During Shakespeare's life, the History Plays were more than a collection of history lessons. They were cause to compare and contrast with the current monarchy and draw out allegories and allusions. They were political and therefore dangerous. Yet William Shakespeare never spent time in prison, unlike his fellow playwrights, Marlowe, Kyd and Jonson. The identification of authorship candidate, Henry Neville, by James and Rubinstein, has opened the door to reinterpret the canon.