Making Of A Playwright -- Shakespeare -- Notes

First posted March 20, 2025

Rough draft. 

Will "fix" over time.

Wars of the Roses

Emergence of a Playwright

p. 18: emergence: first plays mentioned

Henry VI — parts 1, 2, 3 and Richard III

LOL: records show that Shakespeare had already made his mark as a playwright by 1592. His early plays — the Tragedy of Titus Adronicus; Henry VI, parts 1, 2 and 3; The Comedy of Errors; and Richard III — mimic the form of the Roman playwrights he studied in grammar school —- LOL — does anyone really believe this crap?? LOL.

10 History plays:
8 plays: 15th century Plantagenets
1 play: early Plantagent King John (1199 - 1216)
1 play: Tudor King Henry VIII (1509 - 1547

Late in Richard III: three royal ladies — the Dowager queens Margaret and Elizabeth the the dowager duchess of York —

Margaret: had an Edward (her son Prince Edward) until Richard killed him. I had a Harry (Henry VI?) until Richard killed him. [To Elizabeth} You had an Edward (Edward IV??) until a Richard killed him .. you had a Richard — sone of Elizabeth I ?? — until Richard killed him.

Duchess to Margaret: I had a Richard too until you, Margaret, killed him — Margaret?

Plantagenet: family name of the line of English kinds from King Henry II to Richard III

Plays:

A double tetralogy: 1422 - 1485: Henry VI, parts 1, 2, 3 and Richard III
1398 - 1422: Richard II, Henry IV, parts 1 and 2, Henry V

Bookends to the two tetralogies:

King John: 1199 - 1216
King Henry VIII: 1509 - 1547

p. 32

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Bosworht

Begins: Battle of Wakefield —> 1460 — near York
Richard, Duke of York defeated
25 years before Bosworth

Father, Richard, Duke of York
Son: Richard — third of three brothers — 8 y/o
Also referred to as “York”
Family shocked by his death / defeat at Wakefield

Clare in Suffolk: Richard, York’s fan club after his death; his wife kept his name alive

p. 58: Cecily Neville — ** author Michael Jones !!!

p. 59: Richard III — how he “knew” his father

Chapter 3: The Theater of Pain

Brothers York
Three Sons / Three Suns
p. 6: Cecily m Richard (orphan)
For 39. Years — faithful support of Lancasterians.

Richard / Cecily — huge dominion in France
— regent of France
— Rouen

Three children while in France — in quick succession.

Henry VI: 
Beaufort relatives
descendants of the dynasty’s founder, John of Gaunt and mistress Katherine Swynford

Beaufort’s killed the king’s de facto heir — his Uncle Humphrey, due of Gloucester — Role of royal heir: unofficial. But felt: Richard of York

From France and Ireland where Richard / Cecily had a second son: George

Edward, Edmund (died), daughter, then George (Ireland).

To Ireland
Successor as regent to France —
King’s cousin Edmund Beaufort — duke of Somerset — Lost Normandy!!
This forced Richard to return to England via Wales

So, Henry VI
—> Duke of Somerset — Edmund Beauford

—-> Duke of York — Richard

!! Seeds of the Wars of the Roses!!!
p. 10: Richard’s sons Edward, 10 y/o, and Edmund, 4 y/o— both in Wales

Then fourth son 2 Oct 1452 — Richard (to be III)

1453
England lost all of France except Calais; too much for Henry VI — catatonic

Richard seizes his opportunity — puts Somerset in the Tower

Richard

Edward, Early of March, 12 y/o

Brother-in-law Richard, Earl of Salisbury
Head of the Powerful Neville family !!!

Salisbury’s oldest son: Richard Neville Earl of Warwick (“kingmaker”) — kingmaker because he was responsible for deposition of two kings

“Exceptionally wealthy man of ruthless political instincts — Warwick

Warwick hated Somerset (Tower)

So: York-Neville bloc. Vs Henry VI / Margaret (Somerset’s ally) p. 12

1450: England falling apart; Henry Vi
P. 6

Kent, UK — Jack Cade executed
York returns from Ireland

p. 7 — doesn’t mention who York’s ward was — interesting


Marriage arranged
Regent of France — France —> Ireland —> Wales

1457: Margaret of Anjou becoming stronger

1455 — St Albans battle bloodshed

Now 1458 — Henry VI up front; behind them Margaret — York — joined hands

False friendship — York and Margaret

Warwick was running Calais

To the English, Warwick was a hero — causing Margaret headaches

Ludlow — situated close to Wales — near the midpoint of the England-Wales border
This time: Ludlow seat of the Council of Wales and the Marches

1459: everything finally reached crisis point
Margaret — Great Council in Coventry — charged Yorkists with treason

Three lords meet with Henry VI:
York: in the Welsch Marches (Ludlow)
Warwick: Calais
Salisbury (Neville): Yorkshire

********************
The War of the Roses — John Gillingham c. 1981

 Chapter 8: Five battles, 1459 - 1461

1 - Lancaster ousted by York
2 - YOrk ousted by Lancaster
3 - finally — Lancaster ousted by Cork — Nov 1459 — Coventry

As a fugitive, York sets himself up as rule of Ireland

Warwick grabs Calais — holds off the Lancastrian’s.

p. 108: Warwick to Ireland to confer with York, 1460

Jne, 1460 — Yorkists march on London

1st of 5 battles: Northampton, p.113

“Warrick and March —> Edmund (York’s 1st-borne son)

King Henry VI took prisoner by Warwick.

Warwick: took over reins of government
—brother: George Neville, bishop of Exeter, appoint Chancellor!!

If Henry VI captured, who become king??

Henry VI son: Edward — Duke’s son: one of the three

Propaganda: Henry VI illegitimate son Edward !!!
p. 118: Jasper Tudor — Welsh mentioned — aligned with Margaret

1460: Battle of Wakefield send of five
York killed on the battlefield
also killed: Sir Thomas Neville; Sir Thomas Harrington, others
Edmund also killed

Sons of those killed at St Albans killed five years earlier -  now butchered the Yorkists at Wakefield.

Was a Neville responsible of the loss of Wakefield!!!

Now, p. 124 — stubble had been portrayed as a dynastic struggle — but now portrayed as a war of the north against the south, Civil War. P. 1124.

3rd of five battles: Mortimer’s Cross — 1st of. Many spectacular victories by Edward !!!
“Three suns” p. 124

Owen Tudor — Jasper’s father executed.

Sir Henry Neville 1564 - 1615 married Anne Killigrew

Parents: Henry Neville, Elizabeth Gresham

Henry Neville (gentleman of the Privy Chamber — King Henry VIII)

Holy mackerel.

1520 - 1593
    Billingbear House, Berkshire

Parents: Sir Edward Neville / Eleanor Windsor
Sir Edward Neville (courtier)
d. 1538 — in Henry VIII’s household; esquire the body

Parents: George Neville, 4th Baron Bergavenny
And Margaret (daughter of Hugh Fenn)

Parents
Sir Edward Neville, brother of George Neville, 5th Baron of Bergavenny, so through George Nevill, married after father

Family diagram

1459 - 1461

Henry VI part III

1 — York wins at St Albans #1 — now on throne king of England
Clifford orphaned when father killed here

2 — next battle — Wakefield #2
Margaret meets York in battle
York’s youngest son Rutland and the York himself captured and killed — by Clifford and Northumberland (Percy) — also, Sir Thomas Neville killed

Edward and Richard told of their father’s murder and their youngest brother’s murder.

Edward / Richard — unite with Warwick (rich Neville)

Warwick declares Edward the new Duke of York

#3 Mortimer’s Cross — 3 sons
#4 — St Albans #2

#5 — Towton

3 — Duke of York (Edward), Richard (III)
Warwick defeat Lancastrians at Towton (5ifth of 5)
Margaret flees
Clifford killed
Henry VI captured
 4— a broken promise !!!
Warwick meets with Margaret. They get news that Edward has married Lady Elizabeth Grey in spite of agreement to marry French King Louis’ sister Lade Bona

This insult throws both Warwick and Louis against Edward
Warwick pledges support to Margaret — release Henry Vi from the Tower — restoring him as King

5 — Warwick leave London to muster army — Edward returns and re-captures Henry VI

6 — Edward and Warwick meet @ Barnet.
Warwick killed
Margaret arrives in England —with reinforcements

7). Margaret for last time meets Edward at Tewkesbury where after much bloodshed — the Yorkist are victorious. Wars of Rose finally seems to be over.

At Tewkesbury — Shakespeare’s great-grandfather was knight for his role in defeating Margaret at Tewkesbury