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King Henry IV, who seized the crown from Richard II, faces a rebellion led by the fiery young Henry Percy, called Hotspur, and his allies from the north and…
King Henry IV, who seized the crown from Richard II, faces a rebellion led by the fiery young Henry Percy, called Hotspur, and his allies from the north and from Wales. Meanwhile the king's son and heir, Prince Hal, wastes his days in the taverns of Eastcheap with a band of thieves and drinkers led by Sir John Falstaff, a fat, witty and cowardly old knight who is one of the greatest comic characters in literature. At the battle of Shrewsbury, Hal must prove himself against Hotspur.
Context and significance
Written around 1596 or 1597, the play mixes history and comedy as no play before it had, and Falstaff became so popular that Shakespeare brought him back in two more plays. It had already appeared in several printings before this text, the First Folio of 1623, collected it with the other plays. Continue with Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V, and see Shakespeare's life.
About the author
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), born in Stratford-upon-Avon, actor, playwright and shareholder of a London company, wrote about thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets.