This study deals with the central reflection figure of the fictional in Shakespeares history play Henry V: mockery. At the core of this analysis is the relation of mockeries and true things in Henry V. The play makes use of this relation to construe its own poetics, balancing truth and history with imitation and poetry in the sense of fiction. This study examines aspects of communication and translation, the role of the audience, concepts of possibility and necessity, and contextualises the play in early modern discourse on poetry and poetics.

Susanne Riecker hat in englischer Literatur an der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen promoviert. Zu ihren Forschungsinteressen gehören neben frühneuzeitlichem Drama und Fiktionalität auch die Intersektion von Literaturwissenschaft und formaler Linguistik, zu der sie im Forschungsprojekt A2 im SFB 833 gearbeitet hat.