The Complete First Part of Henry VI: An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play

One recurrent criticism of the First Part of HVI is its cavalier disregard for chronology and historical events. However, Lawrence V. Ryan argues that the “disjointing of time . . . enables him [Shakespeare] to achieve striking dramatic and didactic effects” (xxx). Thus, one is enjoined to remember Coleridge’s admonition to suspend disbelief. Ryan argues that 1HVI is “by no means a failure as a play for theatrical performance” (xl). Bevington seems to accede to Shakespeare’s nonconventional view of history when he writes. Shakespeare’s scenes “seriously challenge any providential view of history” (“Introduction,” unpaginated).