Henry V (1623)

Upon opening their expensive new book in 1623, buyers of the folio collection of William Shakespeare's plays were promised The Life of Henry the Fifth. What they went on to read, however, was not a full "life” in the modern biographical sense. James D. Mardock's introduction provides an extensive discussion of Henry V. 's critical and stage histories and explores the play's complex relationship with other history plays (and with history itself).