Henry IV, Part 2

Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare. It was first published as part of Shakespeare's First Folio. It is the third part of a tetralogy; it is preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.

Reputation

Part 2 is generally seen as a less successful play than Part 1. Its structure, in which Falstaff and Hal barely meet, can be criticized as undramatic. Some critics believe that Shakespeare never intended to write a sequel, and that he was hampered by a lack of remaining historical material with the result that the comic scenes come across as mere 'filler'. However, the scenes involving Falstaff and Justice Shallow are admired for their touching elegiac comedy, and the scene of Falstaff's rejection can be extremely powerful onstage.

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