Henry IV, Part 1

Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, widely considered the greatest of the histories. It is set in a period beginning sometime in 1402 and ending in July, 1403. The play follows on from Richard II and is succeeded by Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V.

Plot

The main plot of Henry IV, Part 1 deals with a Scottish challenge to King Henry IV led by Henry Percy ("Hotspur"), the son of the Earl of Northumberland. But just as important to the play is the subplot, consisting of several comic scenes in the Boar's Head Tavern in Eastcheap in which Prince Hal, the 'heir to the thrown', carouses with his lowlife friends Poins, Jack Falstaff, Bardolph, and Francis the Page.

Related Topics:
King Henry IV - Henry Percy - Earl of Northumberland - Eastcheap

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Prince Hal connects the two plots; he is the son of Henry IV and the friend and comrade of Sir John Falstaff. He is widely criticized for theft, irresponsibility and over-association with commoners by the lords of his father's court (and especially by his father, himself) but eventually proves himself in battle by defeating Hotspur.

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Hal plays a number of tricks on the drowsy and pudgy Falstaff. At one point he and Poins dress themselves in green (like Robin Hood and his men) and attack Falstaff in disguise, then later encourage him to lie about the encounter. Later Hal picks the knight's pocket, taking a valuable ring and claiming it to be a copper imitation. Hal and Falstaff also stage a skit making fun of the English court for the amusement of their tavern buddies.

Related Topics:
Robin Hood - Copper

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The turning point in Hal's development comes in Act III, scene 2. His father, guilty over the sin of deposing and killing Richard II (the anointed ruler), sees God's punishment in all the disasters that hover over his realm, including Prince Hal's irresponsible conduct. (Incidentally, the crusade he is planning at the start of the play is part of an effort to redeem himself for this sin.) In this scene, the king has a private conversation (royal conference) with the prince, in which he says, "As thou art to this hour was Richard then/ When I from France set foot at Ravenspurgh;/ And even as I was then Percy is now." Hal gives an eloquent reply that may seem overdone and gore-obsessed to modern audiences, but to Elizabethans would have been a clear signal of his change of character: "I will redeem all this on Percy's head/ And, in the closing of some glorious day,/ Be bold to tell you that I am your son,/ When I will wear a garment all of blood,/ And stain my favors in a bloody mask,/ Which, washed away, shall scour my shame with it ... And I will die a hundred thousand deaths/ Ere break the smallest parcel of this vow."

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Hal does not immediately abandon Falstaff and his commoner friends, and in fact uses Falstaff's recruiting skills to enlarge his army against the Scots, but does move rapidly into a more responsible role that culminates in the slaying of Hotspur (the rejection of Falstaff occurs at the end of Henry IV, Part 2 and Falstaff's death in Henry V). However, the prince's sense of humor and good-natured friendship with the cowardly knight are preserved even then, for when Falstaff invents a series of outrageous lies to claim credit for killing Hotspur, Hal says, "For my part, if a lie do thee grace,/ I'll gild it with the happiest terms I have."

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