Essay on Rewriting History in Henry IV - 1066 Words

Rewriting History in Henry IV The master of historiography is, perhaps, Shakespeare as evidenced by his History Plays. Whereas most writers merely borrow from history to fuel their creative fires, Shakespeare goes so far as to rewrite history. The First Part of Henry the Fourth follows history fairly closely, and Shakespeare draws this history primarily from Raphael Holinsheds Chronicle of England, Scotland, and Ireland and from Samuel Daniels verse epic The Civil Wars (Abrams 823). The play opens shortly after Henry Bolingbroke has usurped the throne from Richard II, becoming the fourth King Henry, and changing the royal lineage from the House of Plantagenet to the House of Lancaster. In the opening†¦show more content†¦For the most part, Shakespeare did indeed fabricate Falstaff, Poins, and the whole Tavern Group, yet historical evidence does support some sort of provincial getaway. McFarlane records that in 1412 the younger Henry remained dissatisfied [with his father] and shortly afterwards withdrew once more into the provinces, where he was soon again at his old tricks (110). Shakespeare originally named the character of Falstaff after the Protestant martyr John Oldcastle. Shakespeare eventually bowed to the objections of Oldcastles descendants, renaming the character (Abrams 823). At the Battle of Shrewsbury, Shakespeare describes how Hal kills Hotspur, eulogizes him (5.4.78-102), and then concedes the victory of the kill to Falstaff (5.4.138-50). History records that Hal himself suffered an arrow-shot to the face (Rowse 44) and that no one knows for certain who killed Hotspur (Jacob 52-3). History further records that, as for the eulogy, it was the king who shed tears over Hotspurs slain figure, not the young prince (Rowse 45). Despite Hotspur being three years older than Hals father (Hotspur died at age thirty-nine) (Rowse 44), Shakespeare paints the portrait of Hotspur and Hal as contemporaries, following poet Daniels lead (Drabble 475). Rowse does note, however, that Shakespeare did capture the essence in Hotspur of something not grown-up about this fighting man, whoShow MoreRelatedA Study on Metafictive Devices in the French Lieutenant’s Woman5819 Words   |  24 Pages.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦......13 3.3 The Critique of Victorian Sexuality†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦15 IV. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.....................16 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....................18 I. Introduction Fowles’ The French Lieutenant’s Woman is typically a time-honored historiographic metafiction in contemporary British literature. The term â€Å"metafiction† was coined by Willim H. Gass in a 1970 essay entitled â€Å"Philosophy and the Form of Fiction†. It is a type of fiction that self-consciouslyRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesreturned their publishing rights to the original author, Bradley Dowden. The current version has been significantly revised. If you would like to suggest changes to the text, the author would appreciate your writing to him at dowden@csus.edu. iv Praise Comments on the earlier 1993 edition, published by Wadsworth Publishing Company, which is owned by Cengage Learning: There is a great deal of coherence. The chapters build on one another. The organization is sound and the author doesRead MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 Pagescooperation. Both company and department goals can be achieved. It puts an end to the can t see the forest for the trees syndrome. Harold Grimes, plant manager I think that formal project management will give us more work than longterm benefits. History indicates that we hire more outside people for new positions than we promote from within. Who will be hired into these new project management jobs? We are experiencing a lot of backlash from people who are required to teach new people the ropes. InRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesIntegrative Perspective on Employee Benefits 305 Flexible Spending Accounts 305 Modular Plans 306 Core-Plus Options Plans 306 Summary 307 Demonstrating Comprehension: Questions for Review 308 Key Terms 308 Employee Assistance Programs 332 A Brief History of EAPs 332 EAPs Today 333 Wellness Programs/Disease Management 333 ETHICAL ISSUES: Smokers and the Obese Need Not Apply 334 xiv Contents WORKPLACE ISSUES: The Union Drive 351 Objective and Scope of Collective Bargaining 351 Collective-Bargaining