But will it not live with the living? No.
A trim reckoning! Who hath it? He that died o’ Wednesday. Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 are plays by William Shakespeare and part of his cycle of Histories which, though probably not written in sequence, trace many of the pivotal moments of the history of the British monarchy from the end of King Richard IIs reign through that of Henry IV (Henry Bolingbroke) - who had deposed his cousin Richard II - as well as Henry IVs successors Henry V. What is in that word “honour”? What is that “honour”? Air. Honour hath no skill in surgery, then? No. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I come on? How then? Can honour set-to a leg? No. And the lines! Some of Shakespeare's great lines and great musings jump energetically from Falstaff's lips: "Well, ’tis no matter honour pricks me on. There is no doubt that Henry loves Falstaff and that Falstaff loves Henry, but it is also clear that they are both using each other and KNOW the other is using them. He does it through his humanity, his base motives, and his complicated affections. And he doesn't do it through and other-worldliness. Breathing color and dynamics into every scene he is a part of. Obviously, Henry, Prince of Wales plays that part (and he is fascinating himself) but Falstaff just dervishes around the play making everything better. It was certainly not a play where Falstaff played a central role. But every time Falstaff arrived it seemed to jump up a level. Henry IV, Part I seems like one of those. There are plays where the character and the play are equally matched (Othello, Hamlet, etc), but there are those plays where the character seems to float beyond the play. I hadn't touched any of Shakespeare's histories (I'm not counting Julius Caesar, etc., as a history) and so was surprised at just how much I liked this character. But until this year my exposure to Falstaff was mainly second-hand, through books that spoke of him. “O, while you live, tell truth, and shame the Devil!” ― William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Part 1 Falstaff! Yes, I knew who he was. The spat with the Percys comes to a head in a battle at Shrewsbury, where Hal steps up and takes on Hotspur in a one-on-one battle.O, while you live, tell truth, and shame the Devil When Hotspur’s widow convinces Northumberland to withdraw, the rebels are then led by the archbishop of York and Lords Mowbray and Hastings, who muster at York to confront the king’s forces. A son who searches for a father and comes to look to a poor example in Falstaff.” Henry IV, Part 2 continues the story of Henry IV, Part 1.Northumberland learns that his son Hotspur is dead, and he rejoins the remaining rebels.
The King who can see nothing but fault in his son and looks to Henry “Hotspur” Percy as an example of his ideal.
“When we think HISTORY PLAY, it often brings to mind some challenging production dense with politic,” Bowers notes. In addition, his son and heir, Prince Hal of Wales, bails on his responsibilities at Court to hang out in taverns with a gang of ne’er-do-wells, chief of whom is Sir John Falstaff, a drunkard who, despite his charisma, is a bad influence.ĭirector Amelia Meckler Bowers loves the intimacy of the play. His reign is not going well, with war in Wales and Scotland and friction with the Percy family. Photo by Will Peterman.Ĭontinuing the story line we began last year with Richard II, we look at the reign of King Henry IV. Directed by Amelia Meckler Bowers Graham Pilato (left) plays Falstaff and Matt Gilworth plays Prince Hal in this summer’s GreenStage production of Henry IV, Part 1.
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