Henry IV Part 1

"And like bright metal on a sullen ground, My reformation, glittering o’er my fault, Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes Than that which hath no foil to set it off."

- Hal, I.ii

A history play by William Shakespeare. It is the first in a duology, the second being Henry IV Part 2. It actually also relates to two other Shakespearean plays-- Richard II (which it follows) and Henry V (which it precedes).

Following the events in Richard II, Henry Bolingroke, now King Henry IV, wishes to wage a crusade to cleanse himself of the sin of Richard's death. It is not to be, as some of his former allies plot to overthrow him-- chief among them the Percy family, whose son Harry (known as "Hotspur") is one of the greatest warriors in England.

Looming war isn't King Henry's only problem, though. His son, Prince Harry (known as "Hal"), is a seeming good-for-nothing lout who surrounds himself with drunkards and rogues and rejects the royal life, preferring to play pranks and chase women. Hal's best friend is the old, fat, wily Sir John Falstaff, a bombastic drunk who provides much of the play's comedy.

As King Henry and the Percy family wage a tense political battle, Hal and Falstaff get themselves into a number of comic situations. It is during one of these that Hal reveals his plot to the audience-- he is playing the part of the foolish prince so that people will not expect much of him; that way, when he finally reveals himself as the great thinker and fighter he is, he will look much better by comparison.

Eventually, the political tensions come to a head and the two sides face off in the Battle of Shrewsbury. Hotspur leads his forces boldly into fray; Hal swears his loyalty and love to his father and join the fight; Henry IV has a number of his soldiers dress as him to confuse the enemy; and Falstaff reaps profit from draft dodgers. At last, Hal and Hotspur meet in single combat, and Hal prevails.

The play winds down with another comic scene with Falstaff (who tries to convince Hal he killed Hotspur), King Henry orders his enemies executed, and Hal generously pardons one of the soldiers from the opposing side. But wait! All is not well. The Archbishop of York and the Earl of Northumberland, along with a number of other nobles, have joined forces and still plot against Henry IV and Hal. To Be Continued in Henry IV Part 2.

"Glyndwr: I can call spirits from the vasty deep. Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man. But will they come when you do call for them?"
 * Agent Scully: Hotspur oddly ends up playing this role to his Welsh ally Glyndwr:

"Hotspur: No Percy, thou art dust And food for-- Hal: For worms, brave Percy."
 * The Atoner: King Henry is obsessed with launching a crusade to expiate his guilt in the death of Richard II.
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension - Hotspur and Lady Percy
 * Big Eater: Falstaff, of course. One of his (many) failings is gluttony.
 * Blood Knight: Hotspur who, unlike the mischief making prince, loves to fight.
 * Body Double: in the battle at the end of Part 1, the king has several. Symbolism ensues.
 * Boisterous Bruiser: Falstaff is one in temperament but not big on the whole fighting thing. Hotspur has some of these traits, and the historical Hotspur at least was very much like the insane Richard IV in Blackadder- played by Brian Blessed.
 * Breakout Character: Falstaff
 * Character Development: Character development itself is deconstructed by Hal. Hal is a static character who enacts a duplicitous plan over the course of the play, as revealed in his monologue in the first act; the plan mimics character development in the eyes of the other characters.
 * The Chessmaster: Hal, so great that he tricks even his father into thinking he's a fool.
 * Coming of Age Story: You can read this play as one of these for Prince Hal, or you can read it as Prince Hal tricking everyone into thinking it's one of these.
 * Finishing Each Other's Sentences: Hal finish's Hotspur's dying speech.


 * Foil: Hotspur to Hal and Falstaff to King Henry.
 * Hollywood History: Rampant.
 * Hal in reality wasn't nearly as much of a scamp as he is in the play.
 * Harry Percy is an actual historical figure, but was a full generation older than Hal (indeed, he was three years older than King Henry), so the kind of comparison made here wouldn't have been sensible.
 * Falstaff is a complete fabrication (see below).
 * Honor Before Reason: Hotspur. Oh so much.
 * Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Doll Tearsheet.
 * Inflationary Dialogue: Falstaff, in the aftermath of the Gad's Hill robbery.
 * Killed Mid-Sentence: Hotspur.
 * Language of Love: Mortimer speaks English and his wife only speaks Welsh, but they end up happy enough.
 * Lawful Stupid: Hotspur.
 * Let's Get Dangerous: Invoked by Hal.
 * Leeroy Jenkins: Hotspur.
 * Lovable Coward: Falstaff. He has a speech justifying his flight based on how 'insubstanial' honor is.
 * Meaningful Name: There are four Henrys: King Henry IV, his son Henry (Prince Hal), Henry Percy (Northumberland), and his son Henry (Hotspur). This is remarked on and used as a point of comparison in-story (Henry wishes Hal had been traded for Hotspur, for instance) and is used for lots of symbolism out-of-story.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Initially, Falstaff was "Sir John Oldcastle", an actual historical figure who was burned at the stake for Lollardy, but Oldcastle's descendants complained, so Shakespeare substituted in the name of a knight who lived two generations after the play took place and was accused of cowardice (this character appears briefly in 1 Henry VI, where his name is usually rendered as "Fastolfe" by modern editors). A few remnants of the original name survive in the play--e.g., at one point Hal calls Falstaff "my old lad of the castle".
 * Obfuscating Stupidity - Prince Hal pretends to be a party animal, so that when he "reforms" people will think even more highly of him.
 * One Steve Limit: Averted--there's a Bardolph and an unrelated Lord Bardolph. (Obviously, there are also the four Henrys in Part One, but they're usually called different things.) This is unsurprising, given that it's based on Real Life.
 * The Paragon Always Rebels: Hotspur is so admired by so many for his bearing and ideals and martial glory that the king himself wishes he were the true prince instead of his own son. Then he co-leads a rebellion...
 * Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: King Henry's refusal to ransom Mortimer under the fear that he might lead a rebellion eventually causes Hotspur to lead a rebellion of his own.
 * Shadow Archetype: Hotspur to Hal. They even have the same name (but different nicknames).
 * Sliding Scale Long Name: Hal is cynical, Hotspur is idealistic. Only one survives.
 * Too Dumb to Live: Hotspur, who antagonizes an ally who claims he can summon spirits, tries to launch an attack when half of his army is absent, and, unlike everyone else in the play, honestly believes in chivalry and that they have the right to the throne, as opposed to it just being a power grab by his allies.
 * Warrior Prince: Hal at the end.
 * Worthy Opponent: Hal seems to view Hotspur this way. The feeling is not reciprocated.