In general, Shakespeare's history plays depict the lives and reigns of English kings from Medieval times (roughly the twelfth to fifteenth centuries). He wrote ten history plays in total, and out of these ten, eight plays are often grouped together in what is known as the Henriad. The Henriad consists of two tetralogies, or a group of related literary works. The first tetralogy includes Henry VI, Part One, Henry VI, Part Two, Henry VI, Part Three, and Richard III. The first tetralogy focuses on the events that occurred during the famous English civil war known as the War of the Roses (1455-1487). Though these plays depict events that happened after the plays of the second tetralogy, they are considered the "first" tetralogy because they were written and performed earlier.
The second tetralogy is made up of the plays Richard II, Henry IV, Part One, Henry IV, Part Two, and Henry V. The plots of these plays predate those of the first tetralogy, and were more popular among audiences – most notably because of the inclusion of the fan favorite character, Sir John Falstaff. Whereas the first tetralogy depicted the royal and political drama associated with wartime rule, the second tetralogy places a clear focus on a single individual: Prince Hal, later Henry V. Through this tetralogy, Shakespeare traces the origin story of the prince whom many consider a type of "epic hero" in all of Shakespeare's history plays. In this tetralogy, audiences were able to witness the growth and transformation of Prince Hal from a rambunctious, seemingly debauched youth to a strong, largely democratic, and at times ruthless king adored by his people. Richard II sets the stage for this major character, providing two types of foils for Henry V: Richard, the self-absorbed and squandering ruler, and Henry Bolingbroke (Henry V's father), the ruthless pursuer of power willing to depose a sitting king.
