Reviews

King Henry IV, part 1 by Arthur Raleigh Humphreys, William Shakespeare, Richard Proudfoot

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english_lady03's review against another edition

4.0

This play was the second in a series of 8 which together formed Shakespeare’s masterful saga of 'History' plays chronicling the turbulent final century of the Plantagenet Dynasty from the deposition of Richard II in 1399 to the death of Richard III at Bosworth field in 1485.

Altogether, they have all the high drama of an epic saga with their vivid accounts of treachery, ambition, power, betrayal, feuding and war in an age of bloody upheaval.
If all this sounds gloomy and depressing, there are also colourful well-developed and memorable characters including the 'man mountain' plump and usually tipsy John Falstaff and the heroic Henry V as well as plenty of courage, chivalry and deeds of daring-do with a smattering of romance and humour.

Whoever said Shakespeare was boring? It should be said, however, that I could not fully appreciate these plays by simply reading them- they had to be seen as well. They are not, after all, novels, and reading through them in the way one would a book can be a tedious experience.

In this play King Henry IV struggles to maintain his position and power in the face of rebellion from the influential, passionate, impetuous and headstrong Henry Hotspur young son of the powerful Earl of Northumberland who joins with the King's enemies.
Alongside the threat of rebellion and civil war King Henry strives with his own wayward son Prince Hal (the future Henry V) who spends most of his time in seedy taverns and the company of ne'er-do- wells such as John Falstaff.

As events come to a head, Hal promises to prove himself worthy of his father's respect, and ultimately the position and authority of his future Kingship on the battlefield.

shoelessmama's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed watching this much more than reading it. While reading it I missed a lot of the nuance that actors can bring to the words. In reading many of the jokes went over my head and I feel that I was able to appreciate more of them on screen. There was a lot that felt chauvinistic, a lot that was male bonding that I felt left out of. I enjoyed the bits where Prince Hal knew he needed to grow up or was being told so, or did so. I'm hoping that this was preamble to part 2 being more enjoyable. Fingers crossed.

schumachr's review against another edition

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2.0

i read this for my british cultures seminar. i probably should have done some research BEFORE reading this because i didn’t know anything that was going on or who anyone was supposed to be. it was fine, but i would not have read it if not for an assignment.