King Henry VI, Part 1 | Criticism

This literature criticism consists of approximately 28 pages of analysis & critique of King Henry VI, Part 1.

King Henry VI, Part 1 | Criticism

This literature criticism consists of approximately 28 pages of analysis & critique of King Henry VI, Part 1.
This section contains 7,477 words
(approx. 25 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Critical Essay by Nina da Vinci Nichols

SOURCE: Nichols, Nina da Vinci. “The Paper Trail to the Throne.” In Henry VI: Critical Essays, edited by Thomas A. Pendleton, pp. 97-112. New York: Routledge, 2001.

In the following essay, Nichols links the symbolic and theatrical functions of paper to themes of legality, revenge, and the legitimacy of kings in the Henry VI plays.

Right, says the fledgling playwright as he carries the script of his national epic into the theater. Players know that speech is action, but the audience had better see speech referring to something substantive—a man, an army, a crown, something visible on stage. Of course, some of this speechifying is operative language: oaths, pledges, and ceremonies authorizing allegiance. Those passages ought to work well with an audience accustomed to ritualized occasions. But what to do about all these letters, bills, proclamations, edicts, writs, and verses from the beyond? Written words are false signifiers...

(read more)

This section contains 7,477 words
(approx. 25 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Critical Essay by Nina da Vinci Nichols
Copyrights
Gale
Critical Essay by Nina da Vinci Nichols from Gale. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.