| Henry IV, Part 2 |
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Period written: 1598 First known performance: The play picks up where Henry IV, Part 1 left off. Its focus is on Prince Hal's journey toward kingship, and his ultimate rejection of Falstaff. However, unlike Part 1, Hal and Falstaff's stories are almost entirely separate, as the two characters meet only twice and very briefly. The tone of much of the play is elegiac, focusing on Falstaff's age and his closeness to death. Falstaff is still drinking and engaging in petty criminality in the London underworld. He has a relationship with Doll Tearsheet, a prostitute. When news of a second rebellion arrives, Falstaff joins the army again, and goes to the country to raise an army. There he encounters Moldy, Bullcalf, Feeble, Shadow and Wart, a band of rustic yokels who attempt to evade military service in comic ways. He also meets with an old school-chum, Master Shallow, and they reminisce about their youthful follies. In the other storyline, Hal remains an acquaintance of London lowlife; he seems unsuited to kingship, and his father, King Henry IV, is still disappointed in him. Another rebellion is launched against Henry IV, but this time it is defeated, not by a battle, but by the duplicitous political machinations of Hal's brother, Prince John. King Henry then sickens and appears to die. Hal, seeing this, believes he is King and exits with the crown. King Henry, awakening, is devastated, thinking Hal cares only about becoming King. Hal convinces him otherwise and the old king subsequently dies contentedly. The two storylines meet in the final scene, in which Falstaff, having learned that Hal is now King, travels to London in expectation of great rewards. But Hal rejects him, saying that he has now changed, and can no longer associate with such people. The London lowlifes, expecting a 'paradise of thieves' under Hal's governance, are instead purged and imprisoned by the authorities. At the end of the play, an epilogue thanks the audience and promises that the story will continue in a forthcoming play "with Sir John in it". In fact, the subsequent play, Henry V, does not feature Falstaff except for a brief mention of his death. Discuss this play in our forums.
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Tags: Henry IV, Part 2, Histories