reading them- they had to be seen as well. They are not, after all, novels, and reading through them in the way one would a book can be a tedious experience.

In this play King Henry IV struggles to maintain his position and power in the face of rebellion from the influential, passionate, impetuous and headstrong Henry Hotspur young son of the powerful Earl of Northumberland who joins with the King's enemies.
Alongside the threat of rebellion and civil war King Henry strives with his own wayward son Prince Hal (the future Henry V) who spends most of his time in seedy taverns and the company of ne'er-do- wells such as John Falstaff.

As events come to a head, Hal promises to prove himself worthy of his father's respect, and ultimately the position and authority of his future Kingship on the battlefield.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I only have to read part one for my class, but I think I'll read part two, too, in due course. Falstaff is amusing, and I rather enjoy Hal, too. I preferred it to Richard II, I think.

No need to say that I loved the language and thought it'd be even better on the stage. That's just Shakespeare for you.

(Why didn't I used to like Shakespeare? Probably because I repeatedly got Romeo & Juliet shoved down my throat, and his comedies aren't to my taste.)

[amerynth · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Shakespeare's "Henry VIII" is best remembered as the play that was on stage when the Globe Theater burned down. There's a reason that's what it's known for.... the play itself really doesn't hold up well to the bard's more famous works.Rife with historical inaccuracies, most of the action takes place off stage, so you just hear characters talking about it. (Yeah, I didn't like it when Hilary Mantel did this either.) It was the Elizabethan age, so of course Shakespeare makes the birth of Queen Elizabeth something like the second coming and is mostly laudatory about her mother Anne Boleyn. There really isn't much that's great about this one.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Well here we are in the ugly competition. "Worst plays by William Shakespeare". Wisely the first line is "I come no more to make you laugh:... And you won't. It seems to me, that a sort of historical pageant was required, perhaps to get some people to put their money down at the box-office, and this was cobbled up. It is a chore to read, and only the queen Catherine of Argon scenes have much fire. We have records that the theatre caught fire during one of the performances and the audience must have left the theatre early with some relief. The theatre burned down , this was WS's last history play, and he soon retired. the play was written or revised, in1613.

[coach_of_alva · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

34 William Shakespeare, John Fletcher Henry VIIIFORMATOTHERSGENRERATINGE-BOOKLewis Theobald, editorLiterature***I read this late collaboration because I knew it had great speeches and because I wanted to see how the Bard and his fellows would have treated England's Stalin. I liked the great speeches, i.e., Katherine of Aragon's defense of herself and Wolsey's farewell to his greatness, and would like to think that Shakespeare wrote them. But I had to shake my head sadly at how the playwrights had to treat the Anne Boleyn story with kid gloves and eulogize the baby Elizabeth.

[alcracka · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Read this as a companion piece after I finished Wolf Hall. I didn't even know he wrote a play about Henry VIII, and now I know why: it pretty much sucks. And a total whitewash, which makes sense in retrospect. Where's the fucking beheadings, Will?

[ncgraham_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After a bad experience with Richard II, I was starting to worry that Shakespeare’s history plays weren’t for me, when Henry IV, Part I came along to save me from that delusion. This is a wonderful play, perhaps one of my favorites of Shakespeare's now. It balances so many different elements&mdash;the court, the tavern, the rebel camp, the pathos, the humor, the discourse on honor. And it presented me with characters I could truly care about.Faltstaff is often put forward as one of Shakespeare’s greatest creations, and understandably so. The old, fat, roguish knight has a towering presence even on the page, and I could sympathize with his fatherly love for Prince Hal and his fear that the boy will eventually turn on him. Henry IV, who was emotionally distant in Richard II (like most everyone), has some wonderful moments of vulnerability, even breaking into tears in Act III scene 2. And despite the fact that he’s the antagonist, I found Hotspur oddly likable. He’s brazen and impetuous&mdash;there must be Scots blood in there somewhere&mdash;and in spite of his constant avowals that he does not have “the gift of tongue,” he’s quite eloquent:“But I tell you, my lord fool, out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.”Methinks the noble lord doth protest too much.Actually, the only character who I had trouble liking was Hal himself, the protagonist. I learned this story through an old Wishbone episode, which whitewashed the character somewhat, so I was surprised to pick up the play and discover just how cunning and scheming he is. His dissoluteness and eventual redemption are not genuine, but staged to bring about a certain end; in the meantime, he manipulates the people around him with Machiavellian dexterity. I find that more and more I am placing a premium on honesty, both in books and in real life, and that may be why I prefer some of the other characters over the prince. Falstaff’s attempts at fibbing and playacting are generally unconvincing to those around him&mdash;he is inexpert&mdash;and I don’t think Hotspur could every bring himself to tell a barefaced lie, which may be one of the reasons I find him so lovable.This is where we ended our perusal of the history plays in my Shakespeare class, but I plan to continue with this particular tetralogy before PBS airs new adaptations of all four plays later this year. Because I enjoyed Henry IV, Part I so much, I’m looking forward to reading more about these characters.

[catfantastic_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Henry IV is not the most accessible of Shakespeare's plays. The histories do require at least a brief background in, well, history, to make them comprehensible. So I would recommend reading, at the very least, some encyclopedia articles on the historical Henry IV (and Richard II, the ruler he overthrew) before tackling this play. With a bit of background information in hand, the play becomes easier to understand.This is the story of Henry IV dealing with the tumultuous mess of a kingdom that he made when he overthrew the previous ruler, Richard II. Even more importantly, it is the story of his son, the prince, coming of age and coming into his role as future ruler of a not-quite unified land. The plot shifts focus between three central groups of characters: The king (Henry IV) is troubled by guilt because he overthrew Richard II, rather than inheriting the throne from him legitimately. He thinks a pilgrimage/crusade to the Holy Land would help him feel better, but alas there's no time for that with all the rebellions he needs to quash in his own kingdom. His unresolved feelings of guilt also lead him to react angrily and defensively against the nobles who sided with him when he overthrew the old king, so he's quickly running out of friends. The king is also troubled because his son seems like a useless punk, and not a valiant knight.Prince Henry (nicknamed Hal) is the king's son. Hal likes drinking and partying and hangs out with a bunch of guys who enjoy robbing people after dark (mostly for the LOLs.) Chief among Hal's disreputable friends is a fat, ridiculous, old knight named Falstaff. Falstaff's over-the-top behavior provides the comic relief for the play. Unfortunately, a lot of the humor is meant to derive from puns that play with words no longer in common usage. It's hardly Shakespeare's fault that we don't use phrases like "trunk of humors" or words like "bolting-hutch" anymore, but that doesn't stop the "funny" parts from getting a bit torturous. Anyways, the point is that Hal needs to grow up, distance himself from the drunken pranks of Falstaff and his ilk, and take on the mantle of knighthood.The third group of characters are, of course, the rebels trying to overthrow King Henry IV. Their leader is Worcester (Thomas Percy) and their ranks include Mortimer, (the guy who would have been next in line for the throne under Richard II's reign), Glendower (leader of the Welsh, rumored to be a sorcerer), Douglas (leader of the Scots), Northumberland (who had been a friend and ally of Henry IV, originally) and Northumberland's son, Hotspur. Hotspur is the same age as Hal (in the play, not in reality) and Shakespeare sets him up as Hal's arch nemesis and a mirror of what Hal might become.Everything heads to a climax at the dramatic Battle of Shrewsbury. King Henry offers peace, but Worcester, who fears he will take all the blame for the rebellion, neglects to pass this information on. In the ensuing battle many die, especially all of the poor, starving beggars Falstaff recruited, and loyal knights who disguise themselves as the king to serve as decoys. At one point, Hal saves his father's life, thus convincing the king that his son isn't so worthless, after all. The play opens with Henry IV wishing that Hal could be more like Hotspur, and fittingly concludes with Hal killing Hotspur and thus taking on his role as warrior and knight. Annoyingly, Falstaff (who has been playing dead for the duration of the battle) tries to take the credit for slaying the enemies' most powerful knight, and Hal, out of kindness, allows him the lie. Since this is only Part 1 of a two part story, there remain some unresolved conflicts at the end of the play, mostly the fact that Glendower failed to materialize at the battle and thus Henry's supporters still have another villain to face.

[lyzadanger · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Blah, blah, blah, John Falstaff, what a laugh. Blah, blah, blah, the meaning of valor and honor. The prodigal brat son repairs his ways and leads the country to implied future greatness. These are all themes that seem a bit tired in our day, but Shakespeare probably played some role in putting them together in the first place.Henry IVi is the second of the Bard's (imposing) historical tetralogy following the ascent of Lancastrian dynasty, which first grapple into power in Richard II and carry it through the series. Then there's the Henry VI plays (a different set). Then things devolve into chaos in full-on War of the Roses mode through dastardly Richard III before everyone gets vanquished by the glorious Tudors (one must pause and consider the historical source here a bit&mdash;Shakespeare as propaganda mouthpiece for the Tudors? Hells yeah, for sure). OK, OK, so the Shakespeare history plays. Hard. I won't gloss over that. And by hard I mean keeping one's head around the characters. The (wayward) future Henry V is referenced in the play as: Prince, Henry, Harry, Hal, Lancaster, the Prince of Wales. Most people are named Henry and most have more than one title, which also serves as a moniker. Here's my advice. Remember these names: Percy, Neville, Northumberland. Those are the names and ducal territories of the dastardly northerners who rebel against Henry Bolingbroke (that is, the former Duke of Lancaster, aka Henry IV) in the play. To this day, the Percys and Nevilles are northerners with oomph (the current head of the Neville clan is Christopher George Charles Nevill, 6th Marquess of Abergavenny, born 1955; the current Duke of Northumberland is a Percy). The fractious Percys and Nevilles, fronted by exquisite hothead Henry Percy&mdash;sigh, another Percy, another Henry, but rest easy: he's called Hotspur throughout the play and lives up to the title&mdash;aren't happy with the hand they've been dealt since Henry IV's deposition of wimpy old Richard II. Promises, promises, Henry IV made, but apparently isn't delivering. The specific reasons for the revolt are not that clear, nor do they appear to be that important to Shakespeare.At the same time, wastrel/quintessential prodigal brat, the young King Hal, is frolicking around with the farcical John Falstaff, who resembles nothing more than a 16th-century Homer Simpson: fat, dumb, greedy, pathetic comic relief. His bawdy dipshittery is a stand-in for Hal's real father (the king). The king would like nothing more than for Hal to act like Hotspur (this before the revolt), who, in his mind, is the ideal valiant son. Throughout the play, Falstaff plays the opposite tack in terms of honor, through several speeches decrying its perceived value. Interesting stuff. The play's tavern antics are balanced with standard Shakespeare high-falutin' battle scenes. Everything ends well enough, with Hotspur dying grandly and honorably, and the succession less threatened. The plays vernacular, prose (i.e. not in meter) sections are some of the hardest Shakespeare to get through, and require glossing for all but the most middle/early-modern English expert. Get a good edition with lots of footnotes. I use the Folger Library series, not because of their physical quality&mdash;they have rough paper and the reek of coloring books or newsprint&mdash;but because their facing-page notes are the easiest reference I've found for getting through the plays. Not by a sight my favorite Shakespeare play, but, hey, I'm making it through the histories.

[crowyhead · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not as fond of Shakespeare's histories as I am some of his other plays, but Falstaff is a great and memorable character.