The article discusses the ways in which Shakespeare's tragedies (King Lear) and histories (1 and 2 Henry IV) challenged and transformed the nationalist concept of history based on primordialism. Contrasting the appropriations of King Lear and both parts of Henry IV in the translations and historical plays by Josef Kajetán Tyl and the notebooks and dramatic fragments of Karel Hynek Mácha, it demonstrates different roles of Shakespeare in shaping the historical consciousness of emerging modern Czech culture.