This edition celebrates King Henry VI Part 2 as one of the most exciting and dynamic plays of
the English renaissance theatre with its exploration of power politics and social revolution
and its focus on the relationship between divine justice and sin. An extensive discussion of
performance history traces the play's progress on stage from abridgement and adaptation to full
historical epic. A survey of criticism discusses the wide range of responses provoked by the
play's handling of its historical theme and concludes by focusing on the element of burlesque
in the attempted social revolution portrayed.
