Reviews

King Henry VIII: Third Series by William Shakespeare

ian_2's review against another edition

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3.0

I'm thinking this one was Fletcher and that Shakespeare had little, if anything, to do with it. The language doesn't ring true.

erin_bowyer's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny informative reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

cornelio3's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kaykerrigan's review against another edition

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3.0

Not one of Shakespeare's best. The speeches tend to be prolix. Some of them are a real a female canine quadruped to read aloud. Still, Wolsey is effectively depicted as such a lying, manipulative S.O.B. that you grin at his fall and Katherine of Aragon is a paragon of female strength and dignity. It's always interesting how artists portray historical figures, especially when they have royal censors who can put the kibosh on them.

karensbooklog's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

am nawt paying attention to this book and so cannot justify an actual fully fleshed review but my god. never before have i been less invested in shakespeare. maybe it comes from not being religious and/or interested in british history but i cannot tell the difference between 90% of these men. anyway katherine noble slighted girlboss anne god forbid women do anything bullen you know the drill. the ghost element was pretty rad. the most attention-grabbing moment was when i thought someone said the n word.

franchenstein's review against another edition

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3.0

The play has some powerful moments, especially in the mouths of Katherine and Wolsey, but overall it feels truncated and not very impressive.

mikewomack's review against another edition

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3.0

Read this one for Shakespeare's birthday, a day late. Sorry Bard!

The penultimate official Shakespeare play for me to read. I put this one off a few years ago, after reading most of the histories in order. KHVIII struggled to catch my attention years ago and suffered from that in this read, too.

Katherine is the best part of the play. I really liked a lot of her lines. Overall, a fine play but there is a reason why it is not in heavy rotation for productions.

Favorite line:

"How much, me thinks, I could despise this man,
But that I am bound in charity against it."