King Henry IV, Second Part

William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.4

Word count: 160K words
Chapters: 16

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.King Henry IV, Second Part by William ShakespeareAuthor: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 1, 1998

Editor's review

Often seen as an extension of Part One, King Henry IV, Second Part shifts its center of gravity from the battlefield to time and aging: the aftermath of rebellion subsides, Falstaff's body and lies grow heavy together, and Prince Hal moves step by step toward his coronation. The comedy remains, but with a greater sense of weariness and farewell, especially in passages such as Falstaff recruiting soldiers in the countryside and dealing with creditors, where the comic and the rueful are blended. This edition is the public-domain English electronic text provided by Project Gutenberg, retaining the original language, and is suitable for readers who have finished Part One and wish to see the characters' fates resolved. In reading, one may note the structural repetition implied by "Second Part" in the title: a new band of rebels, another tavern farce, but each repetition drives toward the endpoint of Hal and Falstaff's relationship. Read together with Part One, it makes clearer how Shakespeare adjusts the balance of characters and the emotional tone in the sequel.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have finished Henry IV, Part One and want to follow the characters' fates
Those interested in Falstaff's later image and the changing relationship between Hal and Falstaff around the coronation
Students taking a special-topics course on Shakespeare's history plays who need to read the sequel
Readers accustomed to public-domain English electronic texts who are willing to supplement background knowledge themselves

Not a good fit for

Readers who have not read Part One and hope to enter the series from scratch
Readers expecting battlefield action and conflict scenes as intense as those in Part One
Beginners who need detailed historical notes or a teaching guide to understand the original text

Reading tips

Be sure to read Part One before Part Two, and note how the recurring characters and scenes change between the two plays.
Focus on the last few encounters between Falstaff and Hal, and watch for subtle shifts in tone and attitude in the dialogue.
Read the comic passages such as the rural recruitment and tavern socializing against the court scenes to appreciate the structural alternation of hot and cold.
After finishing, return to the corresponding passages in Part One and compare how Shakespeare adjusts his treatment of the same characters in the sequel.

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

Can Part Two be read on its own without Part One?

In theory yes, but it is not recommended. Part Two carries forward much of Part One's character relationships and the aftermath of events, and Falstaff and Hal's interactions are built on earlier groundwork. Reading Part Two directly can make it hard to grasp the origins of character motives and comic effects. It is best to read them in order, or at least to first learn the main plot of Part One.

Is Part Two more or less difficult to read than Part One?

The language difficulty is broadly comparable; both retain the features of early modern English. Part Two has fewer action scenes and more scattered political threads, and some passages depend on knowledge of historical background, so without notes it may require more patience to understand than Part One. Reading with a character list and background materials is recommended.

Is this edition suitable for classroom reading?

As a public-domain English original text, it can be used for classroom reading, but the materials do not state that it includes notes, an introduction, or teaching aids. If the course requires explanation of historical allusions and textual variants, the instructor may need to supplement with an annotated edition or reference translation, and students may also prepare supporting materials themselves.

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About the author

William Shakespeare Author · English · 1564–1616

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was the greatest playwright, poet and actor of the English Renaissance. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, he is known as the "Bard of Avon." He wrote roughly thirty-seven to thirty-nine plays, one hundred and fifty-four sonnets and narrative poems. His representative works include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. His works span tragedy, comedy and history play, distinguished by rich, poetic language and profound characterization. His explorations of human nature, power, love and fate have had a lasting influence, and his works have been translated into many languages and circulated widely around the world.