Raphael Holinshed

Holinshed, Raphael

Holinshed, Raphael (c.1520–c.1581). Holinshed was the author and compiler of Chronicles of England, Scotlande and Irelande, published in 1577. A second and enlarged edition in 1587 was edited by John Vowell and took the story into recent times. Holinshed had little method or sceptical approach but his eclecticism made him a valuable quarry for historical playwrights. Shakespeare made use of the Chronicles in several plays, including Lear, Macbeth, and Cymbeline and the later historical plays. Though he made considerable changes to Holinshed's version of Macbeth, the episode of the witches is reproduced almost verbatim—‘All haile, Makbeth, that hereafter shalt be king’: the taking of the crown in 2 Henry IV comes straight from Holinshed. Of his life, very little is known for certain. He may have been from Cheshire, is said to have been at Cambridge, and could have been in holy orders. He worked for the printer Reyner Wolfe. His will was proved in April 1582, when he was described as steward to Thomas Burdet of Bramcote (War.).

J. A. Cannon

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JOHN CANNON. "Holinshed, Raphael." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Holinshed, Raphael." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-HolinshedRaphael.html

JOHN CANNON. "Holinshed, Raphael." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-HolinshedRaphael.html

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Holinshed, Raphael

Holinshed, Raphael (d. ?1580), was employed as a translator by Reyner Wolfe, the printer and publisher. While in his employ he planned the Chronicles (1577) which are known by his name and are by several hands. They form the first authoritative vernacular and continuous account of the whole of English history. The Historie of England was written by Holinshed himself. The Description of England, a vivid account of English towns, villages, crops, customs, etc. of the day, was written by W. Harrison. The Chronicle was reissued, with continuation, edited by John Hooker, alias Vowell, in 1587, and politically offensive passages again taken out. This edition was widely used by Shakespeare and other dramatists.

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Holinshed, Raphael." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Holinshed, Raphael." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-HolinshedRaphael.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Holinshed, Raphael." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-HolinshedRaphael.html

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Raphael Holinshed

Raphael Holinshed , d. c.1580, English chronicler. He was a translator who also assisted Reginald Wolfe in the preparation of a universal history, which was never finished. In 1577, four years after Wolfe's death, appeared Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, which he wrote with the assistance of William Harrison and Richard Stanihurst. Many Elizabethan dramatists drew plots for plays from the book in this and later editions. Shakespeare used it for several plays, especially Macbeth, King Lear, and Cymbeline.

Bibliography: See study by S. Booth (1968).

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"Raphael Holinshed." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Raphael Holinshed." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Holinshe.html

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Holinshed, Raphael

Holinshed, Raphael (c. 1520–c.1581). Holinshed was the author and compiler of Chronicles of England, Scotlande and Irelande, published in 1577. He had little method or sceptical approach but his eclecticism made him a valuable quarry for historical playwrights. Shakespeare made use of the Chronicles in several plays, including Lear, Macbeth, and Cymbeline and the later historical plays.

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JOHN CANNON. "Holinshed, Raphael." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Holinshed, Raphael." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-HolinshedRaphael.html

JOHN CANNON. "Holinshed, Raphael." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-HolinshedRaphael.html

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Holinshed, Raphael

Holinshed, Raphael (d. c.1580), English chronicler. Although the named compiler of The Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1577), Holinshed wrote only the Historie of England and had help with the remainder. The revised (1587) edition was used by Shakespeare.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Holinshed, Raphael." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Holinshed, Raphael." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-HolinshedRaphael.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Holinshed, Raphael." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-HolinshedRaphael.html

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