Shakespeare's Historical Plays. Introduction………………………………………………………………………4CHAPTER 1: Life and Literary Career of William Shakespeare 1.1 Biographical background and creative development…………………………….8 1.2 The emergence of historical plays within Shakespeare’s oeuvre………………..13 CHAPTER 2: Themes, Characters, and Historical Context in Shakespeare’s Historical Plays 2.1 Representation of kingship and power………………………………………….17 2.2 Political conflict, legitimacy, and national identity……………………………..21 2.3 Historical truth and artistic interpretation in Shakespeare’s histories…………..25 III. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...30 IV. References………………………………………………………………………32 V. Appendix………………………………………………………………………....