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Henriad

In Shakespearean scholarship, the Henriad refers to a group of William Shakespeare's history plays depicting the rise of the English kings. It is sometimes used to refer to a group of four plays (a tetralogy), but some sources and scholars use the term to refer to eight plays. In the 19th century, Algernon Charles Swinburne used the term to refer to three plays, but that use is not current. In one sense, the Henriad refers to: Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; and Henry V with the implication that these four plays are Shakespeare's epic, and that Prince Hal, who later becomes Henry V, is the epic hero. (This group may also be referred to as the "second tetralogy" or "second Henriad".) In a more inclusive meaning, the Henriad refers to eight plays: the tetralogy mentioned above, plus four plays that were written earlier, based on the civil wars now known as The Wars of the Roses Henry VI, Part 1; Henry VI, Part 2; Henry VI, Part 3; and Richard III.

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Article summary

In Shakespearean scholarship, the Henriad refers to a group of William Shakespeare's history plays depicting the rise of the English kings. It is sometimes used to refer to a group of four plays (a tetralogy), but some sources and scholars use the term to refer to eight plays. In the 19th century, Algernon Charles Swinburne used the term to refer to three plays, but that use is not current. In one sense, the Henriad refers to: Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; and Henry V with the implication that these four plays are Shakespeare's epic, and that Prince Hal, who later becomes Henry V, is the epic hero. (This group may also be referred to as the "second tetralogy" or "second Henriad".) In a more inclusive meaning, the Henriad refers to eight plays: the tetralogy mentioned above, plus four plays that were written earlier, based on the civil wars now known as The Wars of the Roses Henry VI, Part 1; Henry VI, Part 2; Henry VI, Part 3; and Richard III.

Key claims

  1. publication date: 1608 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. publication date: 1876 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the publication date is "1608". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the publication date is "1876". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1376088691

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.