Shakespeare's Festive History: Feasting, Festivity, Fasting, and Lent in the Second Henriad

Although the festive elements in Shakespeare's plays have been well-noted since the publication of Barber's Shakespeare's Festive Comedy, there has been a gap in the literature for a study on how aspects of festivity structure the entire four-play sequence of Shakespeare's Second Henriad. Here, the author details how Shakespeare creates historical characters who engineer their supremacy, shore up their popular support, and/or sustain their charisma through manipulation of festive elements, which are found throughout the tetralogy and rooted in the English cultural psyche.