King Henry VI, Part 1 (Arden Shakespeare, Third Series)

by William Shakespeare, Edward Burns (Editor), Ann Thompson (Editor), David Scott Kastan (Editor), H. R. Woudhuysen (Editor)

Overview

A fresh look at a play usually regarded as the first component of a three-part historical epic, this edition argues that Henry VI Part 1 is a 'prequel', a freestanding piece that returbans for ironic and dramatic effect to a story already familiar to its audience. The play's ingenious use of stage space is closely analysed, as is its manipulation of a series of setpiece combats to give a coherent syntax of action. Discussion of the dramatic structure created by the opposing figures of Talbot and Jeanne la Pucelle, and exploration of the critical controversies surrounding the figure of Jeanne, lead to a reflection on the nature of the history play as genre in the 1590s.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781903436431
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/04/2000
Series:	The Arden Shakespeare Third Series
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	360
Sales rank:	293,659
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Edward Burbans is Senior Lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Liverpool. His publications include Restoration Comedy: Crises of Desire and Identity, Character: Acting and Being on the Pre-Modern Stage, Shakespeare's Richard III (forthcoming), an edition of Five British Romantic Plays (with Paul Baines), and a collection of commissioned essays entitled Reading Rochester.

Date of Death:

2018

Place of Birth:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Place of Death:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Table of Contents

List of illustrations General editor preface Acknowledgements Introduction - Harey the vj on stage at the Rose - Puzzling at Joan - Shadow and substance - What is Henry the Sixth, Part One? Controversies and (in)conclusions - Notes on editorial procedures KING HENRY VI, Part 1 Appendices 1) Names, naming and wordplay 2) Casting 3) Nineteenth- and twentieth-century adaptations 4) Military hierarchy and the conduct of war Abbreviations and References Index