This book explores the supernatural and prophetic elements within Shakespeare’s ten plays of English history: King John, Richard II, Henry IV (Parts One and Two), Henry V, Henry VI (Parts One, Two and Three), Richard III, and Henry VIII. Treating each as a form of nonfiction, it analyzes these plays and their prophecies through the lens of free will or fate, demonstrating how Shakespeare’s characters are entangled with cosmic forces and the occult. The author makes several intriguing discoveries regarding Shakespeare’s plays, beliefs, and the world he lived in.

Timothy Horan is the inventor of the school library writing center and has 25 years of experience teaching literature, writing, and library science. This is his sixth book.

Timothy Horan
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 257
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6363-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5019-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Introduction: “Ignorance is the curse of God” 1
1. Henry VI, Part One: “That fatal prophecy” 17
2. Henry VI, Part Two: “Fortune’s pageant” 31
3. Henry VI, Part Three: “Secret powers” 46
4. Richard III: “If thou wilt outstrip death, go cross the seas” 63
5. King John: “Alter not the doom forethought by heaven” 85
6. Richard II: “Let Heaven revenge” 103
7. Henry IV, Part One: “The meteors of a troubled heaven” 122
8. Henry IV, Part Two: “What rank diseases grow” 140
9. Henry V: “War is His vengeance” 159
10. Henry VIII (Part One): “Heaven has an end in all” 183
11. Henry VIII (Part Two): “A general prophecy” 203
Conclusion: “To frustrate prophecies” 221
References 241
Index 247