Question

12 . What do Shakespeare′s historical plays reflect ? Shakespeare′s historical plays are political plays . Theprincipal idea of these plays is the necessity for national u-nity under one sovereign . At his time, this idea was anti-· 4 1 2 ·feudal in nature, and it summed up the general opinion ofthe rising bourgeoisie in Shakespeare′s own day .Shakespeare′s historical plays reflect the historicalevents of two centuries from Richard Ⅱ to Henry Ⅷ .They show the horrors of civil war, the necessity for na-tional unity, the responsibilities of efficient ruler and theimportance of ligitimate succession to the throne .Like the majority of humanists of his time, Shake-speare believed in a wise and humane King who would loveto serve his country . But, in the historical plays, Shake-speare′s treatment of real English kings is extremely criti-cal, Richard Ⅱ is condemned for his vanity, politicalblindness and inability to subdue the feudal lords . RichardⅢ is represented as a king strong-willed and vicious, whocame to power through a series of horrible crimes andturned his country into a dungeon . And Henry Ⅳ, thoughglorified for his suppression of the rebellion of feudal lords,is criticized for his participation in the murder of RichardⅡ and his treacherous arrest of the rebels after the truce .In Shakespeare′s historical plays there is only one idealking Henry Ⅴ, though his real prototype differs little fromthe other kings . Nevertheless, for English patriots of thattime his name was associated with the military victories ofEngland in the hundred year′s war and became a symbol ofEnglish glory in the eyes of the well-to-do citizens of Eng-land .Among Shakespeare′s historical plays,“ Henry Ⅳ”and“Henry Ⅴ”are two remarkable plays . “ Henry Ⅴ”isthe continuation of“ Henry Ⅳ”. The two plays deal withthe events of the 15th century and give the picture of atroubled reign .

Accepted Answer

Part Ⅳ The Renaissance

正面	12 . What do Shakespeare′s historical plays reflect ?
《》	Part Ⅳ The Renaissance
背面	Shakespeare′s historical plays are political plays . The principal idea of these plays is the necessity for national u- nity under one sovereign . At his time, this idea was anti- · 4 1 2 · feudal in nature, and it summed up the general opinion of the rising bourgeoisie in Shakespeare′s own day . Shakespeare′s historical plays reflect the historical events of two centuries from Richard Ⅱ to Henry Ⅷ . They show the horrors of civil war, the necessity for na- tional unity, the responsibilities of efficient ruler and the importance of ligitimate succession to the throne . Like the majority of humanists of his time, Shake- speare believed in a wise and humane King who would love to serve his country . But, in the historical plays, Shake- speare′s treatment of real English kings is extremely criti- cal, Richard Ⅱ is condemned for his vanity, political blindness and inability to subdue the feudal lords . Richard Ⅲ is represented as a king strong-willed and vicious, who came to power through a series of horrible crimes and turned his country into a dungeon . And Henry Ⅳ, though glorified for his suppression of the rebellion of feudal lords, is criticized for his participation in the murder of Richard Ⅱ and his treacherous arrest of the rebels after the truce . In Shakespeare′s historical plays there is only one ideal king Henry Ⅴ, though his real prototype differs little from the other kings . Nevertheless, for English patriots of that time his name was associated with the military victories of England in the hundred year′s war and became a symbol of English glory in the eyes of the well-to-do citizens of Eng- land . Among Shakespeare′s historical plays,“ Henry Ⅳ” and“Henry Ⅴ”are two remarkable plays . “ Henry Ⅴ”is the continuation of“ Henry Ⅳ”. The two plays deal with the events of the 15th century and give the picture of a troubled reign .

Plays Historical Shakespeare′S Henry Richard Feudal King English