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INTRODUCTORY

In these notes, written as a holiday task, it is not intended to give an exhaustive record of the events of Henry’s reign; but rather to offer an impression of the more prominent personages in Shakespeare’s play; and perhaps to aid the playgoer in a fuller appreciation of the conditions which governed their actions.

Marienbad, 1910

CONTENTS

PAGE
King Henry VIII.[1]
Wolsey[21]
Katharine[47]
Anne Boleyn[55]
Divorce[63]
The Reformation[77]
Manners and Customs[83]
A Note on the Production of Henry VIII. at His Majesty’s Theatre[87]
An Apology and a Footnote[103]
Chronology of Public Events during the Lifetime of Henry VIII.[111]
Shakespearean Plays Produced under Herbert Beerbohm Tree’s Management at the Haymarket Theatre[115]

LIST OF PLATES