1500 to 1599: The Jew of Malta to King Henry VI, Part III

Christopher Marlowe. British. 1589. Play. The Jew of Malta. Barabas degenerates from longing for power and the ability to express desire in stirring poetry to a caricature of the grasping, greedy Jew dominated by desire for gold. Commits atrocities and dies atrociously.

Giambattista Guarini. Italian. 1590. Play. The Faithful Shepherd. Tragic plot with happy ending. Goddess Diana sets terms for placating her anger.

Shakespeare. British. 1590/92. Play. Henry VI: Part I. Early years of Henry’s reign to his marriage to Margaret of Anjou. Beginning of the Wars of the Roses.

Shakespeare. British. 1590/92. Play. Henry VI: Part II. Early years of the Wars of the Roses. Henry dominated by Margaret of Anjou.

Shakespeare. British. 1590/92. Play. Henry VI: Part III. Downfall of Henry VI; victory of the House of York and Edward IV. Edward vs. Margaret of Anjou, Henry’s queen.