Henry VIII William Shakespeare Books
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The Wonder of Shakespeare One who reads a few of Shakespeare's great plays and then the meager story of his life is generally filled with a vague wonder. Here is an unknown country boy, poor and poorly educated according to the standards of his age, who arrives at the great city of London and goes to work at odd jobs in a theater. In a year or two he is associated with scholars and dramatists, the masters of their age, writing plays of kings and clowns, of gentlemen and heroes and noble women, all of whose lives he seems to know by intimate association. In a few years more he leads all that brilliant group of poets and dramatists who have given undying glory to the Age of Elizabeth. Play after play runs from his pen, mighty dramas of human life and character following one another so rapidly that good work seems impossible; yet they stand the test of time, and their poetry is still unrivaled in any language. For all this great work the author apparently cares little, since he makes no attempt to collect or preserve his writings. A thousand scholars have ever since been busy collecting, identifying, classifying the works which this magnificent workman tossed aside so carelessly when he abandoned the drama and retired to his native village. He has a marvelously imaginative and creative mind; but he invents few, if any, new plots or stories. He simply takes an old play or an old poem, makes it over quickly, and lo! this old familiar material glows with the deepest thoughts and the tenderest feelings that ennoble our humanity; and each new generation of men finds it more wonderful than the last. How did he do it? That is still an unanswered question and the source of our wonder.
Henry VIII William Shakespeare Books
The problem with reading an academic book published in 1902 is wondering how much of it has been superseded in the last 114 years.I’m aware of three areas where modern scholars disagree with Pollard’s ideas. One concerns the influence of Cromwell, whom Pollard sees as a marginal entity chiefly known for trying to pack Parliament and urging a disastrous German marriage alliance. Another involves Wolsey, presented as scheming to become Pope and directing foreign policy with little guidance from Henry. The third area deals with Henry’s last war in France. Pollard shrugs it off as merely an attempt to undercut French support to the Scots.
Pollard views Henry as “the greatest man to ever sit on the English throne,” a bold and audacious hero who directed the tide of religious revolution in England and saved her from the bloodshed and violence that would have engulfed the country had he not been king. Beside this single, crowning achievement, his many flaws pale--his egotism, ruthlessness, ‘vaulting ambition,’ selfish motives, despotism, and unjust uses of law to eliminate potential threats.
Still, Pollard writes with an elegant style that describes in vivid terms the conditions that gave rise to political and religious events in the 16th century, such as the weakened power of the Papacy, continental politics, and the complex dance between Henry and Parliament. Two thirds of the book covers the beginning of the reign through 1529, hovering over the King’s Great Matter before skimming over the last years. The wives are barely mentioned, although it is apparent that Pollard admired Catherine of Aragon and didn’t think much of Anne Boleyn, and Thomas More is scarcely discussed.
The conclusion was the most intriguing chapter for me, presenting the view that the English people were partly to blame for Henry’s increasingly tyrannical behavior. They desired above all else material prosperity and domestic stability, and were willing to sacrifice ideals such as justice and liberty to get them. Had they truly objected to Henry’s proposals, they could have vetoed them in Parliament or risen up in protest. That these did not occur proves to Pollard that Henry ruled with the consent of his subjects. Whether modern scrutiny confirms or refutes this view remains a subject for readers to explore.
As much as I enjoyed this book, it is perhaps best read as part of the evolution of Henrician scholarship, a stage in our growing understanding of the man and his reign, rather than as a final opinion.
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Henry VIII William Shakespeare Books Reviews
Henry VIII by Albert Frederick Pollard is a fascinating book. If you love history, it is important to read this book. Henry VIII totally changed England. I highly recommend this book.
A friend recommended the Arkangel recordings of Shakespeare's play and this was The first one I tried as it was the play my children and I were reading at the time. Since this isn't one of Shakespeare's better known plays the recording brought it alive for us and was a great way to gauge the quality of the Arkangel productions. Highly recommended.
Henry VIII is definitely a larger than life character. Reading different biographies of him is interesting because each author puts the accent on different aspects of his personality. It was an interesting and easy read.
This is not a story book, it is a most excellent research book for OCD researchers giving us the source for every incident.
Thank you for the book.
If you are interested in English history and the monarchies of the past, this Is a very insightful and well researched history of Henry the VIII and the England he created. It delves into the intrigues of his reign and the dealings that he had with, Europe and with the papal supremacy of the time. A must read for history buffs.
The Folger Library Edition, as usual, is a fine edition. The play, "Henry VIII", however, is far from one of the most interesting of Shakespeare's plays; it is not terribly interesting, but it IS terribly un-historical. Clearly, it accomplished what it set out to accomplish, which was to curry favor with Queen Elizabeth I, whose birth is described at the end of the play as if it were almost Messianical, and whose father (the title character) is portrayed throughout the play in the kindest light I have ever seen him portrayed. There is no hint of the drunken glutton, only just the slightest hint of his capriciousness and womanizing, and no mention of the fact that after disowning and divorcing his first wife for Elizabeth's mother, he then went on to divorce and execute her mother, and divorce one other wife and execute another. He is portrayed throughout the play as an honorable man and a good king, even if there is just a hint that his divorce of Katherine for Anne may not have been for quite as high-minded a reason as he claimed. I find this whitewashing of Henry VIII to be rather unappetizing, even if I understand perfectly the reason for it.
The problem with reading an academic book published in 1902 is wondering how much of it has been superseded in the last 114 years.
I’m aware of three areas where modern scholars disagree with Pollard’s ideas. One concerns the influence of Cromwell, whom Pollard sees as a marginal entity chiefly known for trying to pack Parliament and urging a disastrous German marriage alliance. Another involves Wolsey, presented as scheming to become Pope and directing foreign policy with little guidance from Henry. The third area deals with Henry’s last war in France. Pollard shrugs it off as merely an attempt to undercut French support to the Scots.
Pollard views Henry as “the greatest man to ever sit on the English throne,” a bold and audacious hero who directed the tide of religious revolution in England and saved her from the bloodshed and violence that would have engulfed the country had he not been king. Beside this single, crowning achievement, his many flaws pale--his egotism, ruthlessness, ‘vaulting ambition,’ selfish motives, despotism, and unjust uses of law to eliminate potential threats.
Still, Pollard writes with an elegant style that describes in vivid terms the conditions that gave rise to political and religious events in the 16th century, such as the weakened power of the Papacy, continental politics, and the complex dance between Henry and Parliament. Two thirds of the book covers the beginning of the reign through 1529, hovering over the King’s Great Matter before skimming over the last years. The wives are barely mentioned, although it is apparent that Pollard admired Catherine of Aragon and didn’t think much of Anne Boleyn, and Thomas More is scarcely discussed.
The conclusion was the most intriguing chapter for me, presenting the view that the English people were partly to blame for Henry’s increasingly tyrannical behavior. They desired above all else material prosperity and domestic stability, and were willing to sacrifice ideals such as justice and liberty to get them. Had they truly objected to Henry’s proposals, they could have vetoed them in Parliament or risen up in protest. That these did not occur proves to Pollard that Henry ruled with the consent of his subjects. Whether modern scrutiny confirms or refutes this view remains a subject for readers to explore.
As much as I enjoyed this book, it is perhaps best read as part of the evolution of Henrician scholarship, a stage in our growing understanding of the man and his reign, rather than as a final opinion.
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