Shakespeare history plays and other related historical books

[Star555]

I have been a huge Shakespeare fan since my school days but have not read/seen many of his history plays. I only read and watched Richard III and Henry V as an adult and absolutely loved them. I plan to read and watch more of them this summer, and give myself a well-rounded "education" by also reading about the historical background, other relevant works (fiction/non-fiction) about that time period, etc. My plan is to complete the first tetralogy in order -- starting with Richard II, then Henry IV parts 1 and 2 (already read Henry V). Is this a good approach?

After reading the plays, I plan to watch two adaptations: BBC's The Hollow Crown and RSC's productions directed by Gregory Doran.

I spent most of my childhood school years as an expat in the US, so unfortunately I did not learn British history in depth at school, and didn't have immersive childhood experiences like visiting the Tower of London, etc so my "intuitive" knowledge of British history is shallow. Are there any good fiction/non-fiction books that would go along well with Shakespeare's history plays, to help "fill in the gaps" and provide context? It's ok if they are targeted towards a younger audience. As I said, I didn't get the full dose of British history in my American school (I didn't know that 1066 was an important year until my late teens!) so I don't mind reading children's books now to make up for it! Thank you for any suggestions/advice.

I know this isn't what you asked for(!) but I massively recommend Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell.
It is a novel about Shakespeare's family and it is wonderful. So beautifully written and a real evocation of Stratford at this period.

My one caveat is that the history plays are historically shaky in some cases. R3 in particular has Richard murdering people who were dead long before he became king. Et cetera. So definitely do the other reading you mention. I'll try to give specific novels more thought.

@MarciaDidia Yes please do let me know if you think of relevant works, fiction or non-fiction (even school-levels history texts are fine)!

If you're looking for fiction around the Plantagenet / Tudor period I would recommend Philippa Gregory.

Another vote for Philippa Gregory, she's easy to read and good on who's who and where they fit in to the scheme of things.

Alison Weir is another very readable writer, try her Lancaster and York, and also Richard III, for Wars of the Roses background.

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman paints a different picture of Richard III from that of Shakespeare, her Richard is an heroic and worthy king.

Shakespeare was working at the end of Elizabeth I's reign (and in to the beginning of James 1's reign - he was her cousin's son). She was a Tudor and her grandfather's claim/her family's claim to the throne was fought in battle (in which Richard III died and his armies were defeated, then Henry VII became King, then Henry VIII succeeded him, as HVII's initial heir died before his father).

So when writing historical plays, the portrait of Richard III as an evil, murderer of others who might have had more of a claim to the throne than him, and otherwise unfit to be monarch, was propaganda for the Tudor dynasty and their right to rule the country.

In The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, Alan Grant is a police detective (featuring in several of her other books in his more professipnal role) but is convalescing/recovering from a serious illness, and getting bored and restive, so he amuses himself with a very cold case investigation tnto Richard III, by reading history books. It's a light but good read but very interesting for the way it shows how/why history is written in a certain way and suggests a more sympathetic view of Richard III.

Hilary Mantel trilogy starting with Wolf Hall.

You might like The Shakespeare Sessions on the BBC Sounds app - they have a few full length audio recordings of the plays, and a few interviews with actors and experts.

The Daughter of Time is a wonderful book! I do love it a lot.

I also love the Shardlake books by CJ Sansom - they're about a lawyer solving murder cases during Tudor times. The first book looks at the dissolution of the monasteries, and Thomas Cromwell pops up as a minorish character. The King and various queens come into it over the course of the novels, and the King has died by the end of the series, so it covers a good period. They're fiction, but include some real people in small parts and some real events. Sovereign (the... third? fourth?) book is set during the King's progress to York, and covers some of the same material as The Daughter of Time, which I really enjoyed.

By the way, the RSC productions of Richard II - Henry IVs - Henry V is excellent. I saw them all live and have the dvds, and strongly recommend them (assuming you mean the ones starting with David Tennant. Richard II was the first one they filmed and the filming is a bit basic, but it does improve, and I really loved the Henry IVs.

Thank you all for the recommendations! Also, please let me know if you think of any good textbooks/non-fiction history books that cover key events from Richard II and Henry IV and V -- the first Shakespearean tetralogy covering history before Wars of the Roses.

When I read Richard III, I did a decent amount of background reading about the Wars of the Roses, so I am quite familiar with Richard III, the princes in the Tower, Battle of Bosworth Field, etc. but not with earlier history involving Richard II and Henry IV.

@ShinyMe Yes, those are the RSC productions I intend to watch. I love David Tennant in Shakespearean roles! Have you also seen BBC's The Hollow Crown? If yes, which did you prefer -- RSC or BBC?

For historical fiction aimed at children (9-12) I would really recommend Cue for Treason (Geoffrey Trease) and The Player's Boy and The Player's and the Rebels by Antonia Forest. The Antonia Forest ones are out of print but if you see them anywhere snap them up!

Adults - 1599, a year in the life of William Shakespeare, (James Shapiro) and Shakespeare by Bill Bryson (the Bryson one is an easy read).

Children's historical fiction about the era of the plays (as opposed to the era of Shakespeare) - books by Cynthia Harnett and also Barbara Willard.

Christopher Hibbert is a very readable historian, his 'Agincourt' covers some of the period you are interested in.

I mean, they're good plays, both versions are worth watching.

I haven't seen both Hollow Crowns. I loved the second HC trilogy, with R3 being particularly good, Sophie Okonedo was superb. But then, it's the best of the plays.

I have only seen R2 of the first HC set. Wasn't overly thrilled with Ben Whishaw, but then I hadn't seen it live first like I had with the Tennant one, and it's a harder play generally.

The only one I've read is Richard iii, because it's just a superb play. But I definitely prefer watching them to reading by miles. They weren't written to be read. Having said that, my grandfather adore Richard II, and apparently reread it every year.

On a separate note, my favourite historical author by MILES is Rosemary Sutcliff, who I love. She has a gorgeous Tudor one, The Armourer's House. All fiction, lots of real Tudor life. And it's adorable.

Oh I LOVE Rosemary Sutcliff! I have only read her Roman Britain works though. (I had, and perhaps still have, a literary crush on Marcus from Eagle of the Ninth...shhh!)

If you want accuracy, do not read Phillips Gregory, she's a great writer but no historian and there are some real whoppers in her books.

Alison Weir is a reliable alternative.

For actual historians, take a look at books by Thomas Penn, David Loades, Eric Ives (who is immensely readable). When reading about figures such as RIII, you're going to want to read a variety of books that cover a spectrum of views - revisionist and traditional history (ie whether he was a good or bad king). Fascinating figure. Although he's said some shameful things in public lately, David Starkey is very sound on this period of history.

You might find it useful to read "Companions of -" for Shakespeare plays and renaissance literature too. Jerry Brotten also a good recommendation.

Don't forget to check out Shakeseare's contemporary playwrights too :)

OP Thomas Penn’s The Winter King - about Henry IV and the founding of the Tudor dynasty - is supposed to be good. It’s on my tbr pile but I haven’t got round to it yet...!

@Halsall Winter King is about Henry VII, not Henry IV, right? Henry VII defeated Richard III and founded the Tudor dynasty. Henry IV is before the Wars of the Roses began.

[quote Star555]@Halsall Winter King is about Henry VII, not Henry IV, right? Henry VII defeated Richard III and founded the Tudor dynasty. Henry IV is before the Wars of the Roses began.[/quote]
Yes, it is indeed. Ignore me, it's been a loooong day and my brain is fried

Another teen/ya novel I love which you might enjoy for a quick read is Cynthia Hartnett's Stars of Fortune. It's fiction but based around a real house and family (Sulgrave manor in Oxfordshire) and is about the period Princess Elizabeth was a prisoner at Woodstock, and features some real people like Doctor Dee.

P.s. there are a few Shakespeare plays currently on BBC iplayer, amazon prime and Netflix...You can also check out Shakespeare's Globe Globe Player which will give you access to various Globe performances that have been filmed. In recent years, I think the quality of production at the Globe has been generally better than that at the RSC. There are also a couple available to stream from the National Theatre. I think they have their recent production of Twelfth Night with Tamsin Grieg which was fantastic.

If you haven't already, watch Baz Lurhmann's Romeo & Juliet cos its brilliant :) As is the film of Midsummer Nights Dream with Michelle Pfieffer and Kelvin Cline.

Can concur that Penn's The Winter King is great!

@TaraR2020 Yes I have watched a lot of filmed Shakespeare plays -- mostly tragedies and comedies though so far, so I'm interested in delving into the history plays this summer. I haven't seen the Tamsin Greig Twelfth Night yet, but I have access to National Theatre and will check it out!

I have seen both Luhrmann's R&J (it was good, but not amazing) and MND with Michelle Pfeiffer (loved it!).

Oh oh! Tha Tamsin Greig 12th Night is wonderful! I like 12th Night anyway, and have seen lots of productions, but never one where both Olivia and Orsino are really properly funny. I saw that live too, and then again in the cinema and again online, and I love it. The whole cast are superb.