''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a
history play
History is one of the three main genres in Western theatre alongside tragedy and comedy, although it originated, in its modern form, thousands of years later than the other primary genres. For this reason, it is often treated as a subset of trage ...
by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King
Henry IV of England
Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...
, beginning with the
battle at Homildon Hill late in 1402, and ending with King Henry's victory in the
Battle of Shrewsbury
The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King Henry IV and a rebel army led by Henry "Harry Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland. The battle, the first in which English archers ...
in mid-1403. In parallel to the political conflict between King Henry and a rebellious faction of nobles, the play depicts the escapades of King Henry's son,
Prince Hal
Prince Hal is the standard term used in literary criticism to refer to Shakespeare's portrayal of the young Henry V of England as a prince before his accession to the throne, taken from the diminutive form of his name used in the plays almost ex ...
(the future King
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
), and his eventual return to court and favour.
''Henry IV, Part 1'' is the first of Shakespeare's two plays which deal with the reign of Henry IV (the other being ''
Henry IV, Part 2''), and the second play in the
Henriad, a modern designation for the tetralogy of plays that deal with the successive reigns of
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
,
Henry IV, and
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
. From its first performance on, it has been an extremely popular work both with the public and critics.
Characters
''Of the King's party''
*
King Henry the Fourth – King of England.
*
Henry, Prince of Wales (nicknamed "
Prince Hal
Prince Hal is the standard term used in literary criticism to refer to Shakespeare's portrayal of the young Henry V of England as a prince before his accession to the throne, taken from the diminutive form of his name used in the plays almost ex ...
" or "Harry") – eldest son of Henry IV
*
John of Lancaster
John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford KG (20 June 138914 September 1435) was a medieval English prince, general and statesman who commanded England's armies in France during a critical phase of the Hundred Years' War. Bedford was the third son of ...
– represented in the play as the King's second son, although he was actually the third
*
Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland
*
Sir Walter Blount ("Blunt")
''
Eastcheap''
*
Sir John Falstaff – a knight and friend of Prince Hal's
*
Ned Poins
*
Bardolph
* Peto
*
Mistress Quickly
Mistress Nell Quickly is a fictional character who appears in several plays by William Shakespeare. She is an inn-keeper, who runs the Boar's Head Tavern, at which Sir John Falstaff and his disreputable cronies congregate.
The character appea ...
– hostess of the
Boar's Head Tavern
* Francis –
tapster
* Vintner – tavern keeper
* Gadshill
* Two Carriers (Mugs and Tom)
*
Ostler
''Rebels''
*
Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
*
Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester
Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester, KG (134323 July 1403) was an English medieval nobleman and naval commander best known for leading the rebellion with his nephew Henry Percy, known as 'Harry Hotspur', and his elder brother, Henry Percy, 1st Ear ...
– Northumberland's brother
*
Harry Percy (nicknamed "Hotspur") – Northumberland's son
*
Edmund Mortimer – Hotspur's brother-in-law and Glendower's son-in-law
*
Owen Glendower – leader of the Welsh rebels
*
Archibald, Earl of Douglas – leader of the Scottish rebels
*
Sir Richard Vernon, 8th Baron of Shipbrook
*
Richard le Scrope ("Scroop"), Archbishop of York
* Sir Michael – a friend to the Archbishop of York
*
Lady Percy
''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...
("Kate", though her real name was Elizabeth) - Hotspur's wife and Mortimer's sister
*
Lady Mortimer (Catrin) - Glendower's daughter and Mortimer's wife
''Other Characters''
* Chamberlain
* Sheriff
* Travellers
* Servant to Hotspur
* Lords, Officers, Drawers, Messengers, and Attendants
''Mentioned only''
* Robin Ostler, deceased character who preceded the current Ostler, concerned with the price of oats
* Gilliams, courier sent by Hotspur
Synopsis
![Henry4thHal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Henry4thHal.jpg)
The play follows three groups of characters who initially interact only indirectly. These groups grow closer as the play progresses, coming together at the climax during the
Battle of Shrewsbury
The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King Henry IV and a rebel army led by Henry "Harry Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland. The battle, the first in which English archers ...
. The first is centered around
King Henry IV and his immediate council, who contrive to suppress a growing rebellion. The second is the group of rebel lords, led by
Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester
Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester, KG (134323 July 1403) was an English medieval nobleman and naval commander best known for leading the rebellion with his nephew Henry Percy, known as 'Harry Hotspur', and his elder brother, Henry Percy, 1st Ear ...
and including his brother, the
Earl of Northumberland, and energetic nephew,
Harry Percy ("Hotspur"). The
Scottish Earl of Douglas, the Welshman
Owen Glendower, and
Edmund Mortimer also join . The third group, the comic center of the play, consists of the young
Prince Hal
Prince Hal is the standard term used in literary criticism to refer to Shakespeare's portrayal of the young Henry V of England as a prince before his accession to the throne, taken from the diminutive form of his name used in the plays almost ex ...
(King Henry's eldest son) and his companions,
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
,
Poins,
Bardolph, and Peto.
From the play's outset,
Henry IV's reign is beset by problems: His personal disquiet at having usurped the throne from
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
would be solved by a
crusade
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...
to the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
, but trouble on his borders
with Scotland and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
make such an act impossible. Moreover, he is increasingly at odds with the Percy family, who helped him to his throne, and with Edmund Mortimer, Richard II's chosen
heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
.
!['Henry IV', Part I, Act I, Scene 3, Hotspur and the Fop Samuel John Egbert Jones (1797–1861) Royal Shakespeare Theatre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/%27Henry_IV%27%2C_Part_I%2C_Act_I%2C_Scene_3%2C_Hotspur_and_the_Fop_Samuel_John_Egbert_Jones_%281797%E2%80%931861%29_Royal_Shakespeare_Theatre.jpg)
King Henry is also troubled by the behaviour of his eldest son and heir, Hal (the future
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
). Hal spends little time in the
royal court, preferring instead to drink in
tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...
s with lowborn and dishonorable companions. This makes him an object of scorn to the nobles and jeopardizes his legitimacy as heir; early in the play, King Henry laments that he can "See riot and dishonour stain the brow
..young Harry." Hal's chief friend is
Sir John Falstaff, a cowardly, drunken, but quick-witted
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
whose
charisma and zest for life captivate the Prince.
In the first scene, the political action of the play is set in motion. King Henry and Hotspur fall out after a disagreement over the treatment of hostages: Hotspur withholds, against the King's orders, hostages taken in a recent action against the Scots at the
Battle of Homildon Hill
The Battle of Holmedon Hill or Battle of Homildon Hill was a conflict between English and Scottish armies on 14 September 1402 in Northumberland, England. The battle was recounted in Shakespeare's '' Henry IV, part 1''. Although Humbleton Hi ...
, while King Henry refuses to pay Owen Glendower (a Welsh rebel) the ransom for Hotspur's brother-in-law, Edmund Mortimer. This disagreement, and the King's harsh treatment of the
House of Percy
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...
generally, drives them to ally with Welsh and Scot rebels, resolving to depose "this ingrate and cankered
Bolingbroke."
![Eduard von Grützner - Falstaff (1906)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Eduard_von_Gr%C3%BCtzner_-_Falstaff_%281906%29.jpg)
Meanwhile, Hal meets with Falstaff and his associates at the Boar's Head Tavern. Falstaff and Hal are close, but Hal enjoys insulting Falstaff, and, in a
soliloquy
A soliloquy (, from Latin ''solo'' "to oneself" + ''loquor'' "I talk", plural ''soliloquies'') is a monologue addressed to oneself, thoughts spoken out loud without addressing another.
Soliloquies are used as a device in drama to let a character ...
, makes it clear that he does not plan to continue in his present lifestyle forever: Hal aims to re-assume his high place in court by proving himself to his father. Indeed, Hal reasons that by suddenly changing his ways he will be even more popular among the nobility than if he had behaved conventionally all his life. Nevertheless, he is happy to carry out a plot against Falstaff: after performing a highway robbery, Hal and Poins will slip away from Falstaff, disguise themselves, and rob Falstaff, purely for the fun of hearing the older man lie about it later, after which Hal will return the stolen money. The plot is carried out successfully.
As the revolt of Mortimer and the House of Percy gains steam, the Prince makes up with his father and is given the command of an army. He vows to fight and kill the rebel Hotspur, and orders Falstaff to recruit and lead a group of foot soldiers. Falstaff uses the appointment to enrich himself by taking bribes from those who do not want to be
pressed into service, and, in the end, recruits only the very poor, whose wages he withholds
![Falstaff plays the king](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Falstaff_plays_the_king.jpg)
All the parties meet at the
Battle of Shrewsbury
The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King Henry IV and a rebel army led by Henry "Harry Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland. The battle, the first in which English archers ...
, a crucial moment for all involved: if the rebels are not defeated outright, they will gain a considerable advantage; other forces (under Northumberland, Glendower, Mortimer, and the Archbishop of York) can be called upon in the event of a stalemate or a victory for the rebels. Though Henry outnumbers the rebels, Hotspur, wild and skilled in battle, will lead the opposing army personally. As the battle drags on, the king is hunted by Douglas. Prince Hal and Hotspur duel, and, in an important moment of noble virtue for the young prince, Hal prevails, killing Hotspur in single combat.
Left on his own during Hal's battle with Hotspur, Falstaff dishonourably feigns death to avoid attack by Douglas. After Hal leaves Hotspur's body on the field, Falstaff revives in a mock miracle. Seeing he is alone, he stabs Hotspur's corpse in the thigh and claims credit for the kill. Hal allows Falstaff to claim the honor of the kill. Soon after Hal's generous gesture, Falstaff states that he wants to amend his life and begin "to live cleanly as a nobleman should do".
![1587 printing of Holinshed's Chronicles](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/1587_printing_of_Holinshed%27s_Chronicles.jpg)
The play ends at Shrewsbury, after the battle. The loss of Hotspur and the fight has dealt a serious blow to the rebel cause. King Henry is pleased with the outcome, not least because it gives him a chance to execute Thomas Percy, the Earl of Worcester, one of his chief enemies (though previously one of his greatest friends). Meanwhile, Hal demonstrates his mercy by ordering Douglas--now a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
--to be released without ransom. However, the rebellion continues, now led by the Archbishop of York and the Earl of Northumberland. This inconclusive ending sets the stage for ''
Henry IV, Part 2''.
Sources
Shakespeare's primary source for ''Henry IV, Part 1'', as for most of his chronicle histories, was the second edition (1587) of
Raphael Holinshed's ''
Chronicles'', which in turn drew on
Edward Hall's ''The Union of the Two Illustrious Families of Lancaster and York''. Scholars have also assumed that Shakespeare was familiar with
Samuel Daniel
Samuel Daniel (1562–1619) was an English poet, playwright and historian in the late- Elizabethan and early- Jacobean eras. He was an innovator in a wide range of literary genres. His best-known works are the sonnet cycle ''Delia'', the epi ...
's poem on the civil wars. Another source for this (and the following Henry plays) is the anonymous ''
The Famous Victories of Henry V''.
Date and text
![First-page-first-folio-1henry4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/First-page-first-folio-1henry4.jpg)
''1 Henry IV'' was almost certainly in performance by 1597, given the wealth of allusions and references to the Falstaff character. The earliest recorded performance occurred on the afternoon of 6 March 1600, when the play was acted at
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...
before the
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
Ambassador. Other court performances followed in 1612 and 1625.
The play was entered into the Register of the
Stationers Company
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers (until 1937 the Worshipful Company of Stationers), usually known as the Stationers' Company, is one of the livery company, livery companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Compan ...
on 25 Feb. 1598 and first printed in
quarto
Quarto (abbreviated Qto, 4to or 4º) is the format of a book or pamphlet produced from full sheets printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folded twice to produce four leaves. The leaves are then trimmed along the folds to produc ...
later that year by stationer
Andrew Wise
Andrew Wise ( fl. 1589 – 1603), or Wyse or Wythes, was a London publisher of the Elizabethan era who issued first editions of five Shakespearean plays. "No other London stationer invested in Shakespeare as assiduously as Wise did, at least ...
. The play was Shakespeare's most popular printed text: new editions appeared in 1599, 1604, 1608, 1613, 1622, 1632, 1639, and 1692.
The Dering Manuscript
![The Dering Manuscript](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/The_Dering_Manuscript.jpg)
The
Dering Manuscript
The Dering Manuscript is the earliest extant manuscript text of any play by William Shakespeare. The manuscript combines ''Part 1'' and ''Part 2'' of ''Henry IV'' into a single-play redaction. Scholarly consensus indicates that the manuscript w ...
, the earliest extant
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...
text of any Shakespeare play, provides a single-play version of both Part 1 and Part 2 of ''Henry IV.'' The consensus of Shakespeare scholars is that the Dering Manuscript represents a redaction prepared around 1623, perhaps for family or amateur theatrics, by
Edward Dering (1598–1644), of Surrenden Manor,
Pluckley
Pluckley is a village and civil parish in the Ashford (borough), Ashford district of Kent, England. The civil parish includes the nucleated village, adjacent hamlet of Pluckley Thorne.
Geography
The landscape of the area itself is the edge of a ...
, Kent, where the manuscript was discovered. A few dissenters have argued that the Dering MS. may indicate that Shakespeare's ''Henry IV'' was originally a single play, which the poet later expanded into two parts to capitalise on the popularity of the
Sir John Falstaff character. The Dering MS. is part of the collection of the
Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.
Criticism and analysis
Themes and interpretations
At its first publication in 1597 or 1598 the play was titled ''The History of Henrie the Fourth'' and its title page advertised only the presence of
Henry Percy and the comic
Sir John Falstaff; Prince Hal was not mentioned. Indeed, throughout most of the play's performance history, Hal has been staged as a secondary figure, and popular actors, beginning with
James Quin
James Quin (24 February 1693 – 21 January 1766) was an English actor of Irish descent.
Life
Quin was born in King Street, Covent Garden, London, an illegitimate son of James Quin, an Irish-born barrister, and his partner (whom he apparently n ...
and
David Garrick
David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...
, often preferred to play Hotspur. It was only in the twentieth century that readers and performers began to see the central interest as the
coming-of-age story In genre studies, a coming-of-age story is a genre of literature, theatre, film, and video game that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood, or "coming of age". Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or internal ...
of Hal, who is now seen as the starring role.
In the "coming-of-age" interpretation, Hal's acquaintance with Falstaff and the tavern lowlife humanises him and provides him with a more complete view of life. At the outset, Prince Hal seems to pale in comparison with the fiery Henry Percy, the young noble
lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...
of the North (whom Shakespeare portrays as considerably younger than he was in history in order to provide a
foil for Hal). Many readers interpret the history as a tale of Prince Hal growing up, evolving into
King Henry V, in what is a tale of the
prodigal son
The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father) is one of the parables of Jesus Christ in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. Jesus shares the parable with ...
adapted to the politics of
medieval England. The low proportion of scenes featuring the title character, the king, has also been noted, with some authors suggesting that the play contrasts the authority of Henry IV, and his struggle to stay in control of the situation, with the chaotic forces of the rebels and Falstaff.
Oldcastle controversy
![Henry IV Part 1 quarto](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Henry_IV_Part_1_quarto.jpg)
''Henry IV, Part 1'' caused controversy on its first performances in 1597, because the comic character now known as "
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
" was originally named "Oldcastle" and was based on
John Oldcastle
Sir John Oldcastle (died 14 December 1417) was an English Lollard leader. Being a friend of Henry V, he long escaped prosecution for heresy. When convicted, he escaped from the Tower of London and then led a rebellion against the King. Eventual ...
, a famous
proto-Protestant
Proto-Protestantism, also called pre-Protestantism, refers to individuals and movements that propagated ideas similar to Protestantism before 1517, which historians usually regard as the starting year for the Reformation era. The relationship be ...
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
with powerful living descendants in England.
Although the character is called Falstaff in all surviving texts of the play, there is abundant external and internal evidence that he was originally called Oldcastle. The change of names is mentioned in seventeenth-century works by
Richard James ("Epistle to Sir Harry Bourchier", c. 1625) and
Thomas Fuller
Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...
(''Worthies of England'', 1662). It is also indicated in details in the early texts of Shakespeare's plays. In the quarto text of ''
Henry IV, Part 2'' (1600), one of Falstaff's speech prefixes in Act I, Scene ii is mistakenly left uncorrected, "Old." instead of "Falst." In III, ii, 25-6 of the same play, Falstaff is said to have been a "page to Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk"—a statement that is true of the historical Oldcastle. In ''Henry IV, Part 1'', I, ii, 42, Prince Hal calls Falstaff "my old lad of the castle". An
iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called "feet". "Iambi ...
verse line in ''Henry IV, Part 1'' is irregular when using the name "Falstaff", but regular with "Oldcastle". Finally, there is the explicit disclaimer at the close of ''Henry IV, Part 2'' that discriminates between the two figures: "for Oldcastle died
martyr, and this is not the man" (Epilogue, 29–32).
![Hotspur's plan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Hotspur%27s_plan.jpeg)
There is evidence that Falstaff was originally called Oldcastle in ''
The Merry Wives of Windsor
''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...
'' as well, the only play (outside of the two parts ''Henry IV'') which contains the character. When the
First Folio and quarto texts of that play are compared, it appears that the joke in V.v.85–90 is that Oldcastle/Falstaff incriminates himself by calling out the first letter of his name, "O, O, O!," when his fingertips are singed with candles—which of course works for "Oldcastle" but not "Falstaff." There is also the "castle" reference in IV.v.6 of the same play.
The name change and the Epilogue disclaimer were required, it is generally thought, because of political pressure: the historical Oldcastle was not only a Protestant martyr, but a nobleman with powerful living descendants in Elizabethan England. These were the Lords Cobham:
William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham
Sir William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham, KG (1 November 1527 – 6 March 1597), lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and a member of parliament for Hythe. Although he was viewed by some as a religious radical d ...
(died 6 March 1597), Warden of the Cinque Ports (1558–97), Knight of the
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...
(1584), and member of the Privy Council (1586–97); his son
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham KG (22 November 1564 – 24 January 1618 (Old Style)/3 February 1618 (New Style), lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was an English peer who was implicated in the Main Plot against the rule of James I of England. ...
, Warden of the Cinque Ports and
Knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
of the
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...
; and Frances Brooke, the 10th Baron's wife and 11th Baron's mother, a close personal favourite of Queen
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
.
The elder Lord Cobham is known to have had a strongly negative impact on the lives of Shakespeare and his contemporaries in the theatre. The company of actors formed by Shakespeare (the
Lord Chamberlain's Men) in 1594 enjoyed the patronage of Henry Carey, first Lord Hunsdon, then serving as
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...
. When Carey died on 22 July 1596, the post of Lord Chamberlain was given to William Brooke, Lord Cobham, who withdrew what official protection they had enjoyed. The players were left to the care of the local officials of the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
, who had long wanted to drive the companies of actors out of the city.
Thomas Nashe, in a contemporary letter, complained that the actors were "piteously persecuted by the Lord Mayor and the aldermen" during this period. The interval did not last; when Cobham died less than a year later, the post of Lord Chamberlain went to Henry Carey's son George, 2nd baron Hunsdon, and the actors regained their previous patronage.
The name was changed to "Falstaff", based on Sir
John Fastolf, an historical person with a reputation for cowardice at the
Battle of Patay, and whom Shakespeare had previously represented in ''
Henry VI, Part 1
''Henry VI, Part 1'', often referred to as ''1 Henry VI'', is a Shakespearean history, history play by William Shakespeare—possibly in collaboration with Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Nashe—believed to have been written in 1591. It is set ...
''. Fastolf had died without descendants, making him safe for a playwright's use.
Shortly afterward, a team of playwrights wrote a two-part play entitled ''
Sir John Oldcastle'', which presents a heroic dramatisation of Oldcastle's life and was published in 1600.
In 1986, the
Oxford Shakespeare
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
edition of Shakespeare's works rendered the character's name as Oldcastle, rather than Falstaff, in ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (although not, confusingly, in ''Part 2''), as a consequence of the editors' aim to present the plays as they would have appeared during their original performances. No other published editions have followed suit.
Adaptations
![John Jack plays Falstaff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/John_Jack_plays_Falstaff.jpg)
There have been three BBC television films of ''Henry IV, Part 1.'' In the 1960 mini-series ''
An Age of Kings'',
Tom Fleming starred as Henry IV, with
Robert Hardy
Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...
as Prince Hal,
Frank Pettingell
Frank Edmund George Pettingell (1 January 1891 – 17 February 1966) was an English actor.
Pettingell was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, and educated at Manchester University. During the First World War he served with the King's Liverpool Re ...
as Falstaff and
Sean Connery
Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
as Hotspur. The 1979
BBC Television Shakespeare version starred
Jon Finch
Jon Finch (2 March 1942 – 28 December 2012) was an English stage and film actor who became well known for his Shakespearean roles. Most notably, he starred in films for directors Roman Polanski (''Macbeth'', 1971) and Alfred Hitchcock (''Fren ...
as Henry IV,
David Gwillim
David Gwillim (born 15 December 1948) is an English actor, known for playing Prince Hal in the ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' adaptations of ''Henry IV, Part I'' and '' Henry IV, Part II'' and the title role in ''Henry V'' which were broadcast i ...
as Prince Hal,
Anthony Quayle as Falstaff and
Tim Pigott-Smith
Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith, (13 May 1946 – 7 April 2017) was an English film and television actor and author. He was best known for his leading role as Ronald Merrick in the television drama series '' The Jewel in the Crown'', for which he wo ...
as Hotspur. In the 2012 series ''
The Hollow Crown ''The Hollow Crown'' may refer to:
* a passage in Shakespeare's play ''Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward t ...
'', ''
Henry IV, Part 1
''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...
'' was directed by
Richard Eyre and starred
Jeremy Irons as Henry IV,
Tom Hiddleston as Prince Hal,
Simon Russell Beale
Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He is known for his appearances in film, television and theatre, and work on radio, on audiobooks and as a narrator. For his services to drama, he was knighted by Queen Elizabe ...
as Falstaff and
Joe Armstrong as Hotspur.
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
' ''
Chimes at Midnight'' (1965) compiles the two ''Henry IV'' plays into a single, condensed storyline, while adding a handful of scenes from ''
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
'' and dialogue from ''
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
'' and ''
The Merry Wives of Windsor
''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...
''. The film stars Welles himself as Falstaff,
John Gielgud as King Henry,
Keith Baxter as Hal,
Margaret Rutherford
Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford, (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, television and film.
She came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's '' Blithe Spirit'', and Osca ...
as Mistress Quickly,
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...
as
Doll Tearsheet and
Norman Rodway as Hotspur.
BBC Television's 1995 ''Henry IV'' also combines the two Parts into one adaptation.
Ronald Pickup played the King,
David Calder Falstaff,
Jonathan Firth
Jonathan Stephen Firth (born 6 April 1967) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in such noted British television productions as ''Middlemarch'', ''Far from the Madding Crowd'', and '' Victoria & Albert''. He lives in Islington, N ...
Hal and
Rufus Sewell Hotspur.
Adapted scenes in
flashback from ''Henry IV'' are included in the 1989 film version of ''
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
'' (1989) with
Robbie Coltrane portraying Sir John Falstaff and
Kenneth Branagh playing the young Prince Hal.
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultur ...
's 1991 film ''
My Own Private Idaho'' is loosely based on Part 1 of ''Henry IV'', as well as ''Henry IV, Part 2'' and ''Henry V''.
The one-man hip-hop musical ''
Clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
'' is loosely based on ''Henry IV''.
In 2015 The Michigan Shakespeare Festival produced an award-winning combined production—directed and adapted by Janice L. Blixt—of the two plays
focusing on the relationship between Henry IV and Prince Hal.
In 2016,
Graham Abbey combined ''
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
'' and ''Henry IV, Part 1'' into a single play called ''Breath of Kings: Rebellion''. ''
Henry IV, Part II'' and ''
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
'' together became ''Breath of Kings: Redemption''. Both adaptations were staged at the
Stratford Festival
The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...
in
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River within Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2016 population of 31,465 in a land area of . Stratford is the seat of Perth County, which was settled by English, Irish, Scottish and German im ...
. Abbey, in the productions, played Henry IV (Bolingbroke).
The 2016 ap
Cycle of Kingsfeatures the entire play ''Henry IV, Part 1'' in interactive form, as well as a modern English translation.
In 2019 Netflix released the film ''
The King In the British English-speaking world, The King refers to:
* Charles III (born 1948), King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms since 2022
As a nickname
* Michael Jackson (1958–2009), American singer and pop icon, nicknamed "T ...
'', an adaptation of the play directed by
David Michôd and starring
Timothée Chalamet,
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. Known for starring in both big-budget and independent films, Pattinson has ranked among the world's highest-paid actors. In 2010, ''Time'' magazine named him one of the 1 ...
and
Joel Edgerton.
Legacy
The famous
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
catchphrase "The game is afoot" is taken from Act I, Scene 3, line 615, where the Earl of Northumberland says:
"Before the game is afoot, thou still let'st slip."
The phrase was also later used by Shakespeare in
''Henry V'', Act III, Scene 1, by the title character:
:"I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
:Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
:Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
:Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'"
Notes
References
* Barker, Roberta. "Tragical-Comical-Historical Hotspur." ''Shakespeare Quarterly'' 54.3 (2003): 288–307.
*
Bevington, David, ed. ''The Complete Works of Shakespeare''. Updated Fourth Edition. University of Chicago, 1997.
*
*Duthie, George Ian. ''Shakespeare''. London: Routledge, 1954.
*
Greenblatt, Stephen. "Invisible Bullets: Renaissance Authority and Its Subversion in ''Henry IV'' and ''Henry V''." In ''Political Shakespeare'', edited by
Jonathan Dollimore
Jonathan G Dollimore (born 1948) is a British philosopher and critic in the fields of Renaissance literature (especially drama), gender studies, queer theory (queer studies), history of ideas, death studies, decadence, and cultural theory. He ...
and
Alan Sinfield
Alan Sinfield (17 December 1941 – 2 December 2017) was an English theorist in the fields of Shakespeare and sexuality, modern theatre, gender studies, queer theory, queer studies, post-1945 politics and cultural theory. He was a professor of En ...
, 18–47. 1985.
* Halliday, F. E. ''A Shakespeare Companion 1564–1964.'' Baltimore, Penguin, 1964.
* Saccio, Peter, ''Shakespeare's English Kings'', 2nd edn, 2000.
* Sanders, Norman. "The True Prince and the False Thief." ''Shakespeare Survey'' 30 (1977).
* Weil, Herbert and Judith Weil, eds. ''The First Part of King Henry IV'', 1997 (New Cambridge Shakespeare).
* Wright, Louis B, and Virginia A. LaMar, eds. ''The Folger Library General Reader's Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part I''.
*
External links
*
''Henry the Fourth part 1''at
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg (PG) is a Virtual volunteering, volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."
It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the ...
.
*
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1597 plays
British plays adapted into films
Shakespearean histories
English Renaissance plays
Cultural depictions of Owain Glyndŵr
Plays set in England
Plays set in the 15th century
Cultural depictions of Henry IV of England
Cultural depictions of Henry V of England
Plays about English royalty