9th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Time: 2:30
Room: 224
Presenter(s): Madalyn Brooks
Title: King Henry VIII: Shakespeare's Propaganda vs. Historic Reality
Developed under the guidance of Professor E. Bert Wallace , Theatre Arts

Henry VIII is a transcendent figure in English history. The course of modern England was shaped by his reign, including his support of the Protestant Reformation and his eventual fathering of Elizabeth I. William Shakespeare's play, "The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII," was written long after his death and 10 years after the death of Elizabeth, Shakespeare's most important patron. It combines artistry, political commentary, and significant poetic license. The play's other title, "All Is True," is an ironic hint. It was not meant and should not be taken as an exhaustive or scrupulously "factual" documentary treatment of Henry's reign. However, this loose, laudatory account has given rise to a very particular, if not particularly accurate, image of Henry in the popular imagination.