Henry the Fourth, William Shakespeare
Henry the Fourth, William Shakespeare
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Henry the Fourth

Author: William Shakespeare

Narrator: Harry Andrews, Pamela Brown

Abridged: 2 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Caedmon

Published: 12/20/2005

Synopsis

This updated edition offers a strongly theatrical perspective on the origins of Shakespeare's The First Part of King Henry IV and the history of its interpretation. The introduction clarifies the play's surprising, de-centred dramatic structure, questioning the dominant assumption that the drama focuses on the education of Prince Hal. It calls attention to the effects of civil war upon a broad range of relationships. Falstaff's unpredictable vitality is explored, together with important contemporary values of honour, friendship, festivity and reformation. Extensive lexical glosses of obscure, ambiguous or archaic meanings make the rich wordplay accessible. The notes also provide a thorough commentary on Shakespeare's transformation of his sources (particularly Holinshed's Chronicles) and suggest alternative stagings. This updated edition contains a new introductory section by Katharine A. Craik, which describes recent stage, film and critical interpretations, and an updated reading list.

About William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is the world's greatest ever playwright. Born in 1564, he split his time between Stratford-upon-Avon and London, where he worked as a playwright, poet and actor. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two, leaving three children—Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. The rest is silence.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on March 06, 2020

This is chillier world than the first part of Henry IV, lacking in both its good humor and its generosity. Falstaff is not nearly so funny apart from Hal, Prince John is a much icier foil than the mercurial Hotspur, and Hal himself--whom we wish to like--makes himself disagreeable by stealing his dy......more

Goodreads review by Leonard on May 22, 2021

In Henry IV, Part 1, Prince Hal was for the most part in a rebellion against his father and his noble calling, and spent his time in the cesspools of London with his friends, the beer-bellied Falstaff and the rest of the prostitutes and hoodies. Here, in Part 2, the rebellions against the ever-sickl......more

Goodreads review by J.L. on July 27, 2018

The threat of social disorder swirls around William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 2 (War of the Roses #3). The threat comes in many forms. Most outwardly, it’s a rebellion led by nobles who have never really accepted the legitimacy of King Henry IV’s monarchy. As a further representation of a disrupt......more

Goodreads review by Bradley on February 09, 2017

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 de......more

Goodreads review by Michael on April 07, 2022

Henry IV Part 2 had some excellent moments, particularly the discussion between father and son in Act 4, but I had a hard time appreciating the machinations of Falstaff and found Hal a bit abrupt in his rejection of Falstaff at the end. My favorite scene occurs as the dying King Henry IV is sleeping......more

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