Bliss, Lee. “The Wheel of Fortune and the Maiden Phoenix of Shakespeare's King Henry the Eighth.” In King John and Henry VIII: Critical Essays, edited by Frances A. Shirley, pp. 313-39. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1988.

Contends that the “moral complexity” dramatized in Henry VIII is reflected in the appropriately contradictory elements and uneven structure of the play.

Brownlow, F. W. “From Two Shakespearean Sequences: Henry VI to Richard II and Pericles to Timon of Athens.” In King John and Henry VIII: Critical Essays, edited by Frances A. Shirley, pp. 341-59. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1988.

Examines the characterization of Claudio as an erring hero.

Cook, Albert. “The Ordering Effect of Dramatized History: Shakespeare and Henry VIII.” Centennial Review 42, No. 1 (Winter 1998): 5-28.

Focuses on the theatrical interaction of religion and politics in comparison with Shakespeare's other histories.

Jesson, Paul. “Henry VIII.” In Players of Shakespeare 4, edited by Robert Smallwood, pp. 114-31. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Provides an actor's perspective into the character of Henry VIII.

Leech, Clifford. “Henry VIII.” In William Shakespeare: The Chronicles, pp. 33-39. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1962.

A general introduction to the plot and textual history of the play.

Micheli, Linda McJ. “‘Sit by Us’: Visual Imagery and the Two Queens in Henry VIII.” Shakespeare Quarterly 38, No. 4 (Winter 1987): 452-66.

Studies “nonverbal” expression in Henry VIII.

Müller, Wolfgang G. “Shakespeare’s Last Image of Royalty: Henry VIII.” In Henry VIII: In History, Historiography and Literature, edited by Uwe Baumann, pp. 223-39. New York: Peter Lang, 1993.

Discusses the recent critical rediscovery of Henry VIII, and contends that the play’s political emphasis outweighs its romantic elements.

Noling, Kim H. “Grubbing up the Stock: Dramatizing Queens in Henry VIII.” Shakespeare Quarterly 39, No. 3 (Fall 1988): 291-306.

Criticizes Shakespeare's “authorization” of King Henry's treatment of women as merely means for producing heirs.

Patterson, Annabel. “‘All Is True’: Negotiating the Past in Henry VIII.” In Elizabethan Theater: Essays in Honor of S. Schoenbaum, edited by R. B. Parker and S. P. Zitner, pp. 147-65. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1996.

Argues that Shakespeare's focus on the problem of historical truth is deliberately tied to the political and religious dynamics of the Reformation.

Rudnytsky, Peter L. “Henry VIII and the Deconstruction of History.” Shakespeare Survey: An Annual Survey of Shakespeare Studies and Production 43 (1991): 43-57.

Contends that the play ultimately calls into question the heroic status of Henry VIII and explores a complex “crisis of authority.”

Smidt, Kristian. “From Unconformities in Shakespeare's History Plays.” In King John and Henry VIII: Critical Essays, edited by Frances A. Shirley, pp. 361-78. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1988.

Reviews the common criticisms of Henry VIII and defends the strength of King Henry's character.