“O tiger’s heart wrapped in a woman’s hide.”
The history of these plays, the three parts of “Henry VI,” all appeared in the First Folio. The first part of the “Contention betwixt the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster” forms the second part of “Henry VI.” “The True Tragedy,” another play, is the origin of the third part. The first part is only known in the Folio version. These plays remain one of the great unsolved puzzles of Shakesperean criticism.
There is no early foundation play of the first part although no doubt one did exist.
Of course, in this attack Greene’s spite against Shakespeare was as a writer of plays, although the context rather points out that he took exception against him as an actor; if that were so, the paragraph would be pointless. No doubt Greene refers to Shakespeare as an actor, but that is not his grievance; ‘supposes he is as well able to bumbast out blank verse’ means that he can wield an able pen and beat them at their own game and not only speak their lines. Greene meant to give a double thrust at Shakespeare, but his antagonist came through the ordeal quite scathless.
When Henry Chettle published Greene’s Groats-worth of Wit, he wrote a preface containing the following passage:
“About three months since died Robert Greene, leaving many papers in sundry booksellers’ hands; among others, his Groats-worth of Wit, in which a letter written to diverse play-makers is offensively by one or two of them taken, and because on the dead they cannot be avenged, they wilfully forge in their concertes a living author, and after tossing it to and fro, no remedy, but it must light on me. How I have all the time of my conversing in printing hindered the better inveying against scholars, it has been very well known, and how in that I dealt, I can sufficiently prove. With neither of them that take offence was I acquainted, and with one of them I care not if I never be. The other, whom at that time I did not so much spare as since I wish I had, for that as I have moderated the heat of living writers and might have used my own discretion, especially in such a case the Author being dead that I did not, I am as sorry as if the original fault had been my fault, because myself have seen his demeanour no less civil, than be excellent in the quality he professes. Besides divers of worship have reported his uprightness of dealing which argues his honesty, and his facetious grace in writing that approves his art.”
This passage clearly demonstrates that both Marlowe and Shakespeare had complained to Chettle, considering the paragraph a libel. Of Marlowe’s complaint he takes no notice, but writes an ample apology to Shakespeare, at the same time praising him in his dual capacity as an actor and playwright.
To the Gentlemen Readers.