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n the field of ancient Greek philosophy. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle respectively expressed their own views on the definition of power, the subject of power implementation and the scope of power acceptance, and wrote books, forming the traditional concept of power in the West. Socrates advocated the change of philosophical research content from “God” to “man”, in order to explore human rationality and ethics. In the Republic, Plato described the opposition between knowledge and power, and it was only when philosophers became rulers that the opposition could be resolved. Aristotle’s cry, “I love my teacher, more so the truth,” deepened the impenetrable divide between knowledge and power. The opposition between knowledge and power and the city-state system of ancient Greece complement each other, thus forming the reality that power and politics are closely related.

Michel Foucault took the lead in systematically elaborating the constitution and operation mechanism of power. He inherited Althusser’s thought of “ideological state machine”, continued Michel Peshaw’s elaboration of discourse theory, and put forward the theory of “power-discourse”, which profoundly influenced the assumption of power in the new historicism. Foucault connected discourse with power and expanded their respective connotations. The concept of “discourse” first appeared in Foucault’s Archaeology of Knowledge. He used “discourse” instead of “language” to highlight the metaphorical structure behind the discourse. “Discourse events define not the real heavy being, nor the regular usage of words, but the order of objects”1.

Conclusion

Henry VIII, as his last history play, brought Shakespeare’s theatrical career to a successful end. However, this history play continues to be controversial in literary and historical circles. That’s because scholars have questioned whether Shakespeare wrote this play alone or whether he collaborated with others. Secondly, the most controversial aspect of this history play is the real existence of Henry VIII, who is the most controversial king in English history. Therefore, the study of Henry VIII is beneficial to explore the artistic characteristics of the play itself and to reproduce the original appearance of historical events. This paper uses Greenblatt’s theory of new historicism to study Henry VIII and the mode of power operation in England in the 16th century, providing a new theoretical path for the study of Shakespeare.

First of all, Henry VIII is the place where the action takes place and where power operates. The characters in the play show Tudor society in the 16th century through their struggle for political power. These three kinds of dominant social powers in Henry VIII are divided into three kinds of mainstream powers, namely the power of king, monarch and men. Accordingly, there are three subversive forces, namely the power of courtiers, bishops and women. They use their power to resist the exclusive rule of Henry VIII, but in the end, they are suppressed and reintegrated into the crown, allowing the king’s power to grow and identify the true owners of power. Therefore, power is created and controlled by people, but it is not stable in the hands of many but in the hands of a few.

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