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Shakespeare’s histories cover the reigns of kings Richard II and III, John, and Henry IV, V, VI, and VIII.
But he changed some facts to make them more exciting. His kings all have huge personalities. But they are not always good rulers. Richard II wasted the national treasury. Henry IV fought rebel noblemen. But the last history play that Shakespeare wrote was Henry VIII. It has a happy ending: the birth of Elizabeth.
Shakespeare wrote the sonnets early in his lifetime. They were written at the same time as most of his histories. The sonnets are written in the first person, which means the writer uses “I” and “me.” They also were shared only “among his private friends.” People look for clues to Shakespeare’s life in his sonnets. They are very interested in the identities of the noble young man and the Dark Lady.
