Strona | 18
Henry IV, Part 2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Facsimile of the first page of The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth from the First Folio, published in 1623
Henry 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.
The play is often seen as an extension of aspects of Henry IV, Part 1, rather than a straightforward continuation of the historical narrative, placing more emphasis on the highly popular character of Falstaff and introducing other comic figures as part of his entourage, including Ancient Pistol, Doll Tearsheet and Justice Robert Shallow. Several scenes specifically parallel episodes in Part 1.
Falstaff with Doll Tearsheet in the Boar's Head tavern, illustration to Act 2, Scene 4 of the play by Eduard von Grützner
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. 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. Falstaff 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.
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.
The epilogue also assures the playgoer that Falstaff is not based on the anti-Catholic rebel Sir John Oldcastle, for "Oldcastle died martyr, and this is not the man." Falstaff had originally been named Oldcastle, following Shakespeare's main model, the earlier play The Famous Victories of Henry V. Shakespeare was forced to change the name after complaints from Oldcastle's descendents. While it is accepted by modern critics that the name was originally Oldcastle in Part 1, it is disputed whether or not Part 2 initially retained the name, or whether it was always "Falstaff". According to René Weis, metrical analyses of the verse passages containing Falstaff's name have been inconclusive.[1]
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 terminus a quo 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 title page of the Quarto version of the play
Henry IV, Part 2 is believed to have been written sometime between 1596 and 1599. It is theorised that Shakespeare interrupted his composition of Henry IV, Part 2 somewhere around Act 3-Act 4, so as to concentrate on writing Merry Wives of Windsor, which may have been commissioned for an annual meeting of the Order of the Garter, possibly the one held on 23 April 1597.[2]
The play was entered into the Register of the Stationers' Company in 1600 by the booksellers Andrew Wise and William Aspley. The play was published in quarto the same year (printing by Valentine Simmes). Less popular than Henry IV, Part 1, this was the only quarto edition. The play next saw print in the First Folio in 1623.
The quarto's title-page states that the play had been "sundry times publicly acted" before publication. Extant records suggest that both parts of Henry IV were acted at Court in 1612—the records rather cryptically refer to the plays as Sir John Falstaff and Hotspur. A defective record, apparently to the Second part of Falstaff, may indicate a Court performance in 1619.[3]
Part 2 is generally seen as a less successful play than Part 1. Its structure, in which Falstaff and Hal barely meet, can be criticised 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.
· The Ultimate Edition of Monty Python and the Holy Grail features subtitles using Henry IV, Part 2, correlating scenes in the film to lines from the play.
· A quote from the play, Uneasy is the head that wears a crown, appears in the opening frame of The Queen.
· Chimes at Midnight
· Shakespeare on screen (Henry IV, Part 2)
1. René Weis (ed), Henry IV, Part 2, Oxford University Press, 1997, p.37.
2. T.W. Craik (ed.), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990), 1–13. See also H.J. Oliver (ed.). The Merry Wives of Windsor (London: Arden, 1972), lv and Leslie Hotson Shakespeare versus Shallow (London: Kessinger, 2003), 111–122.
Halliday, F. E. A Shakespeare Companion 1564–1964. Baltimore, Penguin, 1964; p. 215.
Part IIThe third play in the histories covering the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V. In this play Shakespeare explores loyalty, betrayal and growing old.
(You can also listen to the Part II synopsis or download it as an audio file)
The play begins in the aftermath of the battle in Shrewsbury.
In despair at the death of his son Hotspur, the Earl of Northumberland pledges to lend his support to a second rebellion. This uprising is led by Richard Scroop who is the Archbishop of York.
The old king grows sick As the threat of civil war looms over the country King Henry IV becomes increasingly unwell. He also fears that his son Prince Henry has returned to his old life with Falstaff and the other disreputable denizens of the Eastcheap tavern.
Falstaff and the prince are separated The Chief Justice confronts Falstaff (who is also in bad health) with reports of his criminal behaviour. He warns him that Hal will be kept separate from him because the king is unhappy with the influence he has had on the prince.
Falstaff is sent on a recruiting expedition in support of King Henry's army. This force is being led by Prince John of Lancaster (the king's younger son) this time. But before he can set off he must face a court in the company of Mistress Quickly for his debts to her and for services rendered at her tavern.
The rebel army is met by the king's forces who are led by Prince John and bolstered by Falstaff's recruits. A treaty is brokered but is followed by betrayal.
A new king is crowned King Henry wakes to find his son, Hal, trying on his crown. The dying king is angry at first but is reconciled with his son before he dies. A new, mature Hal accepts the crown as King Henry V and turns his attention to a war with France.
His old friend Falstaff finds himself excluded from the new king's court and company.
· NEXT
Written by William Shakespeare between 1596 and 1599, Henry IV Part 2 is a history play that continues the story of the reign of King Henry IV, ending with his death and the succession of his son, King Henry V (a.k.a. Hal). In the play, Prince Hal comes to terms with his father's death and prepares to leave behind his rowdy old friends before becoming the king who will uphold justice and restore civil order in England.The play is part of a tetralogy (four plays), which is also known as the "Henriad," a cycle of plays that span the reigns of King Richard II, King Henry IV, and Henry V. (Henry IV Part 2 is preceded by Richard II and Henry IV Part 1 and is followed by Henry V.)Shakespeare's main source for the play is Raphael Holinshed's history Chronicles and an early play of unknown authorship called The Famous Victories of Henry V. Shakespeare may have also borrowed from Samuel Daniel's poem "The Civil Wars."Both Henry IV Part 1 and Part 2 weave together "high" historical matters of state and the comedic and fictional antics of characters like Falstaff and Mistress Quickly. The wild tavern scenes and the original character, Falstaff, are among the most beloved and written about issues in literary history.The play was written during the latter part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and many of its themes and concerns resonate with late 16th century political concerns, particularly the anxiety revolving around the question of succession. The commonwealth wondered what would happen when Queen Elizabeth I died – she was advanced in age by 1597 and had no children to inherit the crown.
Why should you care about Henry IV Part 1 and Part 2? The real question is "Why shouldn't you care?" First, they are the very first history plays to blend rowdy comedy and historical drama. High matters of state mingled with low-brow mayhem and carousing? Nothin' wrong with that. Plus, Henry IV Part 1 introduces one of the greatest and most talked about comedic figures of all time: Falstaff, who has inspired everything from Verdi's opera to the name of a U.S. brewing company. (You know you're in for a really good time when you attend a play that's got a character with beer named after him.) The play's also the inspiration for some seriously important cult classic films, like Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho and Orson Welles's Chimes at Midnight.Still not impressed? Fine. We'll fall back on the old standard and talk about how the play's concerned with themes that are still relevant today: rebellion, power, honor, warfare, family drama, redemption, and our personal favorite, growing up. Let's focus on that last one.When it comes down to it, the Henry IV plays are a coming-of-age story about Prince Hal, who's got to figure out a way to grow up in the public spotlight with a seriously judgmental father breathing down his neck. (Come on, the kid's dad has been running around saying he wishes Hal had been switched at birth by fairies and that God sent the Hal to earth just to punish the king for his past sins. That's so brutal.) While most of us have no idea what it's like to be a prince who's expected to change his wild ways and prepare to lead a country that's troubled by civil war, we all know what it's like to negotiate the pitfalls of adolescence and the pressures of outside scrutiny (whether it's under the watchful eye of hopeful parents, strict teachers, coaches, or peers).Like Prince Hal, we've all made mistakes, and most of us also know what it's like to feel as though we've disappointed or let down those whose opinions matter the most. So, imagine all that pressure you've felt over the years and multiply it by an entire, war-torn kingdom that's pinned all its hopes and dreams for the future on you. That's a whole lot of pressure. Even if we think Prince Hal sometimes acts like a brat, we can't help but root for him. So, what do you think? Is it fair to say that Shakespeare gets this whole growing up thing? We kind of thought you'd see it our way.
· BACK
Let's begin with a Super Brief Recap of where things stand at the end of Henry IV Part 1. Even though King Henry IV's army mopped the floor with the rebels at the battle at Shrewsbury (at the end of Henry IV Part 1), he hasn't yet wrangled up the stray rebel leaders, who are busy plotting to overthrow him. If you need a more detailed brush-up on what went down in the two previous plays, Richard II and Henry IV Part 1, be sure to check out our "Summary" of Henry IV Part 1, but then come right back.Now let's get started. Rumour appears on stage wearing a robe that's "painted full of tongues" and tells us to open our ears because they're about to be "stuff[ed]" with a bunch of lies, compliments of Rumour. Rumour likes to hitch rides on the wind as it blows around the world, spreading nasty rumors about war in every language. First stop, the Earl of Northumberland's castle (Warkworth), where Northumberland has been pretending to be sick while his son Hotspur and the rebel army have been getting slaughtered by King Henry IV's forces.Not sure where Warkworth Castle is? Check out this nifty map, which can be enlarged with the click of your mouse.As Rumour has promised, the Earl of Northumberland hears conflicting news about the outcome of the battle at Shrewsbury. When he finally learns that his son is dead, he gets all riled up (miraculously overcoming his recent illness) and calls for bloody and apocalyptic revenge. But, before he can do anything silly, his pals convince him to hook up with the Archbishop of York (a.k.a. Scroop) who happens to be plotting another rebellion against King Henry IV.Meanwhile, in London, the Lord Chief Justice confronts Falstaff about his role in the robbery at Gads Hill (which went down earlier in Henry IV Part 1). Falstaff worms his way out of trouble by pointing out that he happens to be an important guy, a war hero in fact, and he's needed in the king's army since there's more civil rebellion brewing. While Falstaff is busy being saucy with the Lord Chief Justice, the rebel leaders gather at the Archbishop's (Scroop's) palace in York to discuss their strategy against King Henry IV. (Henry IV has appointed his son, Prince John of Lancaster, to lead the king's army.) The rebels decide it's probably not such a good idea to run headlong into battle. Hotspur tried that at Shrewsbury and it didn't work out so well for him. (Prince Hal stabbed Hotspur in the guts and then Falstaff came along, after Hotspur died, and stabbed him the thigh for good measure.)Later, in London, Mistress Quickly files a legal suit against Falstaff, who has managed to swindle her out of a bunch of money by promising to marry her. Falstaff, of course, manages to worm his way out of yet another jam by sweet talking Mistress Quickly and making promises he'll never keep. Meanwhile, Prince Hal laments to his friend Poins that he's in a tough spot. On the one hand, Hal's grown fond of his low-life pals (especially the cheap beer they drink). Yet, it's not appropriate for him to hang with the commoners anymore because he's about to be king. Plus, he's feeling bummed that his old man, King Henry IV, is so sick. (Did we mention that the king is ill?) Hal says he can't even show his sadness about his father's illness in public because it would make him look ...
MMarkMMark