Commentary

• Shakespeare’s History Plays

  - E. M. W. Tillyard, Shakespeare’s History Plays (London: Chatto & Windus, 1944)
  Summary from the Publisher: This is an appraisal of each history play which shows how Shakespeare drew both on learned sources and popular drama to create something uniquely his own. He examines the myths surrounding the Tudors and Elizabethan beliefs about… More

• Christian Kings and English Mercuries: Henry V and the Classical Tradition of Manliness

  - Paul A. Cantor, “Christian Kings and English Mercuries: Henry V and the Classical Tradition of Manliness,” in Educating the Prince: Essays in Honor of Harvey Mansfield, eds. Mark Blitz and William Kristol (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000), 74–90

• Shakespeare’s Henry V: From the Medieval to the Modern World

  - Paul A. Cantor, “Shakespeare’s Henry V: From the Medieval to the Modern World,” in Perspectives on Politics in Shakespeare, eds. Murley and Sutton, 11–32
  Excerpt: Henry V is one of ten English history plays Shakespeare wrote. Ten out of a total of thirty-seven plays is a substantial portion of Shakespeare’s output, a fact that suggests that he was especially interested in English history and the… More

• The Famous Victories of William Shakespeare: The Life of Henry the Fifth

  - Pamela K. Jensen, “The Famous Victories of William Shakespeare: The Life of Henry the Fifth,” in Poets, Princes, and Private Citizens: Literary Alternatives to Postmodern Politics, eds. Joseph M. Knippenberg and Peter Augustus Lawler (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1996), 235-69
  Summary from the Publisher: This collection of original and insightful essays was written by teachers seeking to restore literature as a powerful teaching tool in the undergraduate classroom. This book rejects postmodern theorizing, opting instead to assert… More

• The Ground of Nature: Shakespeare, Language, and Politics

  - Paul A. Cantor, “The Ground of Nature: Shakespeare, Language, and Politics,” St. John’s Review, Summer 1983, 19-24
  Excerpt: “In recent years, several critics, myself included, have been trying to call attention to the importance of politics as a subject in Shakespeare’s plays. This attempt to expand the scope of Shakespeare criticism has met with considerable… More