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Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare
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Henry IV, Part 1

by William Shakespeare

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Second Tetralogy (2), Shakespeare's Histories (4)

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English (14)  Swedish (1)  All languages (15)
Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
I only have to read part one for my class, but I think I'll read part two, too, in due course. Falstaff is amusing, and I rather enjoy Hal, too. I preferred it to Richard II, I think.

No need to say that I loved the language and thought it'd be even better on the stage. That's just Shakespeare for you.

(Why didn't I used to like Shakespeare? Probably because I repeatedly got Romeo & Juliet shoved down my throat, and his comedies aren't to my taste.) ( )
  shanaqui | Apr 9, 2013 |
Saw. ( )
  ErinHorakova | Apr 8, 2013 |
Saw. ( )
  ErinHorakova | Apr 8, 2013 |
David Scott Kastan's lucid exploration of the remarkable richness and ambitious design of 'King Henry IV Part I' reveals the play to be almost a treatise on the central relationship between value and political authority.
  Roger_Scoppie | Apr 3, 2013 |
Another great one! If I remember right, the second part of Henry IV is not as great...I'll have to kinda slog through it on my way to Henry V, which at this point is like having sex with your wife. Henry V, not slogging through 2 Henry IV, I mean. I've read Henry V like fifty times and seen the movie at least five - my mom really liked that thing. That and Amadeus. Remember back when VCRs were for watching old movies instead of new ones? ("No, because I'm not a million years old like you." "Get off my lawn.") Anyway, after thinking about it for six and a half sentences, the sex / Henry V comparison doesn't make any sense, so never mind.

I found myself losing focus sometimes during 1 Henry IV, and I'm not sure whether it was the context - I had little free time this weekend and I found myself reading it in small bites, sometimes while the wife watched cooking reality shows. Not a great way to read Shakespeare - or maybe it was that it's been a while since I read a bunch of Shakespeare in quick succession, and my Shakespeare muscles have gone all flabby. We'll see.

Where Richard II was very faithful to the actual history, Shakespeare departs more readily from the strict truth of things in the Henry IV plays. He throws a lot more stuff in from non-historical characters, Falstaff being the obvious one, possibly because he needs some padding to make this into two different plays; I'm not sure why he did two plays, but maybe I'll get it more after the second one. (I've read all this before, but it's been a while so I don't remember how 2 Henry IV ends.) The dramatic arc in this first part works perfectly, anyway; the climactic (and completely fabricated) duel between the young Henry V and Hotspur makes a great Act V.

Interesting, by the way, that Henry V is at least co-lead with Henry IV in this first part, and he's clearly the main character in the second. Just sayin'. I wonder whether we'd see these plays differently if 2 Henry IV had been called 1 Henry V. I think Henry IV gets less attention than Henry V in part because it's two plays, which makes people more anxious about reading them. More commitment, y'know? But if you take 1 Henry IV on its own...well, it's not as good as Richard II, but it's very good.

I'm rambling badly, aren't I? Truth is I have work to do and I don't want to do it. But okay, I should get to it. See you soon for 2 Henry IV.

Saccio's book, by the way, is great. Fun to read, really informative. My pattern has been to read the chapter about the play, then the play, then my Riverside Shakespeare's intro to the play; it's working out nicely. There's a lot of flipping between books involved, though; I'm going to buy a physical copy of Saccio today so I can reference it better. Paging around on a Kindle totally sucks. ( )
  AlCracka | Apr 2, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (122 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
William Shakespeareprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Cowl, R. P.Editorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Morgan, A. E.Editorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
Dedication
First words
So shaken as we are, so wan with care,

Find we a time for frighted peace to pant,

And breathe short-winded accents of new broils

To be commenc'd in stronds afar remote.
Quotations
If all the year were playing holidays,

To sport would be as tedious as to work.
He hath eaten me out of house and home.
The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0743485041, Mass Market Paperback)

FOLGER Shakespeare Library

THE WORLD'S LEADING CENTER FOR SHAKESPEARE STUDIES

Each edition includes:

· Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

· Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

· Scene-by-scene plot summaries

· A key to famous lines and phrases

· An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

· An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

· Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Alexander Leggatt

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:04:51 -0500)

(see all 8 descriptions)

England resides in a state of unrest as Henry IV despairs over his son and heir, Prince Henry, who is led into a life of debauchery by Falstaff, while the Percy family attempts to wrest the crown from the Bolingbroke line.

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Audible.com

Two editions of this book were published by Audible.com.

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Penguin Australia

Two editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 0140714561, 0141013664

Yale University Press

An edition of this book was published by Yale University Press.

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