Book description
Henry V
is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written
in 1599. It is based on the life of King Henry V of England, and focuses
on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt (1415)
during the Hundred Years' War. The play is the final part of a
tetralogy, preceded by Richard II
, Henry IV, part 1
and Henry IV, part 2
. The plot follows the young prince (a reckless and undisciplined
character in Henry IV
) as he matures into a man and embarks on an attempted conquest of
France.
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright of
the 16th and 17th centuries, now widely regarded as the greatest
writer in the English language and the word's pre-eminent dramatist.
Series editor Stanley Wells. Stanley Wells is Emeritus Professor of
the University of Birmingham and Chairman of the Shakespeare
Birthplace Trust. He is General Editor of the Oxford Shakespeare, and
his books include Shakespeare: the Poet and his Plays,
Shakespeare: For All Time, Looking for Sex in
Shakespeare, and (with Paul Edmondson) Shakespeare's Sonnets.
