History versus theatrical propaganda
The psychological toll of the crown
The divine right and political realities
Performing for the real-life monarchs
YOUR GOAL
Master of The kings of Shakespeare
schopenhauer Divine Right of Kings
They paid forty shillings to stage the fallen king, but the Queen still kept her crown!
schopenhauer King Henry VI's soft-hearted nature allowed English noble factions to launch the Wars of the Roses.
schopenhauer Shakespeare's King John struggles to maintain his crown against the Catholic Church and France.
schopenhauer Play our Shakespeare kings trivia game. Test your knowledge on the divine right, political realities, and obscure facts from the plays.
Banned abdication scene: The scene where Richard II is forced to hand over his crown was censored and cut from performances while Queen Elizabeth I was alive.
The doctrine that a monarch's right to rule is derived directly from God. Richard II famously invokes this belief before his historic deposition by Henry Bolingbroke in 1399.
Which famous historical document, signed by the real King John in 1215, is surprisingly never mentioned in Shakespeare's play King John?
Who overthrows King Richard II to become King Henry IV, ending the direct Plantagenet line?
What political doctrine states that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving the right to rule directly from God?
How many times does Julius Caesar refuse the crown offered to him by Mark Antony in the play Julius Caesar?
Which French peasant girl and military leader opposes the English forces in Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 1?
In King John, how does the young prince Arthur, a rival claimant to the throne, tragically die?
Which color rose represented the House of Lancaster, the faction of King Henry VI, in the Wars of the Roses?
Why was the abdication scene in Richard II censored during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I?