Introduction and Prologue Summary and Analysis

Henry VIII marries six times but only has three surviving children: Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward. Mary is his daughter with Katherine of Aragon, whom he divorces when she does not bear a son, on the grounds that their marriage is incestuous because she had been the wife of his brother. He then marries Anne Boleyn, who gives birth to Princess Elizabeth. Mary is disinherited, and the experience undoubtably scars her for life. After Anne Boleyn is beheaded for treason, Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, finally bears him a son, Edward. She encourages him to welcome his other two children back to court, though Mary has to sign a document declaring that her mother's marriage to the king was incestuous and unlawful. When Jane dies, Henry marries Anne of Cleves, but annuls the marriage after six months, followed...