of the Roses

The Henry VI trilogy, written early in Shakespeares career as a playwright, chronicle the upheaval England experienced in the wars between the royal houses of Lancaster and York.Although the Henry VI trilogy may not have been written in chronological order, the three plays are often grouped together with Richard III to form a tetralogy covering the entire Wars of the Roses saga, from the death of Henry V in 1422 to the rise to power of Henry VII in 1485. It was the success of this sequence of plays that firmly established Shakespeare's reputation as a playwright.

The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic wars for the throne of England. They were fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet, the Houses of Lancaster and York. They were fought in several sporadic episodes between 1455 and 1487.The conflict resulted from social and financial troubles that followed the Hundred Years' War, combined with the mental infirmity and weak rule of Henry VI, which revived interest in the alternative claim to the throne of Richard, Duke of York.The final victory went to Henry Tudor, who defeated the last Yorkist king, Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth Field. After assuming the throne as Henry VII, he married Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter and heiress of Edward IV, thereby uniting the two claims. The House of Tudor ruled England and Wales until 1603.

The name Wars of the Roses refers to the heraldic badges associated with the two royal houses, the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster. Wars of the Roses came into common use in the nineteenth century, after Sir Walter Scott based the name on a scene in William Shakespeare's play Henry VI Part 1, set in the gardens of the Temple Church, where a number of noblemen and a lawyer pick red or white roses to show their loyalty to the Lancastrian or Yorkist faction respectively.

Henry VI, Part 1 (often written as 1 Henry VI), is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. 1 Henry VI deals with the loss of England's French territories and the political machinations leading up to the Wars of the Roses, as the English political system is torn apart by personal squabbles and petty jealousy.

Whereas 1 Henry VI deals primarily with the loss of England's French territories and the political machinations leading up to the Wars of the Roses, 2 Henry VI focuses on the King's inability to quell the bickering of his nobles, the death of his trusted adviser Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, the rise of the Duke of York and the inevitability of armed conflict. As such, the play culminates with the opening battle of the War, the First Battle of St Albans.Henry VI, Part 2 has the largest cast of all Shakespeare's plays, and is seen by many critics as the best of the Henry VI trilogy.

3 Henry VI deals primarily with the horrors of the conflict, with the once ordered nation thrown into chaos and barbarism as families break down and moral codes are subverted in the pursuit of revenge and power.Henry VI, Part 3 features the longest soliloquy in all of Shakespeare (3.2.124195), and has more battle scenes (four on stage, one reported) than any other of Shakespeare's plays.

My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel;I know not where I am nor what I do.Henry VI, Part 1, Talbot, Act I, scene vii

I have heard it said "Unbidden guestsAre often welcomest when they are gone."Henry VI, Part 1, Bedford, Act II, scene ii

Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends.Henry VI, Part 1, Alenon, Act III, scene ii

I owe him little duty and less love.Henry VI, Part 1, Somerset, Act IV, scene iv

Shes beautiful, and therefore to be woo'd;She is a woman, therefore to be won.Henry VI, Part 1, Suffolk, Act V, scene iiiCould I come near your beauty with my nails,Id set my ten commandments in your face.Henry VI, Part 2, Duchess, Act I, scene iii

The commons, like an angry hive of bees,That want their leader, scatter up and down,And care not who they sting in his revenge.Henry VI, Part 2, Warwick, Act III, scene ii

Small things make base men proud.Henry VI, Part 2, Suffolk, Act IV, scene I

The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.Henry VI, Part 2, Dick the butcher, Act IV, scene ii

Can we outrun the heavens?Henry VI, Part 2, King Henry, Act V, scene ii

O, tiger's heart, wrapped in a woman's hide!Henry VI, Part 3, York, Act I, scene iv

To weep, is to make less the depth of grief:Tears, then, for babes; blows, and revenge for me!Henry VI, Part 3, Richard, Act II, scene I

The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on.Henry VI, Part 3, Clifford, Act II, scene ii

This battle fares like to the morning's war,When dying clouds contend with growing light;What time the shepherd, blowing of his nails,Can neither call it perfect day, nor night.Henry VI, Part 3, King Henry, Act II, scene v

The common people swarm like summer flies.Henry VI, Part 3, Clifford, Act II, scene viLet me embrace thee, sour adversity;For wise men say it is the wisest course.Henry VI, Part 3, King Henry, Act III, scene I

What fates impose, that men must needs abide;It boots not to resist both wind and tide.Henry VI, Part 3, King Edward, Act IV, scene iii

Fearless minds climb soonest unto crowns.Henry VI, Part 3, Richard of Gloucester, Act IV, scene vii

A little fire is quickly trodden out,Which being suffer'd, rivers cannot quench.Henry VI, Part 3, Clarence, Act IV, scene viii

Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind;The thief doth fear each bush an officer.Henry VI, Part 3, Richard of Gloucester, Act V, scene vi

Political infighting is largely what the trilogy is about; it clearly shows how factions, pride, and schemes throw an entire nation into peril. But they are also about heroism, showing valiant fighters on both sides, who at times, question the motives of war, and their leaders.Throughout the play Shakespeare also demonstrates the great qualities of women, particularly in the treatment of Joan of Arc, who is shown as fervent, courageous, and unwavering.

In England, The BBC has produced the complete Henry VI trilogy several times for television:The first television adaptation of the play was in 1960 when the BBC produced a serial entitled An Age of Kings. In 1965, BBC 1 broadcast all three plays from John Barton and Peter Hall's theatrical adaption: The Wars of the Roses trilogy.Another television version of the complete trilogy was produced by the BBC in 1981 for their BBC Television Shakespeare series.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wars_of_the_Roseshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VI,_Part_1https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/henry-vi-part-1-play/MUSICHelene Martin Phipps; War & Peace Soundtrack, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utbTP3_FV_Q

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null10161.629Helene (2016 Official Soundtrack - Martin Phipps)War & Peace153450.42eng - converted by convert2mp3.net