Henry IV, Part 2
William Shakespeare wrote Henry IV, Part 2 between the years 1596 and 1599. This play serves as the third chapter of a four-part historical cycle that began with Richard II. The story follows Henry IV, Part 1 and precedes Henry V to complete the narrative arc. Scholars believe Shakespeare may have paused his work on this script around Act 3 or 4. He likely redirected his focus toward writing The Merry Wives of Windsor during that pause. That comedy was possibly commissioned for an annual meeting of the Order of the Garter held on the 23rd of April 1597. The text entered the Register of the Stationers Company on the 23rd of August 1600. Booksellers Andrew Wise and William Aspley published the first quarto edition in that same year. Valentine Simmes handled the printing process for this initial release. Later editions appeared in the First Folio of 1623.
A young page enters the scene followed by Sir John Falstaff in the London underworld. Falstaff asks what the doctor said about the analysis of his urine. The page cryptically informs him that the urine is healthier than the patient. Falstaff delivers one of his most characteristic lines stating he is not only witty in himself but the cause that wit is in other men. He promises to outfit the page in vile apparel while complaining of his insolvency. Falstaff vows to find a wife in the stews, which refers to local brothels. He feigns deafness when Lord Chief Justice enters looking for him. The Chief Justice attempts to question Falstaff about a recent robbery. Falstaff insists on turning the conversation to the nature of the illness afflicting King Henry IV. He adopts the pretense of being much younger than the Chief Justice. He asks for one thousand pounds to help outfit a military expedition but is denied. Doll Tearsheet gets into a fight with Ancient Pistol after Falstaff ejects him from their company. Falstaff joins the army again and goes to the country to raise forces. There he encounters an old school friend named Justice Shallow. They reminisce about their youthful follies together.
King Henry IV sickens and appears to die while Prince Hal watches nearby. Hal believes he is now King and exits with the crown. King Henry awakens and is devastated thinking Hal cares only about becoming King. Hal convinces him otherwise before the old king dies contentedly. The dying monarch imparts final advice to neutralize internal threats by waging war abroad. He tells his son to busy giddy minds with foreign quarrels. Two storylines meet in the final scene where Falstaff travels to London expecting great rewards. Falstaff has learned from Pistol that Hal is now King. Hal rejects him saying he has changed and can no longer associate with such people. The London lowlifes expect a paradise of thieves under Hal's governance. Instead they are purged and imprisoned by the authorities. Prince John uses duplicitous political machinations to defeat a rebellion without battle. This strategy leaves King Henry free to focus on his failing health. The tone of much of the play becomes elegiac as it focuses on Falstaff's age. His closeness to death parallels that of the increasingly sick king.
The earliest extant manuscript text of scenes from Henry IV, Part 2 exists in the Dering Manuscript. This theatrical abridgment of both parts of Henry IV was prepared around 1623. The quarto 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. These records cryptically refer to the plays as Sir John Falstaff and Hotspur. A defective record may indicate a Court performance in 1619 for the second part of Falstaff. Less popular than Henry IV, Part 1, this was the only quarto edition published during Shakespeare's lifetime. The play next saw print in the First Folio in 1623. Scholars have supposed Shakespeare to have been familiar with Samuel Daniel's poem on the civil wars. Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Illustrious Families of Lancaster and York also appears to have been consulted. Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles served as the primary source for most of his chronicle histories.
Part 2 is generally seen as a less successful play than Part 1 by modern critics. Its structure where Falstaff and Hal barely meet can be criticized as undramatic. Some critics believe that Shakespeare never intended to write a sequel. They argue he was hampered by a lack of remaining historical material. This results in comic scenes coming across as mere filler. However the scenes involving Falstaff and Justice Shallow are admired for their touching elegiac comedy. The scene of Falstaff's rejection can be extremely powerful onstage. The critic Harold Bloom has suggested the two parts of Henry IV along with the Hostess' elegy may be Shakespeare's greatest achievement. Metrical analyses of the verse passages containing Falstaff's name have been inconclusive regarding whether it was originally Oldcastle. It is disputed whether or not Part 2 initially retained the name before changing to Falstaff. Critics accept that the name was originally Oldcastle in Part 1 but remain divided on Part 2.
There have been three BBC television films of Henry IV, Part 2 produced over decades. Tom Fleming starred as Henry IV in the 1960 mini-series An Age of Kings. Robert Hardy played Prince Hal while Frank Pettingell portrayed Falstaff. Jon Finch appeared as Henry IV in the 1979 BBC Television Shakespeare version. David Gwillim took the role of Prince Hal and Anthony Quayle played Falstaff. Jeremy Irons starred as Henry IV in the 2012 series The Hollow Crown alongside Tom Hiddleston. Simon Russell Beale delivered a performance as Falstaff in that production. Orson Welles directed Chimes at Midnight in 1965 which compiles the two Henry IV plays into a single storyline. John Gielgud played King Henry while Keith Baxter portrayed Hal. Margaret Rutherford appeared as Mistress Quickly and Norman Rodway played Hotspur. Gus Van Sant's 1991 film My Own Private Idaho is loosely based on both parts of Henry IV. A one-man hip-hop musical named Clay is also loosely based on Henry IV. Ian McKellen starred as John Falstaff in a spring 2024 adaptation called Player Kings.
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Common questions
When did William Shakespeare write Henry IV, Part 2?
William Shakespeare wrote Henry IV, Part 2 between the years 1596 and 1599. The text entered the Register of the Stationers Company on the 23rd of August 1600.
Who published the first quarto edition of Henry IV, Part 2?
Booksellers Andrew Wise and William Aspley published the first quarto edition in 1600. Valentine Simmes handled the printing process for this initial release.
What happened to Falstaff when Hal became King in Henry IV, Part 2?
Hal rejects Falstaff saying he has changed and can no longer associate with such people. The London lowlifes expect a paradise of thieves under Hal's governance but are instead purged and imprisoned by the authorities.
Which historical sources did William Shakespeare use for Henry IV, Part 2?
Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles served as the primary source for most of his chronicle histories. Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Illustrious Families of Lancaster and York also appears to have been consulted.
When was the earliest extant manuscript text of Henry IV, Part 2 created?
The earliest extant manuscript text of scenes from Henry IV, Part 2 exists in the Dering Manuscript. This theatrical abridgment of both parts of Henry IV was prepared around 1623.