chronicle plays, dramas based upon 16th-century chronicles in English, particularly those of Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed. These plays became very popular late in the reign of Elizabeth I, when, in a burst of patriotism, the public became interested in the history of their country. Starting as loosely structured depictions of events featuring large casts, battle scenes, and much pageantry, the chronicles evolved into narratives of the events of the reign of a single king. Christopher Marlowe depicted the reign of Edward II, whereas Shakespeare treated the histories of kings from Richard II to Henry VIII. His Henry IV, Parts I and II, and Henry V are marked by complex characterizations and comic subplots.

chronicle, official record of events, set down in order of occurrence, important to the people of a nation, state, or city. Almanacs, The Congressional Record in the United States, and the Annual Register in England are chronicles. From ancient times rulers have made certain that written records of their achievements proclaimed their glory to posterity. King Alfred of England was perhaps the first to encourage objectivity. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in lively English prose, notes the inauspicious beginnings of the British navy in A.D. 897: while pursuing the Danes, Alfred's long boats ran aground at low tide. Other chronicles of literary as well as historical interest are Tacitus' Annals (1st cent. A.D.), Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (7th cent.), Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (c.1135), and Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1577). Modern developments of the form include the daily metropolitan newspaper, which provides exhaustive coverage of a panorama of events, from space exploration to kitchen range experimentation; and such codifications of journalistic sources as The New York Times Index and the New York Times Idea Bank—the latter a computerized Index, which makes any name or fact instantly available.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, collective name given several English monastic chronicles in Anglo-Saxon, all stemming from a compilation made from old annals and other sources c.891. Although the work was thought for some time to have been commissioned by King Alfred, there is no positive evidence to substantiate this claim; his encouragement of learning, however, undoubtedly inspired the compilation of the chronicle. The original chronicle was later edited with additions, omissions, and continuations by monks in various monasteries. The account begins with the start of the Christian era and extends to 1154. Much of the very early material is drawn from Bede's history. From the period of the wars between Saxons and Danes onward, most of the annals are original and are the sole source for information about certain events. The writing is generally in sparse prose, but some poems are inserted, notably the stirring "Battle of Brunanburh" (see Brunanburh). The four chronicles recognized as distinct are called the Winchester Chronicle, the Abingdon Chronicle, the Worcester Chronicle, and the Peterborough Chronicle.

or history play

Play with a theme from history that often holds up the past as a lesson for the present. Chronicle plays developed from medieval morality plays and flourished in times of nationalistic fervour, as in England from the 1580s to the 1630s. They included plays such as The Victories of Henry the Fifth and The True Tragedie of Richard III and reached maturity with Christopher Marlowe's Edward II and William Shakespeare's Henry VI.

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