SOURCE: “Shakespeare's Henry VIII and the Theme of Conscience,” in English Studies in Canada, Vol. VII, No. 1, Spring, 1981, pp. 38-53.

In the following essay, Young examines the theme of conscience as exemplified by the character of King Henry, remarking that the historical events that inspired this play dramatized a fundamental difference between the Roman Catholic and Protestant points of view.

Shakespeare's Henry VIII has been criticized for its lack of structural coherence; for its inconsistent presentation of characters; for its lack of sustained thematic unity; and for its linguistic deficiencies. Various theories, among them that Shakespeare wrote the play in collaboration with John Fletcher, have been argued in explanation (if not always in defence) of these supposed inadequacies. It has been suggested, for example, that the play's structure is epic rather than tragic and that the presentation of characters is consistent once that structure is understood.¹ It has...