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Holinshed's Chronicles

May 19, 2023

Holinshed's Chronicles, also known as Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, is a collaborative work published in several volumes and two editions, the first edition in 1577, and the second in 1587. It was a large, comprehensive description of British history published in three volumes (England, Scotland and Ireland).

The title page of the 1577 first edition of Holinshed's Chronicles

The Chronicles have been a source of interest because of their extensive links to William Shakespeare's history plays, as well as King Lear, Macbeth and Cymbeline. Recent studies of the Chronicles have focused on an inter-disciplinary approach; numerous literary scholars have studied the traditional historiographical materials through a literary lens, with a focus on how contemporary men and women would have read historical texts.[1]

The Chronicles would have been a primary source for many other literary writers of the Renaissance such as Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser and George Daniel.[2]

Description

 
Title page of the second edition

In 1548, Reginald Wolfe, a London printer, conceived the idea of creating a "Universal Cosmography of the whole world, and therewith also certain particular histories of every known nation". He wanted the work to be printed in English, and he wanted maps and illustrations in the book as well. He acquired many of John Leland's works, and with these he constructed chronologies and drew maps that were up-to-date. When Wolfe realised he could not complete this project on his own, he hired Raphael Holinshed and William Harrison to assist him.

Wolfe died with the work still uncompleted in 1573, and the project—changed to a work specifically about the British Isles—was run by a consortium of three members of the London stationers. They retained Holinshed, who employed Harrison, Richard Stanyhurst, Edmund Campion and John Hooker. In 1577, the work was published in two volumes after some censorship by the Privy Council of some of Stanyhurst's contribution on Ireland.[3]

The Chronicles narrative is characterised by a set of rhetorical figures and thematic paradigms that establish the national, royal, chivalrous and heroic ideals that define a state, its monarch, its leaders, and the political role of the common people.[4]

Influence on Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is widely believed[5] to have used the revised second edition of the Chronicles (published in 1587) as the source for most of his history plays, the plot of Macbeth, and portions of King Lear and Cymbeline.

Several other playwrights, such as Christopher Marlowe, used the Chronicles as a source.

The Chronicles and Macbeth

 
A generic picture of Lords meeting Ladies, used amongst other things for illustrating "Macbeth and Banquo encountering the witches" in the first edition of Holinshed's Chronicles

Shakespeare used Holinshed's work extensively in Macbeth, but in modified form. An instance is the Three Witches, whom Holinshed describes as "creatures of the elderwood ... nymphs or fairies". Nymphs and fairies are generally viewed as beautiful and youthful, but Shakespeare's three witches in Macbeth are ugly, dark, and bizarre. It is believed that he made the change to heighten the suspense and darkness of the play.[6] However, the Chronicles lacked any descriptions of Macbeth's character, so Shakespeare improvised on several points.[6] The characters Banquo and Fleance were also taken from Holinshed's works, but they are now considered to be inventions of the 16th century.[7]

The primary difference in the Chronicles is through characterisation. The character of Macbeth is primarily depicted as a good ruler, a king who was fair and just for 17 years. The plot displays King Duncan as a minor character and a weak king. It is possible that the reading of Shakespeare's King Duncan was inspired by the tale of King Duffe contained within the Chronicle. This story follows a similar narrative, as King Duffe and his murderer Donwald closely mirror the narrative of King Duncan and Macbeth. The bad omens following the murder of Duffe are similarly mirrored in Shakespeare's narrative.

Synopsis

The Chronicles tale of Macbeth differs from Shakespeare's version in numerous ways. The play features a scene in which Banquo and Macbeth encounter three women, each of whom speaks of a prophecy that would contribute to the characterisation of these women as 'otherworldly'.[8] The first woman says "All hayle Makbeth Thane of Glammis" (the title which he had just inherited following the death of his father). Two of the women say "All hayle Macbeth, Thane of Cawder". The third also says "All hayle Makbeth that hereafter shall be king of Scotland". As soon as they had appeared, the three women "vanished immediately out of theyr sight".[9]

In the Chronicles version, Macbeth is a much more sympathetic character. King Duncan is depicted as a weak ruler who violates the Scottish laws of succession by failing to consult with the Thanes before naming his son, a mere child named Malcolm, to rule after him. Macbeth and many other Thanes are enraged by this action.

Spurred on by the words of the three women he encounters, Macbeth is encouraged to attempt to usurp the kingdom by force. He is also spurred on by his wife, who is ambitious and desires the title of queen for herself.

In Holinshed's Chronicles, Banquo is shown as a scheming character: he is an accomplice in Macbeth's murder of Duncan. In comparison to Shakespeare's version, in which Duncan is murdered in his sleep, Duncan is slain in battle and his death is not highly detailed; "[Macbeth] slue the king at Enuerns ... in the sixt yeare of his reigne."[10]

In the Chronicles, Macbeth rules Scotland not briefly, but for 10 years, and is a capable and wise monarch who implements commendable laws. Fearing that Banquo will seize the kingdom, Macbeth invites him to a supper where he intends to kill him and his son. He succeeds in killing Banquo, but his son, Fleance, flees to Wales. Macbeth, convinced by the witches of his invincibility, commits outrageous acts against his subjects, gradually becoming a cruel and paranoid ruler.

The tale ends with Macbeth slain by Macduff, who then brings his head to the son of the original king, Malcolm.

The Chronicles and King Lear

It is believed that Shakespeare would have used the revised second edition of the Chronicles, which was published in 1587. Shakespeare's King Lear loosely follows the story detailed in the Chronicles but it is unlikely that the Chronicles acted as a primary source.[citation needed]

Summary

In the Chronicles, Leir's eldest daughters, Gonerilla and Regan, are married to the Dukes of Cornwall and Albania. After the love test Leir decrees only half of his kingdom is to be assigned to the dukes immediately, with the rest to be divided at his death. This leads to the dukes seizing power and Leir being left with only a small retinue to maintain him. Leir then flees to Gallia where his youngest daughter, Cordelia, is living. Owing to his youngest daughter's faithful support, he names Cordelia his sole heir. She and her husband Aganippus, the King of the Franks, raise an army and restore Leir to the throne, killing the Dukes. Leir then rules for two years before his death and is succeeded by Cordelia, who rules for a subsequent five years.[11]

A primary difference in the Chronicles is the continuation of the feuding through the children of the sisters; the sons of Gonerilla and Regan rise up against and imprison Cordelia, leading to a period of civil war, and Cordelia commits suicide.

The 1577 Chronicle features woodcuts of King Lear and Cordelia, depicted as the rightful rulers and highlighting their prevailing goodness within the story.

As source material for Shakespeare's work, it is likely that the Chronicles story was used with great freedom, as more relevant sources have been found. Writers who may have influenced King Lear include Geoffrey of Monmouth and Edmund Spenser, with the anonymous King Leir also contributing inspiration.

References

  1. ^ Richard, Helgerson (2000). Forms of nationhood : the Elizabethan writing of England. Univ. of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226326337. OCLC 248951289.
  2. ^ "Holinshed's Chronicles, 1577". The British Library. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  3. ^ (King's College London) Holinshed's Chronicles February 2005. Accessed 1 June 2008. July 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Igor, Djordjevic (2016). Holinshed's nation : ideals, memory, and practical policy in the Chronicles. Abingdon, England: Routledge. ISBN 9781315586960. OCLC 952729199.
  5. ^ "Holinshed's Chronicles, 1577 - The British Library". Bl.uk. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Shakespeare's Sources for Macbeth: Holinshed and Witches". Shakespeare-online.com. 20 August 2000. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  7. ^ "shakespeare.com FAQ". Shakespeare.nowheres.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  8. ^ Hemming, Richard (29 May 1897). "Shakspeare's 'Macbeth' and Holinshed". Notes and Queries. s8-XI (283): 434–435. doi:10.1093/nq/s8-xi.283.434e. ISSN 1471-6941.
  9. ^ Kersey, Harriet (1 October 2018). "Holinshed's Chronicles: Macbeth, Banquo and Three Weird Sisters (CCL, W/G-5-15)". Canterbury Cathedral. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  10. ^ Hawkes, Terence; Hosley, Richard (1969). "Shakespeare's Holinshed: An Edition of Holinshed's Chronicles (1587)". Shakespeare Quarterly. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. 20 (4): 473. doi:10.2307/2868553. ISSN 0037-3222. JSTOR 2868553.
  11. ^ "Holinshed's Chronicles, 1577". The British Library. Retrieved 30 January 2019.

Bibliography

  • Beer, Jürgen (1993), The Image of a King: Henry VIII in the Tudor Chronicles of Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed. Peter Lang.
  • Booth, Stephen (1968), The Book called Holinshed's Chronicles: An Account of its Inception, Purpose, Contributors, Publication, Revision and Influence on William Shakespeare. Book Club of California.
  • Boswell-Stone, W. G. (1896), Shakespeare's Holinshed: The Chronicle and the Plays Compared. Lawrence and Bullen.
  • Clegg, Cyndia Susan (1992), Which Holinshed? Holinshed's Chronicles at the Huntington Library. Huntington Library Quarterly.
  • Djordjevic, Igor (2010). Holinshed's Nation: Ideals, Memory, and Practical Policy in the Chronicles. Routledge. ISBN 9781409400356
  • Hermann, Ax (2014). The relation of Shakespeare's Henry IV to Holinshed. South Carolina: Nabu Press. ISBN 9781295710867
  • Hosley, Richard (1968), Shakespeare's Holinshed. Putnam.
  • Kewes, Paulina; Archer, Ian W.; Heal, Felicity, eds. (2013). The Oxford Handbook of Holinshed's Chronicles. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-956575-7.
  • Patterson, Annabel (1994). Reading Holinshed's Chronicles. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226649115.

Modern edition

  • Holinshed, Raphael. Holinshed's Chronicles England, Scotland, and Ireland. Ed. Vernon F. Snow. New York: AMS, 1965.

External links

  • Excerpts from Holinshed's Chronicles, Volume V: Scotland, at Macbeth Navigator.
  • Works by Raphael Holinshed at Project Gutenberg
  • Holinshed's Chronicles at Project Gutenberg
  • The Holinshed Project at Oxford University, with parallel texts of the 1577 and 1587 editions.
  • 1587 facsimile, from the University of Pennsylvania
  • Essay on Raphael Holinshed
  • Macbeth: What is its relationship to Scottish history?

May 19, 2023
holinshed, chronicles, also, known, england, scotland, ireland, collaborative, work, published, several, volumes, editions, first, edition, 1577, second, 1587, large, comprehensive, description, british, history, published, three, volumes, england, scotland, i. Holinshed s Chronicles also known as Holinshed s Chronicles of England Scotland and Ireland is a collaborative work published in several volumes and two editions the first edition in 1577 and the second in 1587 It was a large comprehensive description of British history published in three volumes England Scotland and Ireland The title page of the 1577 first edition of Holinshed s Chronicles The Chronicles have been a source of interest because of their extensive links to William Shakespeare s history plays as well as King Lear Macbeth and Cymbeline Recent studies of the Chronicles have focused on an inter disciplinary approach numerous literary scholars have studied the traditional historiographical materials through a literary lens with a focus on how contemporary men and women would have read historical texts 1 The Chronicles would have been a primary source for many other literary writers of the Renaissance such as Christopher Marlowe Edmund Spenser and George Daniel 2 Contents 1 Description 2 Influence on Shakespeare 2 1 The Chronicles and Macbeth 2 1 1 Synopsis 2 2 The Chronicles and King Lear 2 2 1 Summary 3 References 4 Bibliography 4 1 Modern edition 5 External linksDescription Edit Title page of the second edition In 1548 Reginald Wolfe a London printer conceived the idea of creating a Universal Cosmography of the whole world and therewith also certain particular histories of every known nation He wanted the work to be printed in English and he wanted maps and illustrations in the book as well He acquired many of John Leland s works and with these he constructed chronologies and drew maps that were up to date When Wolfe realised he could not complete this project on his own he hired Raphael Holinshed and William Harrison to assist him Wolfe died with the work still uncompleted in 1573 and the project changed to a work specifically about the British Isles was run by a consortium of three members of the London stationers They retained Holinshed who employed Harrison Richard Stanyhurst Edmund Campion and John Hooker In 1577 the work was published in two volumes after some censorship by the Privy Council of some of Stanyhurst s contribution on Ireland 3 The Chronicles narrative is characterised by a set of rhetorical figures and thematic paradigms that establish the national royal chivalrous and heroic ideals that define a state its monarch its leaders and the political role of the common people 4 Influence on Shakespeare EditWilliam Shakespeare is widely believed 5 to have used the revised second edition of the Chronicles published in 1587 as the source for most of his history plays the plot of Macbeth and portions of King Lear and Cymbeline Several other playwrights such as Christopher Marlowe used the Chronicles as a source The Chronicles and Macbeth Edit A generic picture of Lords meeting Ladies used amongst other things for illustrating Macbeth and Banquo encountering the witches in the first edition of Holinshed s Chronicles Shakespeare used Holinshed s work extensively in Macbeth but in modified form An instance is the Three Witches whom Holinshed describes as creatures of the elderwood nymphs or fairies Nymphs and fairies are generally viewed as beautiful and youthful but Shakespeare s three witches in Macbeth are ugly dark and bizarre It is believed that he made the change to heighten the suspense and darkness of the play 6 However the Chronicles lacked any descriptions of Macbeth s character so Shakespeare improvised on several points 6 The characters Banquo and Fleance were also taken from Holinshed s works but they are now considered to be inventions of the 16th century 7 The primary difference in the Chronicles is through characterisation The character of Macbeth is primarily depicted as a good ruler a king who was fair and just for 17 years The plot displays King Duncan as a minor character and a weak king It is possible that the reading of Shakespeare s King Duncan was inspired by the tale of King Duffe contained within the Chronicle This story follows a similar narrative as King Duffe and his murderer Donwald closely mirror the narrative of King Duncan and Macbeth The bad omens following the murder of Duffe are similarly mirrored in Shakespeare s narrative Synopsis Edit The Chronicles tale of Macbeth differs from Shakespeare s version in numerous ways The play features a scene in which Banquo and Macbeth encounter three women each of whom speaks of a prophecy that would contribute to the characterisation of these women as otherworldly 8 The first woman says All hayle Makbeth Thane of Glammis the title which he had just inherited following the death of his father Two of the women say All hayle Macbeth Thane of Cawder The third also says All hayle Makbeth that hereafter shall be king of Scotland As soon as they had appeared the three women vanished immediately out of theyr sight 9 In the Chronicles version Macbeth is a much more sympathetic character King Duncan is depicted as a weak ruler who violates the Scottish laws of succession by failing to consult with the Thanes before naming his son a mere child named Malcolm to rule after him Macbeth and many other Thanes are enraged by this action Spurred on by the words of the three women he encounters Macbeth is encouraged to attempt to usurp the kingdom by force He is also spurred on by his wife who is ambitious and desires the title of queen for herself In Holinshed s Chronicles Banquo is shown as a scheming character he is an accomplice in Macbeth s murder of Duncan In comparison to Shakespeare s version in which Duncan is murdered in his sleep Duncan is slain in battle and his death is not highly detailed Macbeth slue the king at Enuerns in the sixt yeare of his reigne 10 In the Chronicles Macbeth rules Scotland not briefly but for 10 years and is a capable and wise monarch who implements commendable laws Fearing that Banquo will seize the kingdom Macbeth invites him to a supper where he intends to kill him and his son He succeeds in killing Banquo but his son Fleance flees to Wales Macbeth convinced by the witches of his invincibility commits outrageous acts against his subjects gradually becoming a cruel and paranoid ruler The tale ends with Macbeth slain by Macduff who then brings his head to the son of the original king Malcolm The Chronicles and King Lear Edit It is believed that Shakespeare would have used the revised second edition of the Chronicles which was published in 1587 Shakespeare s King Lear loosely follows the story detailed in the Chronicles but it is unlikely that the Chronicles acted as a primary source citation needed Summary Edit In the Chronicles Leir s eldest daughters Gonerilla and Regan are married to the Dukes of Cornwall and Albania After the love test Leir decrees only half of his kingdom is to be assigned to the dukes immediately with the rest to be divided at his death This leads to the dukes seizing power and Leir being left with only a small retinue to maintain him Leir then flees to Gallia where his youngest daughter Cordelia is living Owing to his youngest daughter s faithful support he names Cordelia his sole heir She and her husband Aganippus the King of the Franks raise an army and restore Leir to the throne killing the Dukes Leir then rules for two years before his death and is succeeded by Cordelia who rules for a subsequent five years 11 A primary difference in the Chronicles is the continuation of the feuding through the children of the sisters the sons of Gonerilla and Regan rise up against and imprison Cordelia leading to a period of civil war and Cordelia commits suicide The 1577 Chronicle features woodcuts of King Lear and Cordelia depicted as the rightful rulers and highlighting their prevailing goodness within the story As source material for Shakespeare s work it is likely that the Chronicles story was used with great freedom as more relevant sources have been found Writers who may have influenced King Lear include Geoffrey of Monmouth and Edmund Spenser with the anonymous King Leir also contributing inspiration References Edit Richard Helgerson 2000 Forms of nationhood the Elizabethan writing of England Univ of Chicago Press ISBN 978 0226326337 OCLC 248951289 Holinshed s Chronicles 1577 The British Library Retrieved 30 January 2019 King s College London Holinshed s Chronicles February 2005 Accessed 1 June 2008 Archived July 6 2009 at the Wayback Machine Igor Djordjevic 2016 Holinshed s nation ideals memory and practical policy in the Chronicles Abingdon England Routledge ISBN 9781315586960 OCLC 952729199 Holinshed s Chronicles 1577 The British Library Bl uk 23 November 2015 Retrieved 5 November 2016 a b Shakespeare s Sources for Macbeth Holinshed and Witches Shakespeare online com 20 August 2000 Retrieved 5 November 2016 shakespeare com FAQ Shakespeare nowheres com Retrieved 5 November 2016 Hemming Richard 29 May 1897 Shakspeare s Macbeth and Holinshed Notes and Queries s8 XI 283 434 435 doi 10 1093 nq s8 xi 283 434e ISSN 1471 6941 Kersey Harriet 1 October 2018 Holinshed s Chronicles Macbeth Banquo and Three Weird Sisters CCL W G 5 15 Canterbury Cathedral Retrieved 30 January 2019 Hawkes Terence Hosley Richard 1969 Shakespeare s Holinshed An Edition of Holinshed s Chronicles 1587 Shakespeare Quarterly Baltimore Maryland Johns Hopkins University Press 20 4 473 doi 10 2307 2868553 ISSN 0037 3222 JSTOR 2868553 Holinshed s Chronicles 1577 The British Library Retrieved 30 January 2019 Bibliography EditBeer Jurgen 1993 The Image of a King Henry VIII in the Tudor Chronicles of Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed Peter Lang Booth Stephen 1968 The Book called Holinshed s Chronicles An Account of its Inception Purpose Contributors Publication Revision and Influence on William Shakespeare Book Club of California Boswell Stone W G 1896 Shakespeare s Holinshed The Chronicle and the Plays Compared Lawrence and Bullen Clegg Cyndia Susan 1992 Which Holinshed Holinshed s Chronicles at the Huntington Library Huntington Library Quarterly Djordjevic Igor 2010 Holinshed s Nation Ideals Memory and Practical Policy in the Chronicles Routledge ISBN 9781409400356 Hermann Ax 2014 The relation of Shakespeare s Henry IV to Holinshed South Carolina Nabu Press ISBN 9781295710867 Hosley Richard 1968 Shakespeare s Holinshed Putnam Kewes Paulina Archer Ian W Heal Felicity eds 2013 The Oxford Handbook of Holinshed s Chronicles Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 956575 7 Patterson Annabel 1994 Reading Holinshed s Chronicles Chicago University of Chicago Press ISBN 978 0226649115 Modern edition Edit Holinshed Raphael Holinshed s Chronicles England Scotland and Ireland Ed Vernon F Snow New York AMS 1965 External links EditExcerpts from Holinshed s Chronicles Volume V Scotland at Macbeth Navigator Works by Raphael Holinshed at Project Gutenberg Holinshed sChronicles at Project Gutenberg The Holinshed Project at Oxford University with parallel texts of the 1577 and 1587 editions 1587 facsimile from the University of Pennsylvania Essay on Raphael Holinshed Macbeth What is its relationship to Scottish history Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Holinshed 27s Chronicles amp oldid 1121335709, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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