The Tudor Kings
This article explores the historical context of the Tudor dynasty and its influence on William Shakespeare's life and plays. It examines how the political climate of the era, specifically the reign of Henry VII, shaped the playwright's perspective on English history.
Why it matters
Understanding the historical backdrop of the Tudor era provides deeper insight into the thematic motivations behind Shakespeare's most famous works.
The death of King Richard III was as close as William Shakespeare’s plays about English history came to his own present day for the vast majority of his career. It wasn’t until the very end of his time in London, when he presented Henry VIII as the misbegotten, unsatisfying coda to his tenure as a working playwright, that he continued the story of England’s monarchs.
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