Four Great Histories: Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, Henry V and Richard III

Among the most studied, read, and admired works in world literature, Shakespeare’s histories are unmatched for their dramatic brilliance, beauty of language, and profundity of thought. This convenient and affordable volume -- ideal for students and lovers of literature -- features four of the playwright’s greatest historical works:
Henry IV, Part 1 masterfully combines comedy and historic events in fifteenth-century England while chronicling the rebellion within Henry’s kingdom and portraying events in the life of the profligate young Prince Hal
Henry IV, Part II, highlighted by spectacular battles and tender love scenes, witnesses Hal’s maturation and the development of his leadership abilities
Henry V explores the means by which the ＂ideal monarch＂ invades France, wins at Agincourt, and claims the French throne
Richard III follows the scheming Duke of Gloucester as he systematically exterminates all those who thwart his plans to succeed to the English throne

＂He was not of an age, but for all time,＂ declared Ben Jonson of his contemporary William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Jonson’s praise is especially prescient, since at the turn of the 17th century Shakespeare was but one of many popular London playwrights and none of his dramas were printed in his lifetime. The reason so many of his works survive is because two of his actor friends, with the assistance of Jonson, assembled and published the First Folio edition of 1623.