I was really unsure about tackling Shakespeare's histories. My original intent was to skip over them, but then it seemed only fair to give them a shot. I was pleasantly surprised by Henry VI, Part 1! Mainly because of the unexpected portrayal of Joan of Arc! I had no idea she was a character in this!
Though I must thank Arkangel Shakespeare which is the audio recording of the play done by the Royal Shakespeare Company. I've always read Shakespeare's plays aloud so as to slow down the reading, to get the tempo of the lines, etc. but what a huge difference it makes to be able to follow the lines along with listening to the variety of voices of the characters. Skilled actors with the proper inflections and emotions (there's a lot of dying in this one). Plus it is SO much easier to keep straight (well kinda) all the Dukes and Earls, English and French, white rose/red rose supporters!
There is a lot of controversy and a lot of questions about Henry VI, Part 1: whether Shakespeare collaborated with other playwrights such as Marlowe and Nashe (most likely); the chronology of the play as it was written after Parts 2 & 3 (consider it a prequel to give context to Henry's rise as King and the War of the Roses), but before Henry IV Parts 1&2 and Henry V; and the historical inaccuracies.
I guess I just take it for the entertainment value that it is, though admittedly I am not completely familiar with the history of that time, so I couldn't tell you what was accurate or not. I know that I enjoyed this more than I thought I would and am actually looking forward to Parts 2 & 3 which are up next!
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