Henry IV, Part 2

Front Cover
Simon and Schuster, Aug 23, 2011 - Drama - 400 pages
Henry IV, Part 2 is the only Shakespeare play that is a “sequel,” in the modern sense, to an earlier play of his. Like most sequels, it repeats many elements from the previous work, Henry IV, Part 1. This play again puts on stage Henry IV’s son, Prince Hal, who continues to conceal his potential greatness by consorting with tavern dwellers, including the witty Sir John Falstaff.

As in Part 1, Prince Hal and Falstaff seek to best each other in conversation, while Falstaff tries to ingratiate himself with Hal and Hal disdains him. Part 2 adds some fresh characters, the rural justices Shallow and Silence and Shallow’s household. Political rebellion, while important to the plot, does not loom as large as in Part 1. There are no glorious champions; combat is replaced by deception, cunning, and treachery.

The authoritative edition of Henry IV, Part 2 from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:

-The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference
-Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation
-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 the play’s 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
-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books
-An annotated guide to further reading

Essay by A. R. Braunmuller

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, 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 Folger.edu.

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Selected pages

Contents

Editors Preface
ix
Shakespeares Henry IV Part 2
xiii
Henry IV Part 2
xv
Shakespeares Life
xxix
Shakespeares Theater
xlii
The Publication of Shakespeares Plays
lii
An Introduction to This Text
lvi
Text of the Play with Commentary
1
ACT 4 Scene 1
141
ACT 4 Scene 2
167
ACT 4 Scene 3
177
ACT 5 Scene 1
207
ACT 5 Scene 2
213
ACT 5 Scene 3
223
ACT 5 Scene 4
233
ACT 5 Scene 5
235

ACT 1 Scene 1
11
ACT 1 Scene 2
27
ACT 1 Scene 3
41
ACT 2 Scene 1
53
ACT 2 Scene 2
65
ACT 2 Scene 3
77
ACT 2 Scene 4
81
ACT 3 Scene 1
109
ACT 3 Scene 2
117
Epilogue
243
Longer Notes
247
Textual Notes
255
Textual Problems in Henry IV Part 2
287
Sir John Falstaff and Sir John Oldcastle
295
A Modern Perspective
303
Further Reading
321
Key to Famous Lines and Phrases
337
Copyright

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About the author (2011)

William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—an older daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.

Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Research emerita at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Consulting Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare’s Romances and of essays on Shakespeare’s plays and their editing.

Paul Werstine is Professor of English at the Graduate School and at King’s University College at Western University. He is a general editor of the New Variorum Shakespeare and author of Early Modern Playhouse Manuscripts and the Editing of Shakespeare and of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare’s plays.

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