Henry IV

Pirandello, Luigi, 1867-1936Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.4

Word count: 119K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Enrico IV by Luigi Pirandello. Author: Pirandello, Luigi, 1867-1936. Language: Italian. Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese. Release Date: May 27, 2006

Editor's review

Enrico IV (Henry IV) is a classic play by the Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936), published free in the original Italian by Project Gutenberg. The play centers on a man who, after a costume parade, loses his mind and believes himself to be Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV; years later he regains his sanity yet chooses to keep playing the role, raising layered questions about identity, madness and sanity, reality and performance. Through a play-within-a-play structure and dialogue full of reversals, Pirandello draws the audience into doubts about self-knowledge, a hallmark of his theatrical aesthetic. As a public-domain ebook, its value lies in giving readers direct access to the Italian original, to feel the rhythm of the lines and the tension of the characters' arguments; it is also an important text for studying Pirandello's dramatic ideas and the history of modern Italian theater. When reading, pay attention to the paradoxes and shifts of perspective in the dialogue, and do not rush to judge who is "really mad"; instead, experience how the play unsettles certainty itself. Theater enthusiasts may compare stage productions or translations to understand its structure; researchers may observe how its themes continue in Pirandello's other plays.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with intermediate or higher Italian who wish to read dramatic works in the original
Literary readers studying Pirandello's drama and modern Italian theater
Theater enthusiasts interested in themes of identity, madness, and performance
Theater professionals who need a public-domain Italian script for teaching or rehearsal reference

Not a good fit for

General readers with no Italian at all who can only rely on Chinese translations
Readers who prefer linear narrative, clear endings, and a single interpretation
Readers expecting light entertainment scripts and unwilling to engage with philosophical argument

Reading tips

First learn the plot summary and character relationships, then read the original to avoid getting lost in the dense arguments.
Read act by act, and after each act sort out changes in the characters' positions and the progression of the play-within-a-play layers.
Read key dialogue aloud to feel the rhythm and paradoxical expression of Pirandello's lines.
You may compare a Chinese translation or a stage production video to see how different media handle the same scene.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is Enrico IV a history play?

Not in the strict sense. The "Henry IV" in the play is a modern man who, after a costume parade, falls into a state of role-playing; the play uses this setup to explore identity and madness rather than to tell the life of the Holy Roman Emperor.

Do I need to know Pirandello first to read this play?

Systematic study is not necessary, but knowing Pirandello's interest in the play-within-a-play and identity issues helps. Readers may read the script first and then fill in the author's background for a smoother understanding.

Does this edition have Chinese notes?

Project Gutenberg provides the original Italian electronic text, usually without Chinese notes or an introduction. Readers who need support may use a dictionary, a Chinese translation, or related research materials.

Is the script suitable for direct use in rehearsal?

It can serve as a rehearsal base text, but the Project Gutenberg edition does not include modern stage directions or director's notes, so rehearsals require checking the edition and supplementing staging notes. Consulting an authoritative theater edition as well is recommended.

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About the author

Pirandello, Luigi, 1867-1936 Author

Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936) was an Italian writer whose biographical details are not fully recorded in this database, and public information is limited. The library holds seven of his works, spanning drama, fiction and criticism, including the representative titles Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore, Enrico IV, L'umorismo and the story collection Un cavallo nella luna: Novelle. His plays often use a play-within-a-play structure to explore the tension between reality and illusion, identity and mask, with characters struggling between self-perception and social roles; his fiction draws largely on Sicilian local life and blends irony with compassion. The critical work L'umorismo sets out his thinking on humour and artistic creation, offering an important key to his writing. Together these works show his enduring concern with the complexity of human nature and have exerted a lasting influence.