King Stephen

William Shakespeare (attrib.) (unknown date)

Historical Records

Stationers' Register

29 June 1660 (SR2, 2.271, CLIO)

Master Hum. Moseley

Entred for his copies under the hand of MASTER THRALE warden, the severall plays following that is to say . . . . xiijs . . . The History of King Stephen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . } Duke Humphrey, a Tragedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . } by Will: Shakespeare. Iphis & Iantha, or a marriage without a man, a comedy . }

Theatrical Provenance

Unknown; presumably it would have been performed by the Lord Chamberlain's / King's men.

Probable Genre(s)

History.

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

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References to the Play

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Critical Commentary

In a variant of the formulation he applies to each of the three plays registered by Moseley in 1660, Bentley writes: “It is most unlikely that The History of King Stephen was written by Shakespeare, for no other reference to the title is known” (5.1361).

For What It's Worth

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Works Cited

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citation goes here

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