Traditionally, the works of William Shakespeare have been grouped into three categories: tragedies, comedies, and histories. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Like most Western tragedies, Shakespearean tragedy usually depicts a protagonist who falls from grace and dies, along with a fair proportion of the rest of the cast. ... Shakespearean comedies are one of the three (sometimes four) genres of plays by William Shakespeare. ...

Definition

The plays normally described as histories are those based on the lives of English kings. The plays that depict older historical figures such as Pericles, Prince of Tyre, Julius Caesar, and the legendary King Lear are not usually included in the classification. Macbeth is also normally regarded as a tragedy, not a history. This is a list of British monarchs, that is, the monarchs on the thrones of some of the various kingdoms that have existed on, or incorporated, the island of Great Britain, namely: England (united with Wales from 1536) up to 1707; Scotland up to 1707; The Kingdom of Great Britain... Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a play written partly by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected plays. ... Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare probably written in 1599. ... King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce (1806-1864) King Lear is generally regarded as one of William Shakespeares greatest tragedies. ... Scene from Macbeth, depicting the witches conjuring of an apparition in Act IV, Scene I. Painting by William Rimmer Macbeth is William Shakespeares shortest tragedy and one of his most popular works. ...

Sources

The source for most of these plays is, the well known Raphael Holinshed's Chronicle of English history. Shakespeare's plays focus on only a small part of the characters' lives and frequently omit significant events for dramatic purposes. Raphael Holinshed (died c. ...

Politics

Shakespeare was living under the reign of Elizabeth I, the last monarch of the house of Tudor, and his history plays are often regarded as Tudor propaganda because they show the dangers of civil war and celebrate the founders of the Tudor dynasty. In particular, Richard III depicts the last member of the rival house of York as an evil monster ("that bottled spider, that foul bunchback'd toad"), a depiction disputed by many modern historians, while portraying his usurper, Henry VII in glowing terms. Political bias is also clear in Henry VIII, which ends with an effusive celebration of the birth of Elizabeth. Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 25 February 1570 when she was deposited by st Pius V; until 24 March 1603 she was an usurper) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor (Welsh Twdwr) is a series of five monarchs of Welsh origin who ruled England from 1485 until 1603. ... U.S. propaganda poster, depicting a Nazi stabbing a Bible. ... A civil war is a war in which parties within the same country or empire struggle for national control of state power. ... The Life and Death of King Richard III is William Shakespeares version of the short career of Richard III of England, who receives a singularly unflattering depiction. ... The House of York was a dynasty of English kings. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 - April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... Henry VIII was one of William Shakespeares last plays. ...

List of Shakespeare's histories

• King John
• Edward III (attributed)
• Richard II
• Henry IV, part 1
• Henry IV, part 2
• Henry V
• Henry VI, part 1
• Henry VI, part 2
• Henry VI, part 3
• Richard III
• Henry VIII
• Sir Thomas More (attributed)