How Did Shakespeare Use Propaganda During The War Of The Roses

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The use of propaganda during the Wars of the Roses was the first time propaganda had been used in England. Before the wars, publicity had been used. There is an immense difference between publicity and propaganda. Publicity is promoting the iconic royalty that the public already has well-known knowledge about. However, propaganda is contorted information that is used to rally support for a conflict. Richard III used propaganda to call Henry Tudor and his followers open murderers, adulterers, people who betrayed God, and he made the claim that they did not have honor for their country. However, one thing they did not need to rally support for was the army. Both of the armies consisted of men who fought for war wages, or their masters and landlords …show more content…

They were a series of civil wars between two influential families in England, the Lancasters and the Yorks. Shakespeare associated the two families with roses in his play Henry IV, completely changing the name of the wars for the rest of history. Richard, the Duke of York, thought it would be easy to gain the crown in England because of Henry IV’s mental instability. Therefore, he started a battle with Henry at St. Albans, which was the first battle of the Wars of the Roses. As the Wars of the Roses continued, both sides started to lose confidence in themselves. Therefore, they started using propaganda. The use of propaganda during the Wars of the Roses was the first time propaganda was used in England; it also helped shape the way propaganda is used in today’s society. The use of propaganda helped build confidence and rally support for both sides. There were many important battles, however the most important battle was the battle of Towton. It was the biggest, longest, and most gruesome battle in English history, which resulted in a Yorkist victory. The murders of Richard, the Duke of York and King Richard III are what helped the start of the House of Tudor. However, the main catalyst was the marriage between King Henry VII and Edward VI’s daughter, which laid the foundation of the Tudor

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