Édouard III

Never performed in France,Edward III is one of Shakespeare's many historical plays, an epic tale of political maneuvering, thwarted passions and wars of power.

The English king, Edward III, claims the throne of France when Charles le Bel dies without a direct heir. The Salic law prohibiting women from reigning in France applied to the English sovereign, descended from a line of women. This led to a succession crisis that would plunge the two kingdoms into the famous Hundred Years' War. On the battlefields, her son, the Black Prince, establishes himself as a heroic figure, ready to do anything for the glory of the kingdom.

Written during the reign of Elizabeth I, the undisputed sovereign, the play features women bearing the voice of reason and justice in a world ruled by men.