SOURCE: Richmond, H. M. “Shakespeare's Henry VIII: Romance Redeemed by History.” Shakespeare Studies 4 (1968): 334-49.

In the following essay, Richmond evaluates the merits of Henry VIII, including its unity, structure, characters, historical theme, and affinity with other Shakespearean dramas, and considers the issue of Shakespeare's collaboration with John Fletcher in the composition of the play.

One of the more paradoxical statements in Hardin Craig's Complete Works of Shakespeare appears in his preface to Henry VIII, where he writes: “There seems no very close correlation in Shakespeare's plays between literary excellence and stage success. Indeed, Henry VIII, comparatively speaking is not a great play … Henry VIII has, nevertheless, a rather illustrious stage history.”¹ This sharp discrepancy between aesthetic theory and theatrical fact is no mere invention of Craig's; in 1957 R. A. Foakes made similar observations in his introduction to the New Arden edition of the play. After noting the success...