SOURCE: Richmond, Hugh M. “The Resurrection of an Expired Form: Henry VIII as Sequel to Richard III.” In Shakespeare's English Histories: A Quest for Form and Genre, edited by John W. Velz, pp. 205-27. Binghampton, N.Y.: Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, 1996.

In the following essay, Richmond focuses on parallels between Henry VIII and Richard III, theorizing that Shakespeare drew upon Richard III to create the plot elements and structural patterns of Henry VIII.

Negative critical comment on what is now often considered to be Shakespeare's last complete play¹ usually argues that it relapses rather clumsily into what seems an archaic form: the chronicle or history play with which he began his career in Henry VI. The almost medieval complexity of this typically Tudor form draws heavily on diverse historical narratives to the point of risking the sacrifice of elegance in both style and structure to the...