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Overview
Henry VI, Part 1 is a history play written by William Shakespeare that is believed to have been written in 1591 and which may have been coauthored by Thomas Nashe
. It is one of a group of three plays about the English monarch who reigned from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471 (along with Henry VI, Part 2 and Henry VI, Part 3). The play is an early example of English nationalism as it deals with the political and national tensions between the English and the French that dramatizes the events of the 100 Years War. The play also dramatizes the buildup to the English civil war that is known as the War of the Roses that was prompted by the breakdown of the English political system resulting from conflicts between personal motives and greed. Though Henry VI, Part 1 is regarded by critics as among the weakest of Shakespeare’s histories, the successful sequence of Henry VI plays solidified Shakespeare’s reputation as a playwright.Read the full play summary, the full play analysis, and a complete list of character descriptions from Henry VI, Part 1.
