Part I was written in 1597. This history play had begun to
appear on the London stage around a decade before. The play gained
such an enormous popularity, that Shakespeare produced a sequel to it
- Henry IV - Part II . These two plays were very much amusing to the
public, having many of the same characters, and are therefore usually
discussed together by the critics.
Shakespeare mainly tried basing most of his characters on real people,
and later adapting them to their role. This happened with Falstaff
himself, but it is said that Falstaff is "the child of Shakespeare's
creative imagination, and, like most children of most fathers, must
have given Shakespeare considerable trouble and great joy."(1)
Falstaff is a character based on a real person, who goes by the name
of Sir John Oldcastle, and this can also be concluded from scene ii of
Act I, when Henry, Prince of Wales, who is the King's son puns:
"As the honey of Hybla, my old lad of the castle;" (A.I.ii.41) (2)
Sir John Oldcastle's wife's descendant, William, Lord Cobham, who was
Lord Chamberlain of England, was putting pressure on Shakespeare,
telling him to change the name, as it was seemed to be offensive to
his family. One book states the following:
"In the epilogue to Part II of Henry IV, Shakespeare underlines the
alteration by denying any connection between Oldcastle and Falstaff -
For Oldcastle died a martyr, and this is not the man.
So Oldcastle became Falstaff, by what exact process we do not know."
(3)
The Queen herself was very fond of Falstaff, and requested from
Shakespeare that he writes another play set around this, and other
comic charatcters from Henry IV, and adjust them to a contemporary
late-Elizabethan setting. She wished him to show Falstaff in love, and
this resulted in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Even though Henry, Prince of Wales, the King's son, who throughout the
play is referred to as Hal, is the hero of this history play, Sir John
rebellion within the tavern setting as he becomes an adult with the political prowess to
The father and son relationship is one of the most important aspects through the youth of a young man. In Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, he portrays the concept of having "two fathers". King Henry is Hal’s natural father, and Falstaff is Hal’s moral father. Hal must weigh the pros and cons of each father to decide which model he will emulate. Falstaff, who is actually Hal’s close friend, attempts to pull Hal into the life of crime, but he refuses.
Shakespeare, William. Henry IV: part two. Ed. P. H. Davison, New York: Penguin Books, 1997.
William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet” was written by Shakespeare in 1595, and was the
William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, tells the story of too unfortunate lovers caught up in their family’s hatred which in the end leads to the tragic deaths of both lovers. Classical Greek tragedy influenced Renaissance writers greatly Shakespeare was no exception. According to the dictionary, fate is ‘the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines event.’ Which means that it is out of our hands.
issue of war and while on the surface it puts England and Henry in a
One of the most famous scenes in Henry IV: Part I is the scene in which Prince Hal and Falstaff put on a play extempore. This is often cited as the most famous scene because it is Hal’s turning point in the play. However, the scene is much more than that. The play extempore is a moment of prophecy, not epiphany because is cues the reader in to the play’s major themes, and allows readers to explore the possibilities of the play’s continuance.
Henry V by William Shakespeare is a play showing King Henry V of England and his goal of obtaining the French crown for himself. After the English learned of their severe disadvantage and their small chance of getting back to home safely, Henry V’s true leadership abilities were seen. Henry’s ability to make the smart, but less courageous decision; his ability to step down from his position as king, and join his soldiers in the camp; and his ability to be ruthless and heartless towards those who were stopping him from reaching his goals all helped his army and him reach England safely even though they were facing numerous different problems. King Henry’s admirable and intelligent leadership ability is what makes him a great king, and allowed him to save the English troops from their almost certain demise against the French.
even of it’ suggests that it is the truth that Henry is no more than a
Dutton, R., & Howard, J.E. (2003). A Companion to Shakespeare’s Works.(p. 9) Maiden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
Passage Analysis - Act 5 Scene 1, lines 115-138. Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry IV Part I’ centres on a core theme: the conflict between order and disorder. Such conflict is brought to light by the use of many vehicles, including Hal’s inner conflict, the country’s political and social conflict, the conflict between the court world and the tavern world, and the conflicting moral values of characters from each of these worlds. This juxtaposition of certain values exists on many levels, and so is both a strikingly present and an underlying theme throughout the play.
The famed saying goes, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely". While this is true, an unwavering belief in the impenetrability of that power can be just as corruptive. In William Shakespeare's Richard II, the plays titular character faces exactly this dilemma. Believing his claim to the throne to be ironclad and divinely mandated, Richard finds himself at odds when he returns from war to find he has lost his power over England.
There is no more exalted ranking than the above. Richard A. Lanham in the essay “Superposed Plays” maintains that no other English tragedy has generated the literary comment which this play has produced: “Hamlet is one of the great tragedies. It has generated more comment than any other written document in English literature, one would guess, reverent, serious comment on it as a serious play” (91).
truth as possible he also had to make sure that he did not upset the
In Shakespeare's Henry IV, the complex Prince Harry is known for being a wastrel. He hangs around crimminals, highwaymen, and prostitutes. However, he is the son of the honorable King Henry IV. Harry holds the title of Prince of Wales, but his friends call him Prince Hal. During the course of the play, he uses his intelligance to continue is acting out so that when the time is right, and he is to become king, he will transform to appear as a noble and ambitious person and win over his subjects hearts. Prince Harry's main role in the play is to help unite to two plotlines that are the serious life of King Henry and Hotspurs and the comical life of Falstaff and the Boar's Head Tavern.