Henry VIII
Play by Shakespeare

Picture - A scene from featuring King Henry VIII

Henry VIII the play by William Shakespeare

Text - script of Henry VIII, the play by William Shakespeare
Cast and characters in Henry VIII play by William Shakespeare
Index of plays by William Shakespeare

Introduction - The play and the image displayed in the picture
This section is dedicated to Henry VIII, the play by William Shakespeare. The picture is 18th century and image displayed represents the essence of the play which, we hope, will bring to life a famous scene or character from the Henry VIII. The information provided in this section of william-shakespeare.info includes famous quotes / quotations, summary of the plot or story, facts about the play, a list of the cast and characters and access to the full text - script of the play by William Shakespeare

Summary of the plot or story
Many believe Henry VIII to be Shakespeare's last play, but others firmly believe that the Bard had little, if anything, to do with its creation. Queen Katherine of Aragon is upright and virtuous and married to King Henry VIII. Henry was a proud and wilful monarch who defies Rome's ban on divorce to marry Ann Bullen (Boleyn). Cardinal Wolsey the Powerful Lord Chancellor of England and accomplished politician attempts to bend Rome to the king's wishes in the Bullen matter. Later, near death, he repents his unpriestly activity. Katherine is divorced and sent to Kimbolton Castle and Anne marries King Henry VIII to become his queen.

Information provided the play
William Shakespeare never published any of his plays and therefore none of the original manuscripts have survived. Eighteen unauthorised versions of his plays were, however, published during his lifetime in quarto editions by unscrupulous publishers (there were no copyright laws protecting Shakespeare and his works during the Elizabethan era). A collection of his works did not appear until 1623 (a full seven years after Shakespeare's death on April 23, 1616) when two of his fellow actors, John Hemminges and Henry Condell, posthumously recorded his work and published 36 of William’s plays in the First Folio. Some dates are therefore approximate other dates are substantiated by historical events, records of performances and the dates plays appeared in print.

Date first performed
It is believed that King Henry VIII was first performed between 1612 and 1613. In the Elizabethan era 
there was a huge demand for new entertainment and Henry VIII would have been produced immediately following the completion of the play. During Shakespeare's lifetime the play was also known as "All is True." however there is no evidence as to whether this was a subtitle or the original main title.

Date first printed
It is believed that the script was first printed in 1623 in the First Folio. As William Shakespeare clearly did not want his work published details of the play would have therefore been noted, and often pirated without his consent, following a performance.

The settings
The settings are England including London and Westminster.

Theme of Henry VIII
The play is categorised as a History themed play

Number of words
The number of spoken words in the script, according to the Complete Public Domain Text is 26,146.

Most important characters
The most important characters are:
King Henry VIII, Queen Katherine of Aragon, Cardinal Wolsey and Anne Bullen (Anne Boleyn)

The Cast and Characters
Please follow the link to a list of all the Cast and Characters of Henry IV ( Part 2 ) by William Shakespeare

"No man’s pie is freed from his ambitious finger". (Act I. Scene I)

"Press not a falling man too far!" (Act III, Scene II).

"To dance attendance on their lordships’ pleasures." (Act V, Scene II)

History
The drama was based on the actual monarch of England and the turbulent events and people who were important in his life. The play concentrates on his first two wives, Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.

William Shakespeare's Main Source
Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland and The Book of Martyrs by John Foxe (1516-1587) 

Inspiration from the work
The drama and characters in the story have inspired other works such as the movie, Anne of the Thousand Days the film Starring Richard Burton and TV Series, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, starring Keith Michell as Henry. And the classic film about King Henry VIII and his six wives starring Charles Laughton should also be remembered. The King has also been portrayed by the actors Robert Shaw and Charlton Heston.

The Cast and Characters
Click the link at the top of the page to access to a list of all the Cast and Characters of the play by William Shakespeare.