There were two real highlights in this play: The first is the interaction of Henry IV with his court and with Hal as his death approaches. The second is the ultimate transition of Hal into Henry V, who rejects his erstwhile friends in a scene both touching and uplifting. But much of the rest of the play was a real chore to read, being written in 16thC vernacular prose and possessing little in the way of plot development. Perhaps Henry IV was more like 1.5 plays than 2. ( )

Just a killer play. Pistol cracks, Doll Tearsheet simpers, Shallow blusters, and Prince John connives. To be fair, it wouldn't be possible for Part 2 to be so successful at what it does if it didn't follow Part 1 (as contrasted with something like Henry V or Merry Wives, which repeat many characters but stand alone), and it has less of a "structure" than it has a "way to tie up the loose ends of the previous play". But, in my opinion, it is still massively underappreciated and does a lot of interesting and exciting things, including containing one of the saddest lines in Shakespeare: "I know thee not, old man." If Part 1 is almost a Comedy, Part 2 seems to me like the Shakespeare History that comes closest to his Problem Play mold, which I love. Falstaff's boisterous energy drops down sometimes to more of a pessimistic Pandar or Parolles, Quickly & Doll capture the spirit of Overdone, and Henry, Hal, and the Lord Chief Justice all deal in the Measure-ish themes of strictness and hypocrisy. You may leave the play liking some characters a bit less, but in a way that makes you appreciate their story more. And who doesn't love Rumour, painted full of tongues?

The only arena where this play doesn't quite live up to its successor is the rebellion plot. In addition to undercutting the end of Part 1 by stringing the insurrection along (yes I know this is based on real historical events, but come on, it's the Shakespeare version), and repeating many points (Northumberland chickens out AGAIN, Falstaff makes money off his measly soldiers and wins undue fame AGAIN), I miss the verve and impetuosity brought by Hotspur. Instead of being able to genuinely root for the rebels, the attitude I'm left is more "oh, just give up already." Prince John's doublecross is genuinely surprising and great, though. Truly his father's son.

In general, I really love this play, and think it the potential to make many a moving production. It's not one I'd feel devastated to cut down for performance (in fact I think it would benefit in many places), but it contains some great language and some stellar scenes, and overall is I think, vital reading/hearing/viewing for the fans of Part 1, Henry V, really any of the histories, or Shakespeare in general. ( )

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Title: Henry IV, Part II
Author: William Shakespeare
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Play
Pages: 103
Words: 28K

Synopsis:

From Wikipedia

The play picks up where Henry IV, Part 1 left off. Its focus is on Prince Hal's journey toward kingship, and his ultimate rejection of Falstaff. However, unlike Part One, Hal's and Falstaff's stories are almost entirely separate, as the two characters meet only twice and very briefly. The tone of much of the play is elegiac, focusing on Falstaff's age and his closeness to death, which parallels that of the increasingly sick king.

Falstaff is still drinking and engaging in petty criminality in the London underworld. He first appears followed by a new character, a young page whom Prince Hal has assigned him as a joke. Falstaff enquires what the doctor has said about the analysis of his urine, and the page cryptically informs him that the urine is healthier than the patient. Falstaff delivers one of his most characteristic lines: "I am not only witty in myself, but the cause that wit is in other men." Falstaff promises to outfit the page in "vile apparel" (ragged clothing). He then complains of his insolvency, blaming it on "consumption of the purse." They go off, Falstaff vowing to find a wife "in the stews" (i.e., the local brothels).

The Lord Chief Justice enters, looking for Falstaff. Falstaff at first feigns deafness in order to avoid conversing with him, and when this tactic fails pretends to mistake him for someone else. As the Chief Justice attempts to question Falstaff about a recent robbery, Falstaff insists on turning the subject of the conversation to the nature of the illness afflicting the King. He then adopts the pretense of being a much younger man than the Chief Justice: "You that are old consider not the capacities of us that are young." Finally, he asks the Chief Justice for one thousand pounds to help outfit a military expedition, but is denied.

He has a relationship with Doll Tearsheet, a prostitute, who gets into a fight with Ancient Pistol, Falstaff's ensign. After Falstaff ejects Pistol, Doll asks him about the Prince. Falstaff is embarrassed when his derogatory remarks are overheard by Hal, who is present disguised as a musician. Falstaff tries to talk his way out of it, but Hal is unconvinced. When news of a second rebellion arrives, Falstaff joins the army again, and goes to the country to raise forces. There he encounters an old school friend, Justice Shallow, and they reminisce about their youthful follies. Shallow brings forward potential recruits for the loyalist army: Mouldy, Bullcalf, Feeble, Shadow and Wart, a motley collection of rustic yokels. Falstaff and his cronies accept bribes from two of them, Mouldy and Bullcalf, not to be conscripted.

In the other storyline, Hal remains an acquaintance of London lowlife and seems unsuited to kingship. His father, King Henry IV is again disappointed in the young prince because of that, despite reassurances from the court. 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.

The two story-lines meet in the final scene, in which Falstaff, having learned from Pistol 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.

Epilogue

At the end of the play, an epilogue thanks the audience and promises that the story will continue in a forthcoming play "with Sir John in it, and make you merry with fair Katharine of France; where, for all I know, Falstaff shall die of a sweat". In fact, Falstaff does not appear on stage in the subsequent play, Henry V, although his death is referred to. The Merry Wives of Windsor does have "Sir John in it", but cannot be the play referred to, since the passage clearly describes the forthcoming story of Henry V and his wooing of Katherine of France. Falstaff does "die of a sweat" in Henry V, but in London at the beginning of the play. His death is offstage, described by another character and he never appears. His role as a cowardly soldier looking out for himself is taken by Ancient Pistol, his braggart sidekick in Henry IV, Part 2 and Merry Wives.

My Thoughts:

The Adventures of Prince Henry continue! Or shall I say, Prince Harry? Even with Fraggle's “explanation” in the comments of Part I, it still makes absolutely no sense to me how even a frenchified Henri could morph into Harry. But as she said, humans were bonkers even in Medieval England.

Which would explain a lot of history and this play. So King Henry IV is fighting insurrections and his best friends have turned on him and he's sick and his heir apparent is a partying hound dog who flouts the law at every chance. Not a very good place to be in. What's keeping him alive is the prophecy that he would die in Jerusalem. So after this fighting is done he's planning on taking the lords of the realm to Israel and fight the saracens.

And then his heir turns out to be a pretty good guy. He fights like a demon, is charismatic, gives up his wastrel ways and turns on his evil companions. At the same time, King Henry's enemies pretty much give up without a fight, like their backbones just melted into soup.

It doesn't do Henry much good, as he's sick to death. He and Harry are reconciled and Henry is taken to a room to die. Upon his death bed he sees that he is in the Jerusalem room, thus fulfilling the prophecy. Henry V is crowned king and vows to war on the damned frenchies.

★★★★☆ ( )

Even after watching the Hollow Crown I couldn't bring myself to really get engaged with the characters in this play. I guess the story is about the changing monarchy and the lack of stability in the English Crown, but absolutely none of the characters are sympathetic. Even the dashing rogue Prince Hal is eventually gutted by his sense of duty, and it's not even a willing acceptance and rising to the occasion so much as a resignation and betrayal of his friends. Though they don't seem much like actual friends, because they do little in the way of encouraging his better character, speak ill of him behind his back, and plan to ride his coattails straight into a lordship... Maybe the last play in this set will elevate Henry V to a better kingship, but my bet is on him further weakening the Crown by foolish military action in preparation for the Yorkist/Tudor rebellions. ( )

Having just finished the excellent Folger e-book for Henry IV, part 1, I found their edition of Henry IV, part 2 disappointing. The footnotes were poor, with footnotes provided for things that did not need any clarification while omitting footnotes where an explanation would have been useful.

The play itself is also less interesting than Henry IV, part 1 with less drama and fewer themes worth following. Part 2 has a bigger role for Falstaff who becomes less attractive upon acquaintance. Part 2 also spends a lot more time with the the humerous Eastcheap characters. ( )

I can't consider these plays as solitary occasions. I'm all teary-eyed.

Who knew I could shed tears for poor old Falstaff, even now? I mean, sure, he's a fool and a rascal and incorrigible, but at the core of it, he and Hal were friends, weren't they?

And yet, even while I hate Hal a little for his decision, I love him all the more for it and everything else. Truly, he was the best king. Not only very aware of his audience, but always playing to every side, learning the craft of people and of hard decisions.

Then again, he's always known about hard decisions and all of this couldn't have been more studied and careful. Even his jests boast of tactical genius.

Fanboy? Yeah. I am. Of a character. lol

Still, it was a rather heart-wrenching scene with the prince and his father at the end. *sniffle*

Sorry. I just love these plays so much. ( )

2019
https://www.librarything.com/topic/306026#6813437 ( )

I had marked this as read in 2010, but I had not read it until now. The change in character of Prince Hal as he assumes the role of Henry V surprised me as I did not know the history. Of course those viewing the play when it was written would have known the ending. I will continue on now, and read Henry V. ( )

Before he was urging on his troops with words like “band of brothers”, Henry V was just Hal. He liked to drink and carouse and ignore his father’s wishes. He was not yet the warrior king he would become. I loved watching him start to transform in this play. These plays are part of the eight that make up Shakespeare’s War of the Roses histories.

Sir John Falstaff is great character. He is the epitome of the classic fool. He is constantly looking for a new way to get out of work and cheat someone. He is the butt of Hal’s jokes and his drinking buddy, but nothing ever seems to faze the corpulent coward. He reminds me of Thénardier in Les Misérables

In Part 2 Hal finally decides to embrace his role as king he must choose a different life than the one he's been living. That includes distancing himself from the crowd he's grown so fond of.

“Presume not that I am the thing I was;
For God doth know, so shall the world perceive,
That I have turn'd away my former self;
So will I those that kept me company.”

There were moments in this play that felt much too familiar. They glorify the past while bemoaning their present situation.
“The commonwealth is sick of their own choice;
Their over-greedy love has surfeited.
An habitation giddy and unsure
Hath he that buildeth on the vulgar heart.”

“Past and to come seems best; things present, worst.”

BOTTOM LINE: I particularly loved part 1 of this pair of plays, but they are both excellent. They show that one person can rise above and choose a more noble life. They give hope for personal transformation while at the same time they highlight the sacrifices that come with power and leadership. Someone Shakespeare marries those lessons with battle scenes, bawdy comedy, and even quiet moments of romance in a way that only he seems able to do.

I would highly recommend watching the Hollow Crown series either first or in conjunction with reading the plays. They are beautifully done and helped bring the work alive for me.

“Rumour is a pipe
Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures,
And of so easy and so plain a stop
That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,
The still-discordant wavering multitude,
Can play upon it.”

“O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse, how have I frightened thee. That thou no more will weigh my eyelids down, And steep my senses in forgetfulness?”

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”

“Past and to come seems best; things present, worst.”

“How quickly nature falls into revolt when gold becomes her object!” ( )

Not a scholarly review here, just a note for myself that I read this. The drama was pretty good, but my reading mood was off and so it took me two months to finish. Not good for continuity. Even so, I was able to pick up the main characters and plot. All the side characters became rather muddled for me though. Not sure what to think of Henry V. Seems a rather calculating and mean sort of man. Used Falstaff harshly, although I don't have much sympathy or care for Falstaff, either. Not sure why people have loved him so, I found him repulsive. Possibly the language barrier? I would like to read this in a more modern language to see if it makes a difference. Loved Henry the IV's speech about sleep, or the lack thereof. Also, one of the women who gave her father-in-law (or was he her father?) what-for because he deserted her husband when he needed him most. ( )

This play tracks the decline of the fortunes of Sir John Falstaff and the health of Henry IV. It begins with the death of Hotspur (Harry Percy) and takes in tavern antics, a rebellion against the king, and a realization by Prince Hal that he needs to step up and face his responsibilities as Prince of Wales and eventually king.

I found this play easier to keep going with than Part I. Perhaps it was the focus on Falstaff and amusing dialogue that made it easier to get through. Regardless, it definitely helps to have watched a couple of adaptations, if only to have real people to cast in the movie in my mind’s eye.

This is also one of the few Shakespeare plays where I've been sufficiently interested in the extra material to actually read it -- of particular note is the essay on "the structural problems in Henry IV", where the author discusses the question of whether Shakespeare intended to write the play as two parts or whether the second part was written later following popular demand. ( )

This play was the third in a series of 8 which together formed Shakespeare’s masterful saga of 'History' plays chronicling the turbulent final century of the Plantagenet Dynasty from the deposition of Richard II in 1399 to the death of Richard III at Bosworth field in 1485.

Altogether, they have all the high drama of an epic saga with their vivid accounts of treachery, ambition, power, betrayal, feuding and war in an age of bloody upheaval.
If all this sounds gloomy and depressing, there are also colourful well-developed and memorable characters including the 'man mountain' plump and usually tipsy John Falstaff and the heroic Henry V as well as plenty of courage, chivalry and deeds of daring-do with a smattering of romance and humour.

Whoever said Shakespeare was boring? It should be said, however, that I could not fully appreciate these plays by simply reading them- they had to be seen as well. They are not, after all, novels, and reading through them in the way one would a book can be a tedious experience.

An increasingly unstable and insecure King Henry faces yet more rebellion and opposition from within and without.
Beset by failing health and troubled all the more by his conscience and fear of divine judgement upon him and his line for his crime of the deposition and murder of the rightful King.
The Earl of Northumberland and other nobles gather together their forces to make war against the King once again, but their readiness to negotiate proves fatal.
Meanwhile, Prince Hal still frequents the taverns of London, but his old friend Falstaff has come up with a new scheme to make gain money, prestige and hopefully the favour of the King and is the source of as much humour as before.
As King Henry's troubled reign comes to an end, however, Price Hal has some must mature to accept the great responsibility which is soon to be thrust upon him, even though it comes at the price of disowning his former companions of friends.

( )

I'm not big into the histories ( )

I think this is my favorite essay prompt that I've written for my Berkeley students (so far):

A Double-Edged Sword: Sex and Death
What is the relationship between women and violence in 2 Henry IV? Do women advocate for peace or employ a different kind of violent rhetoric? Is the realm of women creative and the male sphere destructive? Does participation in the female sphere keep men from war (male-male violence)? Do women wield power through their sexuality? Or does their sexuality keep them away from power? Are sexual powers the opposite of military prowess? Or are they two edges of the same sword in 2 Henry IV?

Falstaff has an entire speech about drinking. Of course. Not as entertaining as the first part, but acts IV and V make it worth it. ( )

Falstaff is at his best in this play. Hal's abuse of him almost inspires sympathy for the blackguard. The transformation of the irresponsible Hal into a stately King is, however, rather hard to swallow.

The death scene of HIV is a wonderful scene. It's easier for me to see Hal take the crown for his own head before his father is even cold (or dead for that matter) than it is for me to see Hal become a serious young man. ( )

Shakespeare's "Henry IV: Part Two" really doesn't live up to the marvelous story told in part one. I read somewhere that both parts were originally a single play and Shakespeare broke it into two... I don't know whether that's true but I find it fairly easy to believe.

There isn't much of a story here-- the battle is over and everyone is just waiting for Henry III to expire so his son can take over. It's pretty slow moving and not terribly interesting. ( )

This play is not as enjoyable as its predecessor, largely because the remaining rebels to be mopped up are foolish weasels, not the roaring lion that Hotspur was. There remains the tension between father and son, which ends in a moving deathbed reconciliation and the prince's coming-of-age as king. More interesting is the career of Sir John Falstaff in the countryside, as we are allowed to see how a man of some shrewdness and no honor survives and profits while the kingdom is in an uproar, and the introduction of Justice Shallow, who so wants to be the Elizabethan equivalent of "cool." The play ends with the new king forbidding the evil old man his presence. This is a necessity, especially considering the old fool's plans for graft and glory, but it is a sad necessity. ( )

Overall, I thought this was less interesting than Henry V, but that might just be because I paid more attention to HV (I have to teach it; I read this for kicks). There's not a whole lot of beautiful Shakespeare moments, the humor didn't hit me (possibly my fault, of course), and the best bit was probably the Induction, in which Rumour discourses on herself. On the upside, I learned the word 'fustilarian' and the phrase 'I'll tickle your catastrophe!', and I'm pretty sure I now understand the title of Javier Marias' 'Your Face Tomorrow': "What a disgrace it is to me to remember thy name! or to know thy face tomorrow!", says the prince in II.2. Here he's mocking/despairing over those who abandon their friends when they become famous; by the end of the play (V.5) he's the person who's abandoning his friends. This adds a fair bit to Marias' repeated question, "Can I know your face tomorrow?", which for most of the novel seems more epistemic and existential. If he got it from Henry IV, 'YFT' takes on a whole new moral overtone. I guess I should re-read it even sooner than I'd planned.

This now has nothing to do with Henry IV, which I doubt I'll re-read anytime soon. ( )

This play ends with the death of Henry IV of England, and the crowning of Henry V and his dramatic rejection of Falstaff. I prefer it to the first part, and find the play has more pacing and tighter characterization. I guest I'm not that fond of Falstaff, having had to deal with the fallout from some "Lovable Rogues" in my own life. The Henry IV camp deals with the rebellion in the north, and Hotspur Percy gets killed.
Read it 9 times, apparently. ( )

What is up with this play? Was it written in a single afternoon? (I rather suspect that it was.) ( )

http://nhw.livejournal.com/1124586.html

It's a curious play, with a lot of good scenes (and some very famous quotes) which are not tied together particularly well. The plot is essentially the hubris and fall of Falstaff, against a background of high politics where King Henry IV dies and passes on not just the office but the role of kingship to his son Henry V. Falstaff's story is much more interesting than the warring aristocrats, and the young prince Henry seems much less in the action than in the previous play, though he gets the killer line "I know you not, old man" in the last scene. Henry IV himself does get some good lines, especially in his dying scenes, but we had a lot of faffing around with rebellious Archbishops and Welshmen before we got there.

Richard Griffiths as Falstaff and Julian Glover as Henry IV carry the Arkangel production. Jamie Glover as Prince Hal has a disastrous concept of blank verse, and perhaps I would have liked the play more with a different actor in that role. Ex-Catweazle (and alternate Doctor) Geoffrey Bayldon is good as Shallow. ( )

This is the third of the "Wars of the Roses" history plays, falling between Henry IV part 1 and Henry V. It's probably also the least well-known of them, with its rather downbeat story showing the process by which the dashing Prince Hal turns himself into the calculating (but still charismatic) statesman Henry V. The whole structure of the play builds up to Henry's rejection of his former friend and drinking companion Falstaff, in one of the most celebrated put-down speeches in literature: "I know thee not, old man ... Leave gormandizing; know the grave doth gape / For thee thrice wider than for other men." (Act V, Sc.5).

Though the mood is a bit sombre, there are plenty of funny moments. But above all, it's a play about the process of growing up and taking responsibility. In an odd way, it made me think about the cult BBC comedy Absolutely Fabulous — Edina is pathetic and absurd because she is a Prince Hal who never rejected her particular Falstaff, Patsy.

[it would be presumptuous to attempt to "review" Shakespeare, and there's not much point reviewing the specific edition, as LT mixes them all in together anyway, but at least this play will no longer be the most-owned book in my list without any reviews at all!]

Phoenix Falmouth

Saw. ( )