Overview

Shakespeare's history plays fall into two categories: political dramas and propagandistic pageants. The second category is comprised of the two plays in this presentation, Henry V and Henry VIII. These two plays have many elements in common. An underlying theme is the necessity and glory of government by sovereign royalty. Each play is presented by a chorus, who defines the action and intent of the drama. Rather than a continuous narrative the action is depicted in a series of tableaux, each of which seeks to illustrate a positive aspect of the monarch's character. In each play an early part of the action involves the detection of treason and the punishment of the malefactors, presented as examples of the king's shrewdness and rigorous sense of justice. Henry V, originally titled The Life of Henry the Fifth, tells the story of the king's successful incursion into France to regain control of the territories claimed by the English crown, and his consolidation of his position by marrying the daughter of the King of France. Despite its references to the horror of military conflict, the mood of the play is generally bright and upbeat, although in the final speech the Chorus warns that much of this glory will be lost under the rule of Henry VI. Henry VIII, first published as The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth, was a joint production by Shakespeare and John Fletcher. It appears to have been written in 1612-1613. During a production of the play at the Globe Theatre in 1613, a cannon was discharged, resulting in a fire which burned the building to the ground. The action of Henry VIII focuses on three major events: The allegation of treason against the Duke of Buckingham, and his subsequent conviction and execution; Henry's concern over the failure of his wife Katharine of Aragon to produce a male heir, his desire to divorce her and to marry the much younger Anne Bullen (Boleyn); and the birth of Anne's child, the future Queen Elizabeth I. All references to Anne Bullen's fall from grace and execution and to Henry's subsequent marriages are strictly avoided. Henry is presented as a thoughtful and capable sovereign, somewhat overbearing, but genuinely troubled by the thought that his marriage to Katharine may have been canonically improper. Featuring Blaise Doran as Henry V and Josh Innerst as Henry VIII. Audio edited by Denis Daly

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""The ripest fruit of historic or national drama, the consummation and the crown of Shakespeare's labors in that line, must of course be recognized and saluted by all students in the supreme and sovereign trilogy of King Henry IV and King Henry V."" -- ""A. C. Swinburne, A Study of Shakespeare ""

Author Information

William Shakespeare was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), many of which are regarded as the most exceptional works of drama 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 number among the most profound and influential love poetry in English. Shakespeare died in Stratford in 1616. Gregory Dwyer is a New Zealand-born Australian voice actor. He spent twenty-four years working internationally in theatre, film, television, and radio before a hiatus of twenty-two years, eighteen of which was spent as a Forensic Crime Scene Examiner. Now, he has returned to performing as a voice actor specializing in audiobooks. A curious mix of fright-night chiller and Edwardian romp, P. J. Morgan is equally at home narrating dark thrillers and lighthearted romantic escapades. They live with their two horses and assorted house pets in Rural Lite (TM) Oregon, alternately enjoying the solitude and craving the connection of story. Narrating keeps them sane in the darkness. As a nonbinary queer storyteller, P. J. certainly knows the value of subtext and how to read between the lines for deeper meaning. The quest for meaningful representation has consumed them for the better part of three decades. P. J. has narrated over 150 titles to date for Penguin Random House, Hachette, Brilliance Audio, Audible Studios, BeeAudio, Pink Flamingo Productions, Findaway Voices, Spoken Realms, Audibly Addicted, Read Me Romance, and many independent authors. They were nominated for a Sultry Listeners Award in 2023 in the contemporary romance category. They have a background in theater, musical ensemble, and opera; several TV and film credits; and a degree in linguistics with emphases on phonetics and the French language. When not in the booth acting as a spiritual medium for the characters that possess them, P. J. spends as much time as possible outside. When the weather renders that unpleasant, they can often be found obsessively rewatching favorite shows (especially Our Flag Means Death, Severance, Killing Eve, and Hannibal), researching their Welsh and Irish heritage, learning to speak Thai, starting new craft projects, or world-building within their sci-fi trilogy WIP. Tim Dehn is an English voice actor in Melbourne who has worked with local and international television and radio broadcasters. He has recorded for a wide variety of media, including corporate, training, and documentary voiceovers, radio programs such as ABC Classic and 3MBS, commercials, and audiobooks for the Christian Blind Mission for vision-impaired listeners. Denis Daly is an audiobook narrator and codirector of Voices of Today, an Australian spoken word production house. Linda Barrans is a British narrator with a fondness for Jane Austen and Shakespeare. She wrote the Sam the Sheep books to make positive use of the time during COVID lockdown, and to give herself and her friend Cate Barratt a modern piece to record together. Josh Innerst is an accomplished classical stage actor and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator. He continues to pursue his craft in film/TV and is currently based in the Midwest with his family. When he's not onstage or on-set, he spends his days in the booth or out putzing in the garden.

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