A fresh look at a play usually regarded as the first component of a three-part historical epic, this edition argues that Henry VI Part 1 is a `prequel`, a freestanding piece that returns for ironic and dramatic effect to a story already familiar to its audience. The play`s ingenious use of stage space is closely analysed, as is its manipulation of a series of setpiece combats to give a coherent syntax of action. Discussion of the dramatic structure created by the opposing figures of Talbot and Jeanne la Pucelle, and exploration of the critical controversies surrounding the figure of Jeanne, lead to a reflection on the nature of the history play as genre in the 1590s.


Table of contents
List of illustrations
General editor preface
Acknowledgements

Introduction
- Harey the vj on stage at the Rose
- Puzzling at Joan
- Shadow and substance
- What is Henry the Sixth, Part One? Controversies and (in)conclusions
- Notes on editorial procedures

KING HENRY VI, Part 1

Appendices
1) Names, naming and wordplay
2) Casting
3) Nineteenth- and twentieth-century adaptations
4) Military hierarchy and the conduct of war

Abbreviations and References
Index