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    King Henry IV, Part One
    King Henry IV, Part One
    King Henry IV, Part One
    Ebook136 pages2 hours

    King Henry IV, Part One

    By William Shakespeare

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    Irresponsibility of Youth-- The reign of King Henry IV is not going smoothly. He is at odds with the Percys and much of the nobility does not consider his son, Hal, a worthy successor to the crown. Hal, along with his best friend John Falstaff, spends too much of his time in taverns and in the company of the lowest members of society. But fate intercedes and Hal is given the opportunity to redeem himself. By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon, Or dive into the bottom of the deep, Where fathom-line could never touch the ground, And pluck up drowned honour by the locks.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWilder Publications, Inc.
    Release dateJun 10, 2015
    ISBN9781627557184
    King Henry IV, Part One
    Author

    William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist in the English language. Shakespeare is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon.”  

    Read more from William Shakespeare

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    Reviews for King Henry IV, Part One

    4/5

    604 ratings14 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed reading Shakepeare's "King Henry IV, Part One". It was my first time reading one of Shakepeare's historical plays and this one exceeded my expectations.It's got a good story line, Henry IV is fighting rivals for his throne and trying to bring his unruly son under control. Falstaff is a pretty funny character -- I thought he was much more fun here than in "The Merry Wives of Windsor."
    • 4/5
      I only have to read part one for my class, but I think I'll read part two, too, in due course. Falstaff is amusing, and I rather enjoy Hal, too. I preferred it to Richard II, I think.

      No need to say that I loved the language and thought it'd be even better on the stage. That's just Shakespeare for you.

      (Why didn't I used to like Shakespeare? Probably because I repeatedly got Romeo & Juliet shoved down my throat, and his comedies aren't to my taste.)
    • 4/5
      After a bad experience with Richard II, I was starting to worry that Shakespeare’s history plays weren’t for me, when Henry IV, Part I came along to save me from that delusion. This is a wonderful play, perhaps one of my favorites of Shakespeare's now. It balances so many different elements—the court, the tavern, the rebel camp, the pathos, the humor, the discourse on honor. And it presented me with characters I could truly care about.Faltstaff is often put forward as one of Shakespeare’s greatest creations, and understandably so. The old, fat, roguish knight has a towering presence even on the page, and I could sympathize with his fatherly love for Prince Hal and his fear that the boy will eventually turn on him. Henry IV, who was emotionally distant in Richard II (like most everyone), has some wonderful moments of vulnerability, even breaking into tears in Act III scene 2. And despite the fact that he’s the antagonist, I found Hotspur oddly likable. He’s brazen and impetuous—there must be Scots blood in there somewhere—and in spite of his constant avowals that he does not have “the gift of tongue,” he’s quite eloquent:“But I tell you, my lord fool, out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.”Methinks the noble lord doth protest too much.Actually, the only character who I had trouble liking was Hal himself, the protagonist. I learned this story through an old Wishbone episode, which whitewashed the character somewhat, so I was surprised to pick up the play and discover just how cunning and scheming he is. His dissoluteness and eventual redemption are not genuine, but staged to bring about a certain end; in the meantime, he manipulates the people around him with Machiavellian dexterity. I find that more and more I am placing a premium on honesty, both in books and in real life, and that may be why I prefer some of the other characters over the prince. Falstaff’s attempts at fibbing and playacting are generally unconvincing to those around him—he is inexpert—and I don’t think Hotspur could every bring himself to tell a barefaced lie, which may be one of the reasons I find him so lovable.This is where we ended our perusal of the history plays in my Shakespeare class, but I plan to continue with this particular tetralogy before PBS airs new adaptations of all four plays later this year. Because I enjoyed Henry IV, Part I so much, I’m looking forward to reading more about these characters.
    • 4/5
      Another great one! If I remember right, the second part of Henry IV is not as great...I'll have to kinda slog through it on my way to Henry V, which at this point is like having sex with your wife. Henry V, not slogging through 2 Henry IV, I mean. I've read Henry V like fifty times and seen the movie at least five - my mom really liked that thing. That and Amadeus. Remember back when VCRs were for watching old movies instead of new ones? ("No, because I'm not a million years old like you." "Get off my lawn.") Anyway, after thinking about it for six and a half sentences, the sex / Henry V comparison doesn't make any sense, so never mind.

      I found myself losing focus sometimes during 1 Henry IV, and I'm not sure whether it was the context - I had little free time this weekend and I found myself reading it in small bites, sometimes while the wife watched cooking reality shows. Not a great way to read Shakespeare - or maybe it was that it's been a while since I read a bunch of Shakespeare in quick succession, and my Shakespeare muscles have gone all flabby. We'll see.

      Where Richard II was very faithful to the actual history, Shakespeare departs more readily from the strict truth of things in the Henry IV plays. He throws a lot more stuff in from non-historical characters, Falstaff being the obvious one, possibly because he needs some padding to make this into two different plays; I'm not sure why he did two plays, but maybe I'll get it more after the second one. (I've read all this before, but it's been a while so I don't remember how 2 Henry IV ends.) The dramatic arc in this first part works perfectly, anyway; the climactic (and completely fabricated) duel between the young Henry V and Hotspur makes a great Act V.

      Interesting, by the way, that Henry V is at least co-lead with Henry IV in this first part, and he's clearly the main character in the second. Just sayin'. I wonder whether we'd see these plays differently if 2 Henry IV had been called 1 Henry V. I think Henry IV gets less attention than Henry V in part because it's two plays, which makes people more anxious about reading them. More commitment, y'know? But if you take 1 Henry IV on its own...well, it's not as good as Richard II, but it's very good.

      I'm rambling badly, aren't I? Truth is I have work to do and I don't want to do it. But okay, I should get to it. See you soon for 2 Henry IV.

      Saccio's book, by the way, is great. Fun to read, really informative. My pattern has been to read the chapter about the play, then the play, then my Riverside Shakespeare's intro to the play; it's working out nicely. There's a lot of flipping between books involved, though; I'm going to buy a physical copy of Saccio today so I can reference it better. Paging around on a Kindle totally sucks.
    • 5/5
      Folger editions are my fave.
    • 3/5
      Don't look for an educated review here, I've barely touched the surface having only read the play one time. I tried to watch two versions of this, but they did not catch my fancy. I enjoyed the reading of it though, and intend to read the second part very soon. Action, intrigue, a bit of comedy/farce. Good stuff.
    • 4/5
      I'm not as fond of Shakespeare's histories as I am some of his other plays, but Falstaff is a great and memorable character.
    • 4/5
      Richard II is dead, and Henry of Bolingbroke is now king Henry IV. He has a wild son, Prince Hal, and his nobles are restive, especially the earl of Worcester, a former ally in the overthrow of Richard II. Hal has low companions, notably John Falstaff, a disorderly knight, but comes to his father's aid in quelling part of the rebellion. There is a lot in this play about conflict between fathers and sons. It reads well.I've recorded it as read 6 times.
    • 4/5
      I was a bit worried that I wouldn't get it, since I always have trouble with any books or movies which mix the funny and the serious. But I had no problems with this (unlike, say, The Tempest). Looking forward to part II and Henry V.

      "But thoughts, the slaves of life, and life, time's fool
      And time, that takes survey of all the world,
      Must have a stop." Hotspur, V 4 80-82.

      "Why? She's neither fish nor flesh; a man knows not where to have her."
      "Thou art an unjust man in saying so. Thou or any man knows where to have me, thou knave thou." Falstaff & Mrs Quickly, III 3 126-129.
    • 3/5
      Much more interesting than Richard II. The love of Henry IV for Hotspur over his own son seems to foreshadow the King Lear tragedy. Shakespeare depicts HIV as a fairly weak king, in my opinion, but I suppose this is meant to boost HV's status.The Hal/Falstaff robbery scene was quite amusing and set up the drama of the Hal/Hotspur confrontation with Falstaff taking credit for Hotspur's death.
    • 5/5
      The central characters are supposed to be an old king trying to keep the crown he so dubiously earned and the wild young prince whose only apparent virtue in this play is his loyalty and fighting prowess. They are, as everyone knows, upstaged by two anti-heroes, the warrior Hotspur and the rough Sir John Falstaff. Hotspur was most interesting in his domestic scenes, where he proved himself to be an indifferent husband and a very trying in-law. I have heard so much about Falstaff over the years that it was a great joy to finally meet the old fart. Family conflicts, plots, fight scenes, and plenty of comic relief: someone watching this at the time would have thought that Shakespeare had done all that anyone could do with a history play.
    • 5/5
      It doesn't have the famous speeches of Henry V, but it has the action, the humor, Hotspur, and... FALSTAFF. I can only imagine some Elizabethan Chris Farley got rich off this part. It would only make sense.
    • 4/5
      Blah, blah, blah, John Falstaff, what a laugh. Blah, blah, blah, the meaning of valor and honor. The prodigal brat son repairs his ways and leads the country to implied future greatness. These are all themes that seem a bit tired in our day, but Shakespeare probably played some role in putting them together in the first place.Henry IVi is the second of the Bard's (imposing) historical tetralogy following the ascent of Lancastrian dynasty, which first grapple into power in Richard II and carry it through the series. Then there's the Henry VI plays (a different set). Then things devolve into chaos in full-on War of the Roses mode through dastardly Richard III before everyone gets vanquished by the glorious Tudors (one must pause and consider the historical source here a bit—Shakespeare as propaganda mouthpiece for the Tudors? Hells yeah, for sure). OK, OK, so the Shakespeare history plays. Hard. I won't gloss over that. And by hard I mean keeping one's head around the characters. The (wayward) future Henry V is referenced in the play as: Prince, Henry, Harry, Hal, Lancaster, the Prince of Wales. Most people are named Henry and most have more than one title, which also serves as a moniker. Here's my advice. Remember these names: Percy, Neville, Northumberland. Those are the names and ducal territories of the dastardly northerners who rebel against Henry Bolingbroke (that is, the former Duke of Lancaster, aka Henry IV) in the play. To this day, the Percys and Nevilles are northerners with oomph (the current head of the Neville clan is Christopher George Charles Nevill, 6th Marquess of Abergavenny, born 1955; the current Duke of Northumberland is a Percy). The fractious Percys and Nevilles, fronted by exquisite hothead Henry Percy—sigh, another Percy, another Henry, but rest easy: he's called Hotspur throughout the play and lives up to the title—aren't happy with the hand they've been dealt since Henry IV's deposition of wimpy old Richard II. Promises, promises, Henry IV made, but apparently isn't delivering. The specific reasons for the revolt are not that clear, nor do they appear to be that important to Shakespeare.At the same time, wastrel/quintessential prodigal brat, the young King Hal, is frolicking around with the farcical John Falstaff, who resembles nothing more than a 16th-century Homer Simpson: fat, dumb, greedy, pathetic comic relief. His bawdy dipshittery is a stand-in for Hal's real father (the king). The king would like nothing more than for Hal to act like Hotspur (this before the revolt), who, in his mind, is the ideal valiant son. Throughout the play, Falstaff plays the opposite tack in terms of honor, through several speeches decrying its perceived value. Interesting stuff. The play's tavern antics are balanced with standard Shakespeare high-falutin' battle scenes. Everything ends well enough, with Hotspur dying grandly and honorably, and the succession less threatened. The plays vernacular, prose (i.e. not in meter) sections are some of the hardest Shakespeare to get through, and require glossing for all but the most middle/early-modern English expert. Get a good edition with lots of footnotes. I use the Folger Library series, not because of their physical quality—they have rough paper and the reek of coloring books or newsprint—but because their facing-page notes are the easiest reference I've found for getting through the plays. Not by a sight my favorite Shakespeare play, but, hey, I'm making it through the histories.
    • 4/5
      This play was the second in a series of 8 which together formed Shakespeare’s masterful saga of 'History' plays chronicling the turbulent final century of the Plantagenet Dynasty from the deposition of Richard II in 1399 to the death of Richard III at Bosworth field in 1485.

      Altogether, they have all the high drama of an epic saga with their vivid accounts of treachery, ambition, power, betrayal, feuding and war in an age of bloody upheaval.
      If all this sounds gloomy and depressing, there are also colourful well-developed and memorable characters including the 'man mountain' plump and usually tipsy John Falstaff and the heroic Henry V as well as plenty of courage, chivalry and deeds of daring-do with a smattering of romance and humour.

      Whoever said Shakespeare was boring? It should be said, however, that I could not fully appreciate these plays by simply reading them- they had to be seen as well. They are not, after all, novels, and reading through them in the way one would a book can be a tedious experience.

      In this play King Henry IV struggles to maintain his position and power in the face of rebellion from the influential, passionate, impetuous and headstrong Henry Hotspur young son of the powerful Earl of Northumberland who joins with the King's enemies.
      Alongside the threat of rebellion and civil war King Henry strives with his own wayward son Prince Hal (the future Henry V) who spends most of his time in seedy taverns and the company of ne'er-do- wells such as John Falstaff.

      As events come to a head, Hal promises to prove himself worthy of his father's respect, and ultimately the position and authority of his future Kingship on the battlefield.

    Book preview

    King Henry IV, Part One - William Shakespeare

    King Henry IV, Part One

    by William Shakespeare

    Wilder Publications, Inc.

    Copyright © 2014

    All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

    Manufactured in the United States of America

    10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

    ISBN 978-1-62755-718-4

    Table of Contents

    Dramatis Personae

    ACT I

    ACT I. SCENE I. London. The Palace.

    ACT I. Scene II. London. An apartment of the Prince’s.

    ACT I. Scene III. London. The Palace.

    ACT II

    ACT II. SCENE I. Rochester. An inn yard.

    ACT II. Scene II. The highway near Gadshill.

    ACT II. Scene III. Warkworth Castle.

    ACT II. Scene IV. Eastcheap. The Boar’s Head Tavern.

    ACT III. SCENE I. Bangor. The Archdeacon’s house.

    ACT III. Scene II. London. The Palace.

    ACT III. Scene III. Eastcheap. The Boar’s Head Tavern.

    ACT IV

    ACT IV. SCENE I. The rebel camp near Shrewsbury.

    ACT IV. Scene II. A public road near Coventry.

    ACT IV. Scene III. The rebel camp near Shrewsbury.

    ACT IV. Scene IV. York. The Archbishop’s Palace.

    ACT V

    ACT V. SCENE I. The King’s camp near Shrewsbury.

    ACT V. Scene II. The rebel camp.

    ACT V. Scene III. Plain between the camps.

    ACT V. Scene IV. Another part of the field.

    ACT V. Scene V. Another part of the field.

    Dramatis Personae

    KING HENRY THE FOURTH.

    HENRY, PRINCE OF WALES, son to the King.

    PRINCE JOHN OF LANCASTER, son to the King.

    EARL OF WESTMORELAND.

    SIR WALTER BLUNT.

    THOMAS PERCY, Earl of Worcester.

    HENRY PERCY, Earl of Northumberland.

    HENRY PERCY, SURNAMED HOTSPUR, his son.

    EDMUND MORTIMER, Earl of March.

    RICHARD SCROOP, Archbishop of York.

    ARCHIBALD, Earl of Douglas.

    OWEN GLENDOWER.

    SIR RICHARD VERNON.

    SIR JOHN FALSTAFF.

    SIR MICHAEL, a friend to the Archbishop of York.

    POINS.

    GADSHILL

    PETO.

    BARDOLPH.

    LADY PERCY, wife to Hotspur, and sister to Mortimer.

    LADY MORTIMER, daughter to Glendower, and wife to Mortimer.

    MISTRESS QUICKLY, hostess of the Boar’s Head in Eastcheap.

    Lords, Officers, Sheriff, Vintner, Chamberlain, Drawers, two

    Carriers, Travellers, and Attendants.

    ACT I

    ACT I. SCENE I. London. The Palace.

    Enter the King, Lord John of Lancaster, Earl of Westmoreland,

    [Sir Walter Blunt,] with others.

    KING: So shaken as we are, so wan with care,

    Find we a time for frighted peace to pant

    And breathe short—winded accents of new broils

    To be commenc’d in stronds afar remote.

    No more the thirsty entrance of this soil

    Shall daub her lips with her own children’s blood.

    No more shall trenching war channel her fields,

    Nor Bruise her flow’rets with the armed hoofs

    Of hostile paces. Those opposed eyes

    Which, like the meteors of a troubled heaven,

    All of one nature, of one substance bred,

    Did lately meet in the intestine shock

    And furious close of civil butchery,

    Shall now in mutual well—beseeming ranks

    March all one way and be no more oppos’d

    Against acquaintance, kindred, and allies.

    The edge of war, like an ill—sheathed knife,

    No more shall cut his master. Therefore, friends,

    As far as to the sepulchre of Christ—

    Whose soldier now, under whose blessed cross

    We are impressed and engag’d to fight—

    Forthwith a power of English shall we levy,

    Whose arms were moulded in their mother’s womb

    To chase these pagans in those holy fields

    Over whose acres walk’d those blessed feet

    Which fourteen hundred years ago were nail’d

    For our advantage on the bitter cross.

    But this our purpose now is twelvemonth old,

    And bootless ‘tis to tell you we will go.

    Therefore we meet not now. Then let me hear

    Of you, my gentle cousin Westmoreland,

    What yesternight our Council did decree

    In forwarding this dear expedience.

    WESTMORELAND: My liege, this haste was hot in question

    And many limits of the charge set down

    But yesternight; when all athwart there came

    A post from Wales, loaden with heavy news;

    Whose worst was that the noble Mortimer,

    Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight

    Against the irregular and wild Glendower,

    Was by the rude hands of that Welshman taken,

    A thousand of his people butchered;

    Upon whose dead corpse there was such misuse,

    Such beastly shameless transformation,

    By those Welshwomen done as may not be

    Without much shame retold or spoken of.

    KING: It seems then that the tidings of this broil

    Brake off our business for the Holy Land.

    WESTMORELAND: This, match’d with other, did, my gracious lord;

    For more uneven and unwelcome news

    Came from the North, and thus it did import:

    On Holy—rood Day the gallant Hotspur there,

    Young Harry Percy, and brave Archibald,

    That ever—valiant and approved Scot,

    At Holmedon met,

    Where they did spend a sad and bloody hour;

    As by discharge of their artillery

    And shape of likelihood the news was told;

    For he that brought them, in the very heat

    And pride of their contention did take horse,

    Uncertain of the issue any way.

    KING: Here is a dear, a true—industrious friend,

    Sir Walter Blunt, new lighted from his horse,

    Stain’d with the variation of each soil

    Betwixt that Holmedon and this seat of ours,

    And he hath brought us smooth and welcome news.

    The Earl of Douglas is discomfited;

    Ten thousand bold Scots, two—and—twenty knights,

    Balk’d in their own blood did Sir Walter see

    On Holmedon’s plains. Of prisoners, Hotspur took

    Mordake Earl of Fife and eldest son

    To beaten Douglas, and the Earl of Athol,

    Of Murray, Angus, and Menteith.

    And is not this an honourable spoil?

    A gallant prize? Ha, cousin, is it not?

    WESTMORELAND: In faith,

    It is a conquest for a prince to boast of.

    KING: Yea, there thou mak’st me sad, and mak’st me sin

    In envy that my Lord Northumberland

    Should be the father to so blest a son—

    A son who is the theme of honour’s tongue,

    Amongst a grove the very straightest plant;

    Who is sweet Fortune’s minion and her pride;

    Whilst I, by looking on the praise of him,

    See riot and dishonour stain the brow

    Of my young Harry. O that it could be prov’d

    That some night—tripping fairy had exchang’d

    In cradle clothes our children where they lay,

    And call’d mine Percy, his Plantagenet!

    Then would I have his Harry, and he mine.

    But let him from my thoughts. What think you, coz,

    Of this young Percy’s pride? The prisoners

    Which he in this adventure hath surpris’d

    To his own use he keeps, and sends me word

    I shall have none but Mordake Earl of Fife.

    WESTMORELAND: This is his uncle’s teaching, this Worcester,

    Malevolent to you In all aspects,

    Which makes him prune himself and bristle up

    The crest of youth against your dignity.

    KING: But I have sent for him to answer this;

    And for this cause awhile we must neglect

    Our holy purpose to Jerusalem.

    Cousin, on Wednesday next our council we

    Will hold at Windsor. So inform the lords;

    But come yourself with speed to us again;

    For more is to be said and to be done

    Than out of anger can be uttered.

    WESTMORELAND: I will my liege. Exeunt.

    ACT I. Scene II. London. An apartment of the Prince’s.

    Enter Prince of Wales and Sir John Falstaff.

    FALSTAFF: Now, Hal, what time of day is it, lad?

    PRINCE HENRY: Thou art so fat—witted with drinking of old sack, and

    unbuttoning thee after supper, and sleeping upon benches after

    noon, that thou hast forgotten to demand that truly which thou

    wouldest truly know. What a devil hast thou to do with the time

    of the day, Unless hours were cups of sack, and minutes capons,

    and clocks the tongues of bawds, and dials the signs of leaping

    houses, and the blessed sun himself a fair hot wench in

    flame—coloured taffeta, I see

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