Shakespeare's English Kings

Saccio's examination of Shakespeare's ten history plays weaves together three threads: medieval English history according to the Tudor chroniclers who provided Shakespeare with his material, that history as understood by modern scholars, and the action of the plays themselves. Saccio discusses the reign of each king separately and compares Shakespeare's plays with actual historical facts and scholarly examination. For the second edtion, Saccio will write a new preface which will examine how this historical information is a resource for new audiences. Saccio will add a further reading list of major historical works in medieval studies in the past twenty years and will recommend new editions of the complete works of Shakespeare, including Oxford's edition, for students to use as a main text. The genealogical charts, appendix of names and titles, maps and index retained from the first edition will further facilitate a grasp of the events and characters.