#257 Henry VIII (1613)

Author: William Shakespeare
Title: Henry VIII
Genre: Play
Year: 1613
Origin: read on the iPad
Nod Rating: 3 nods out of 5

 

Henry VIII is an odd little play. It is regarded as one of Shakespeare’s history-plays, however, it is uneven, fitting several possible genres, with an insecure plot that makes it hard to tell if it is a tragedy of not. Unlike the other history plays in the Shakespeare canon – as reviewed on this blog in recent years – it contains no battle scenes. Even its title is misleading, with the plot revolving around Henry VIII’s right hand man, Cardinal Wolsey, and principally his fall from power. In fact, the authorship of the play remains in dispute. It is widely acknowledged that it is collaboration between Shakespeare and John Fletcher.

The plot centres on the power struggle within the Tudor court. Cardinal Wolsey held a high amount of power in England in the years 1515 to 1529, during which time he collected many enemies as the king grew stronger in his attention to domestic affairs. The ticking time-bomb to Wolsey’s fall rests on the love triangle between Henry, his wife Catherine of Aragon, and wife #2 Anne Boleyn (Ann Bullen in this play).

When weighted up against Shakespeare’s other important plays, Henry VIII is firmly placed in the shade. Perhaps it is more famous for its part in burning down the original Globe theatre (due to a special effect that went wrong), consigning it to the sin-bin of jinxed plays never to be touched. However, it recently found favour in 2010 with fresh performances. The director, Mark Rosenblatt, made the comparison of the play to political satirical show The Thick of It, commenting that despite the lack of sword fights, ‘all the battles take place on the corridors of power.’

Such similarities to the rise and fall of New Labour (Blair as Henry, and perhaps Mandelson as Wolsey?) was a welcome thought for the Worm. Without this, perhaps the play can be disregarded as a small affair, not fully taking up the challenge of a narrative that truly centres on such an influential king in Henry. It is not a bad read, with the play’s historical eccentric side-notes making it a read worth experiencing at least once.

Read the play here