The second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses, Henry VI Part Two, is perhaps the best introduction to the playwright's genius as a writer of historical plays. This edition of Penguin Shakespeare is edited by Norman Saunders with an introduction by Michael Taylor.

Henry VI is deceived and marries Margaret - the mistress of the Earl of Suffolk, who hopes to rule the kingdom through her influence. However, there is a major obstacle in Suffolk's path - the noble Lord Protector, whom he undermines and orders to be executed. Revealing this betrayal, Henry banishes Suffolk, but with the Lord Protector gone, the new king must face his greatest challenge: the impending civil war and the growing threat of the House of York.

The book includes a general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theatre, a separate introduction to Henry VI, Part Two, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, an essay by Rebecca Brown discussing performance options, and commentary.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the exact number is uncertain), many of which are considered the most remarkable works of dramatic art ever produced, including Romeo and Juliet (1595), Henry V (1599), Hamlet (1601), Othello (1604), King Lear (1606), and Macbeth (1606), as well as a collection of 154 sonnets, which are among the most profound and influential love poems in the English language.

"We go to Shakespeare to find out about ourselves" - Jeanette Winterson.

Pages: 352, Dimensions: 13x13cm