In response to Chicago Shakespeare’s 2016 productions of Tug of War: Foreign Fire and Tug of War: Civil Strife, this seminar discussion class will examine the six plays inspiring Barbara Gaines’ adaptation. Together, these plays chronicle an intriguing chapter of English history marked by ambition and betrayal. The stunning literary journey through the soaring rhetoric of Shakespeare examines a spectrum of monarchs, from the ultimate hero, Henry V, to the greatest villain, Richard III.