 "Holinshed's Chronicles" did not receive the credit that it deserved due to the fact that it merely lacked certain characteristics; instead, it had been replaced by other works, one noted was "Polydore Vergil's Anglicae Historiae".Being the inspiration for Shakespeare, the majority of the content is overshadowed by the popularity of the playwright's work.Shakespeare

Shakespeare used the revised second edition of the "Chronicles" (published in 1587) as the source for most of his historical plays, such as "Richard III", the plot of "Macbeth", and for portions of "King Lear" and "Cymbeline".