AN INTRODUCTION TO KING HENRY IV PART 2

NutsyClassic FilmsPresents:

AN INTRODUCTION TO

KING HENRY IV, PART 2BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

HISTORY & SOURCESHenry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.Shakespeare's primary source for Henry IV, Part 2, as for most of his chronicle histories, was Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles; the publication of the second edition in 1587 provides a clue to the date for the play. Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Illustrious Families of Lancaster and York appears also to have been consulted, and scholars have also supposed Shakespeare familiar with Samuel Daniel's poem on the civil wars.

THE STORYThe events of Henry IV, Part 2 take place in the early 1400s, about two centuries before Shakespeare's own time. The play picks up where Henry IV, Part One left off. Its focus is on Prince Hal's journey toward kingship, and his ultimate rejection of Falstaff. The play mixes history and comedy, moving from "high" scenes of kings and battles to "low" scenes of city taverns and country life.

DRAMATIC CHARACTERSTHE KINGS COURTKing Henry IVPrince Hal later King Henry VPrince John of Lancaster Henry's sonDuke of Gloucester Henry's sonDuke of Clarence Henry's sonEarl of WarwickEarl of SurreyEarl of WestmorlandHarcourtSir John BluntREBELSArchbishop of YorkLord BardolfLord Mowbray Earl MarshalLord HastingsSir John ColevilleEarl of NorthumberlandLady Northumberland Northumberland's wifeLady Percy widow of Henry 'Hotspur' Percy, Northumberlands's son

COMEDIC CHARACTERSEASTCHEAPSir John FalstaffBardolphPistolPoinsPetoMistress Quickly hostess of the tavernDoll Tearsheet prostituteRECRUITSRalph MouldySimon ShadowThomas WartFrancis FeeblePeter BullcalfOTHERRobert Shallow country justiceSilence country justiceDavy Shallow's servantSnare sergeantFang sergeant

THE PLOTFalstaff is still drinking and engaging in petty criminality in the London underworld. He is followed by a new character, a young page whom Prince Hal has assigned him as a joke.When news of a second rebellion arrives, Falstaff joins the army again, and goes to the country to raise forces. There he encounters Mouldy, Bullcalf, Feeble, Shadow and Wart, a band of rustic yokels who are to be conscripted into the loyalist army, with two of whom, Mouldy and Bullcalf, bribing their way out.

THE PLOT, PART 2In the other storyline, Hal remains an acquaintance of London lowlife and seems unsuited to kingship. His father, King Henry IV, has apparently forgotten his reconciliation with his son in Henry IV, Part One, and is again disappointed in the young prince. Another rebellion is launched against Henry IV, but this time it is defeated, not by a battle, but by the duplicitous political machinations of Hal's brother, Prince John. King Henry then sickens and appears to die. Hal, seeing this, believes he is King and exits with the crown. King Henry, awakening, is devastated, thinking Hal cares only about becoming King. Hal convinces him otherwise and the old king subsequently dies contentedly.

COMING TOGETHERThe two storylines meet in the final scene, in which Falstaff, having learned that Hal is now King, travels to London in expectation of great rewards. But Hal rejects him, saying that he has now changed, and can no longer associate with such people. The London lowlifes, expecting a paradise of thieves under Hal's governance, are instead purged and imprisoned by the authorities.

THEMES OF POWERShakespeare focuses on the anxieties surrounding succession and the transfer of power between father and son. For Henry IV, kingship has been an exhausting and draining experience. Because Henry usurped the crown in Richard II, he spends most of his reign defending his position and worrying about what will happen when his unruly son, Hal, takes over. When Hal replaces his father and becomes Henry V, his position is more legitimate because he's inherited the throne by lineal succession. At the same time, Hal must prove that, despite his wild youth, he's fit to rule the country.

THEMES OF FAMILYEven though Prince Hal saved his father's life at the battle of Shrewsbury in Henry IV Part 1, the troubled relationship between the king and his heir continues to parallel the civil rebellion in England. It also threatens the possibility of reestablishing any kind of political unity and order. As King Henry IV nears his death, he accuses Prince Hal of wanting him dead. Hal's success as a king seems contingent upon his making amends with his father and rejecting his surrogate father-figure, Falstaff. Hal's banishment of Falstaff and his acceptance of the Lord Chief Justice as a new "father" confirm his "reformation" from a wayward son to a monarch who will uphold civil order.

QUOTES"He hath eaten me out of house and home". (Act II, Scene I)."Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown". (Act III, Scene I)."A man can die but once". (Act III, Scene II). "We have heard the chimes at midnight". (Act III, Scene II)From Rumour's tonguesThey bring smooth comforts false, worse than true wrongs. (Induction)Past, and to come, seem best; things present, worst. (Act I, Scene III)Let the end try the man. (Act II, Scene II)

HENRY IV:II ON FILMThere have been only a few attempts to film Henry VI Part 2:The British Broadcasting System (BBC) has filmed it three times, first as part of An Age Of Kings series (1960)The second time was in 1979 as part of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare [VIDEO]And in 2012 as part of the BBC series The Hollow Crown. [VIDEO]Parts of it were also adapted in Orson Welles 1966 film Chimes at Midnight. [VIDEO]

THE ENDA NUTSY THE SQUIRREL PRODUCTIONCOPYRIGHT 2013 OAK HILLS MEDIA CENTERALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

BIBLIOGRAPHYhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_IV,_Part_2http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/henry4pt2/context.htmlhttp://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_IV,_Part_2http://www.shmoop.com/henry-iv-part-2/

MUSICRejoice, O Virgin; Sergei Rachmaninoff; Tony Garner, Rhodes College Mastersinger Chorale, 1998. http://www.patriciagray.net/Musichtmls/vespers/vespers.html

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