The first of Shakespeare’s three-part history of Henry VI’s troubled reign opens in the aftermath of Henry V’s death, with England’s French territories being lost to Joan of Arc and her allies. The English war effort centres on the heroic Lord Talbot, while at home the seeds of the Wars of the Roses begin to germinate in the rivalry between the houses of York and Lancaster.
Among Shakespeare’s earliest surviving plays, Henry VI Part 1 launches the cycle that ends with Richard III. This free EPUB is formatted for any e-reader.