Sunday, January 6, 2019

Timing of Henry V and As You Like It

My theory has always been that Henry Neville probably finished Henry V and wrote most or all of As You Like It while he was in France as ambassador.

When did Henry Neville return from France?

2 August 1600 - Arrived back in Dover, England (HMC Hatfield, Vol 10, Page 261)

And a flyleaf from the Stationer's Register first mentions them on 4 August 1600.

The textual evidence, based on Neville's letters written from France, suggest that he incorporated content from that time into Henry V and As You Like It. The fact that those plays were registered in August 1600 is extremely strong evidence of Neville's authorship.


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