Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey - !!HENRY IV Audience Guide IV Part One... · 2018. 3. 5. · IV, P ˝ ˛˚ By William Shakespeare KNOW-THE-SHOW Audience Guide. Cover Artwork: Madrid

compiled and arranged by the Education Department of

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey

Henry IV, Part OneBy William Shakespeare

KNOW-THE-SHOWAudience Guide

Cover Artwork: Madrid artist enrique Moreiro was commissioned to create the unique portraits used for the Shakspeare theatre of New Jersey’s 50th Anniversary Season.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey TIMON OF ATHENS: Know-the-Show Guide

In This Guide:Shakespeare: Helpful Tips For Exploring & Seeing His Works .... p2

Henry IV, Part One: A Short Synopsis .......................................... p3

Who’s Who in Henry IV .............................................................. p4

About the Playwright .................................................................. p5

Shakespeare’s London ................................................................ p6

Sources and History of Henry IV, Part One ................................. p7

Director’s Thoughts on Henry IV, Part One ................................. p7

Commentary and Criticism ....................................................... p10

Are You SURE This is English? ................................................... p11

Shakespeare’s Common Tongue ............................................... p12

Terms and Phrases Found in Henry IV, Part One....................... p12

Further Reading ........................................................................ p13

About The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey ............back cover-1-

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2012 HENRY IV, PART ONE: Know-the-Show Guide

“My advice to anyone seeing Shakespeare:

Don’t worry so much!

Just make sure your ears are clean and your eyes are sharp. Listen and look and watch.

Look at the distance people stand from each other; look at the relationships being

developed.

Stay with it.Don’t negate the move that

Shakespeare will make toward your gut, toward your soul—

because he will touch you there,if you allow yourself to be touched.” -David Suchet, actor

Shakespeare: Helpful Tips For Exploring & Seeing His Works

“Just plunge right in(to Shakespeare). See a play, read it aloud, rent a video, listen to a tape. It’s up to you. When you look at Shakespeare close up, he’s not as intimidating as when he’s seen from afar.” Norrie Epstein The Friendly Shakespeare

Tragedy can have humor, and great comedy always has elements of the tragic.

18th-century critics complained that Shakespeare’s tragedies weren’t consistently serious enough. According to the classic rules, tragedy should be uniformly somber. Shakespeare’s use of humor in his tragedies prevents us from becoming washed away in a dense fog of emotion. Rather, it forces us out of the “tragic” long enough to appreciate the level to which the play’s passions have taken us.

“Some of the plays have taken on mythic proportions. By myths, I mean we grow up knowing certain things about [Shakespeare’s] characters but we don’t know how we know them.

There are lots of SHAKESPEAREAN MICROCHIPS lodged in our brains.” Charles Marowitz, director

“There are some parts of the plays you’ll never under-stand. But excuse me, I thought that’s what great art was sup-posed to be about.

DON’T FREAK OUT OVER IT!” Peter Sellars, Director

“It was Olivier’s Henry V that made me realize that

Shakespeare is about real peopleand that his language wasn’t simply beautiful poetry.”

Robert Brustein, director

Don’t be afraid to

LISTEN, WATCH

AND REACT;laugh, cry, and be moved.

Shakespeare wrote fora live and active audience.Both audience and actor

must be involved to createa truly winning performance.

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Henry IV, Part One: A Short Synopsis

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successfully capture and rob the travelers. Hal and Poins then enter, in disguise, and threaten their friends, who flee in terror leaving their booty behind.

Later at the Boar’s Head Tavern, Hal and Poins await their friends. Falstaff, Bardolph, and Peto arrive wearily, in bandages, and Falstaff recounts an elaborate story about how he fended off his attackers — the number of which increases as his story advances. Eventually, Hal reveals that it was he and Poins who had attacked them, and exposes Falstaff’s lies. Falstaff claims that he knew it was them all along, and that he couldn’t very well attack or kill the heir apparent. A messenger brings news of the revolt in the court, and word that Hal must return to the castle tomorrow. Falstaff and Hal then engage in an elaborate role-play, wherein first Falstaff, then Hal plays the King scold-ing the prince for his behavior. A sheriff suddenly arrives at the tavern in search of Falstaff who has been accused of robbery. Falstaff hides, as Prince Hal deals with the sheriff, and promises that Falstaff will be held accountable. After the sheriff leaves, Hal and Peto discover that Falstaff has fallen asleep in his hiding spot. They pick his pockets, only to find a list of his expenses owed to the hostess of the tavern.

Hotspur, Glendower, and Mortimer join forces and strategize their attack against the oncoming forces of King Hal. The discus-sion turns heated as the men discuss the plans for the division of England after their assumed victory. Plans are laid to leave immediately to prepare for battle, and the wives of Mortimer and Hotspur enter to say goodbye to their husbands. It is dis-covered that Mortimer’s wife (the daughter of Owen Glendow-er) is unable to speak English, and that Mortimer cannot speak any Welsh. Glendower translates his daughter’s fears about Mortimer leaving, and then she sings a song in Welsh. The men depart to prepare for battle, and the wives prepare to follow the next day.

Meanwhile, Hal returns and meets with his father. The King admonishes him, comparing the Prince’s indiscretions with Hot-spur’s nobility. Prince Henry vows to make himself worthy of his title and his father. Sir Blunt brings news that the rebels have convened at Shrewsbury, and the King lays out plans to face the rebels there.

Back at the inn, Falstaff complains to the hostess that someone has picked his pockets and stolen an expensive ring from him. Hal arrives, and quickly reveals that he himself picked Falstaff’s pocket, but discovered nothing more than papers, once again exposing Falstaff as a liar. Hal instructs Falstaff to be prepared to join the English forces in battle the next day.

At the rebel camp near Shrewsbury, a messenger brings Hotspur word that his father, Northumberland, is very ill and cannot join them. Word also arrives stating that Glendower’s forces will

As the play begins, England is in the midst of a year-long war with Scottish and Welsh forces. The newly crowned King Henry IV meets with his advisors to discuss the progress of the war. Word comes that one of their English leaders, Mortimer, has been captured by Owen Glendower, the leader of the Welsh forces. More favorable news comes from another front, as they learn that Sir Henry Percy (known as Hotspur) has defeated the Scottish forces at Holmedon. In his pride, however, Hotspur has determined to keep his prisoners rather than turn them over to King Henry. Despite this insubordination, the king laments that his own son, Prince Henry (also known as Prince Harry or Prince Hal), is not as renowned a warrior and leader as Hotspur.

Hotspur is called to the court to answer for his refusal to deliver the prisoners to the King. Hotspur says he only refused to do so initially because an offensive and affected lord had demanded them of him as he left the battlefield. Hotspur then entreats the King to pay the ransom to free his brother-in-law, Mortimer. The King claims that Mortimer is a traitor – having recently mar-ried the daughter of England’s enemy Owen Glendower– and refuses to pay any ransom for him. Alone with his father (Nor-thumberland) and his uncle (Worcester), Hotspur rails against the king. When Worcester and Northumberland explain that Mortimer is the rightful heir to the throne, Hotspur vows to side with Mortimer. Worcester reveals a plot of rebellion, allying them with Mortimer, Glendower, and the Earl of Douglas from Scotland.

Later, Hotspur prepares for battle at home, and angrily peruses a letter from someone who warns him that the ill-planned rebellion is certain to fail. His wife, Lady Percy, enters and demands to know what has been troubling him. He refuses to tell her anything, but consoles her by saying that she will follow after him tomorrow.

As the rebellion against the king gains momentum, Prince Hal gallivants with a company of thieves under the leadership of the fat and drunken Sir John Falstaff. As Ned Poins hatches a plan for the group to rob some passing travelers, Hal initially refuses to join the expedition. Poins informs Hal, however, that the rob-bery is merely a set-up for a grand jest against Falstaff. Hal and Poins will watch Falstaff and the others rob the travelers, and then will rob the money from Falstaff to see what lies he will tell about the encounter. After Poins leaves, Hal soliloquizes about how he will rectify his behavior when he becomes king, and how his kingly maturity will shine when juxtaposed against his youthful indiscretions. At Gadshill, Falstaff, Poins, Hal, Bardolph, and Peto prepare to rob the travelers. Poins and Hal steal off alone, under the pretense of catching the victims further down the road if they should escape Falstaff’s men. Falstaff, Bardolph, and Peto


Who’s Who in Henry IV THE COURT OF KING HENRY IV:King Henry IV – King of England, having deposed his cousin

King Richard II. He faces rebellious uprisings in his kingdom, and frets over his son’s unprincely behavior.

Prince Henry (also Known as Prince Harry or Hal) – Prince of Wales, and heir apparent to the throne. He spends the first half of the play carousing with Falstaff and a gang of thieves. He vows to live up to his title when the time demands, and does so in the battle at Shrewsbury against the Percys.

Prince John – Duke of Lancaster, and Prince Hal’s younger brother.

Earl of Westmoreland – A loyal adviser to the King.Sir Walter Blunt – A lord loyal to the king. He is killed at the

Battle of Shrewsbury.

THE BOAR’S HEAD TAVERN:Sir John Falstaff – Prince Henry’s loyal friend. An old and

fat ne’er-do-well, fond of women and drink, and a notorious liar. He is extremely witty, and mentors Hal’s debaucherous foray into the world outside of the court.

Poins, Bardolph, and Peto – Falstaff’s companions.Mistress Quickly – The hostess of the tavern.Francis – A waiter at the tavern.

THE REBEL FORCES:Henry Percy (Hotspur) – Son of Henry Percy, Earl of

Northumberland. Young Henry Percy is hot-headed, but a valiant warrior, and known throughout the land for his skill in battle. He rebels against the King, and is eventually killed by Prince Harry at the Battle of Shrewsbury.

Lady Percy – Hotspur’s wife; sister to Mortimer.Earl of Northumberland – Henry Percy, father of Hotspur. He

initially assisted King Henry IV in his ascent to the throne, but later rebels against his sovereign.

Earl of Worcester – Thomas Percy, uncle of Hotspur. He is executed after the battle of Shrewsbury.

Edmund Mortimer – Earl of March, and Richard II’s rightful heir. He is captured by the Welsh enemy Owen Glendower, and marries his daughter. He joins the rebellion in order to stake his claim to the throne.

Owen Glendower – A proud Welsh leader who claims supernatural skills. He initially captures Mortimer, but joins the rebellion in support of his claim to the throne.

Lady Mortimer – Glendower’s daughter, and Mortimer’s wife.Earl of Douglas – Leader of the Scottish forces. He is

captured at the Battle of Shrewsbury, but Prince Henry bargains to save his life and sends him back to Scotland.

Sir Richard Vernon – A noble who backs the rebellion. He is executed after the Battle of Shrewsbury.

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not be arriving as originally planned. Despite these great odds, Hotspur eagerly anticipates the battle, and his opportunity to face Hal in combat.

Falstaff enters with his bedraggled soldiers on their way to join the King’s forces. Rather than seeking for additional munitions and soldiers, however, Falstaff orders Bardolph to seek ale from the town inwhich they are resting. The Prince and Westmo-reland meet Falstaff on the road, and urge him to hurry as the King is already encamped.

On the eve of the battle, Sir Walter Blunt enters the rebel camp with a request from the King to know the specific complaints that have caused this rebellion. Hotspur angrily rants, but even-tually tells Blunt that the King is safe for tonight, and that he’ll send word of their purposes in the morning.

In the morning, Hotspur’s uncle and Vernon visit the King’s camp. Worcester reminds the King that it was the Percys that aided him in his rise to the throne, and that he has since rejected them. Feeling manipulated and abused, they now demand restitution, and seek to overthrow the usurping King Henry. In hopes of preventing the bloodshed of English soldiers, Hal challenges Hotspur to single combat. The king disallows this challenge, but offers forgiveness to the rebels if they withdraw immediately. Worcester convinces Vernon to keep the King’s offer secret from Hotspur. Instead they say that the King is pre-pared for battle, and the rebels take up arms.

In the battle, Douglas kills Sir Walter Blunt, mistaking him for the King. Elsewhere, Hal encounters the lazy Falstaff, whom he scolds. Eventually, Douglas encounters the real King Henry. In the fight that ensues, the Scot gets the upper-hand and is about to slay the King, when Prince Hal rushes in and fights Douglas off. Finally, Hal and Hotspur meet in battle. As they are fight-ing, Douglas attacks Falstaff, who falls. Prince Hal is eventually victorious, slaying Hotspur. He gives a respectful speech over Hotspur’s body, and then sees the fallen Falstaff, for whom he also grieves. After Hal leaves, Falstaff rises, and reveals that he was only pretending to be dead to avoid further altercation with Douglas. Seeing the slain Hotspur, Falstaff gives him a wound in the thigh, and plans to claim that he has killed him. Prince Hal returns to the scene, discovers that Falstaff is alive, and listens to his fabricated story about killing Hotspur.

After the battle, Worcester and Vernon are brought before the king who reprimands them for conveying false information to the rebels, and sentences them both to death. The Earl of Douglas has been captured, but Prince Hal negotiates for his release, and sends him back to Scotland. The fighting is not yet over, and the King prepares for future battles to finally quell rebellion in the land for good.


involvement with theatre began to dwindle, and he spent more ti me at his country home in Stratf ord. He died in 1616.

Most of Shakespeare’s plays found their fi rst major publicati on in 1623, seven years aft er Shakespeare’s death, when two of his fellow actors put the plays together in the First Folio. Other early printi ngs of Shakespeare’s plays were called quartos, a printer’s term referring to the format in which the publicati on was laid out. These quartos and the First Folio texts are the sources of all modern printi ngs of Shakespeare’s plays.

William Shakespeare, widely recognized as the greatest English dramati st, was born on April 23, 1564. He was the third of eight children born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden of Stratf ord-on-Avon in Warwickshire, England. Shakespeare’s father was a prominent local merchant, and Shakespeare’s childhood, though litt le is known about it for certain, appears to have been quite normal. In fact, it seems that the young Shakespeare was allowed considerable leisure ti me because his writi ng contains extensive knowledge of hunti ng and hawking. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer. She was eight years his senior, and the match was considered unconventi onal.

It is believed that Shakespeare left Stratf ord-on-Avon and went to London around 1588. By 1592 he was a successful actor and playwright. He wrote approximately 38 plays, two epic poems, and over 150 sonnets. His work was immensely popular, appealing to members of all social spheres including Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. While they were well-liked, Shakespeare’s plays were not considered by his educated contemporaries to be excepti onal. By 1608, Shakespeare’s

About the Playwright

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Left: kevin kline as Falstaff in the Lincoln Center theatre’s production of Henry IV, 2003. right: tom Hiddleston as Henry V in the upcoming NBC Universal-BBC co-production

presented as part of Cultural olympiad.

Famous PlayersKEVIN KLINE (Falstaff ): American fi lm actor, famous for his appearance in Sophie’s Choice as well as his Oscar-winning role in A Fish Called Wanda. A two-ti me Tony winner, he received rave reviews for his portrayal of Falstaff in Lincoln Center Theater’s 2003 producti on of Henry IV. Kline grew out and whitened his hair and beard for the role, and of course added some padding.

TOM HIDDLESTON (Hal): Though most famous for his role as Loki in the blockbuster fi lms Thor and The Avengers, this classically trained Briti sh actor actually received the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play. He will

appear in the BBC-produced Henry IV, Part One & Two and Henry V scheduled for distributi on later this year.

KEVIN KLINE (Falstaff ): American fi lm actor, famous for his appearance in well as his Oscar-winning role in Wandareceived rave reviews for his portrayal of Falstaff in Lincoln Center Theater’s 2003 producti on of and whitened his hair and beard for the role, and of course added some padding.

TOM HIDDLESTON (Hal): Though most famous for his role as Loki in the blockbuster fi lms this classically trained Briti sh actor actually received the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play. He will

appear in the BBC-produced


A Man of Many Words

Shakespeare used over 20,000 diff erent words in his plays and poems. Of these, 8.5% (1,700 words) had never been seen in print before Shakespeare used them.

To give you a sense of just how extraordinary this is, consider that the King James Bible uses only 8,000 diff erent words. Homer is credited with using approximately 9,000 diff erent words in his works. Milton is esti mated at using 10,000 diff erent words in his works.

In return, the company would adopt the name of the patron. Shakespeare’s acti ng company was originally named “Lord Chamberlain’s Men” aft er their patron, Henry Carey, Lord Chamberlain. Later, under the patronage of King James I, they were known as “The King’s Men,” an unprecedented honor at the ti me.

Despite the fl ourishing of the arts at this ti me, London was someti mes a desolate place. Outbreaks of the Black Plague (the bubonic plague) frequently erupted, killing thousands of citi zens. Theatres, shops, and the government were all shut down during these ti mes in hopes of preventi ng the spread of the disease. Elizabethans were unaware that the disease was being spread by the fl ea and rat populati ons, which well outnumbered the human populati on of London at that ti me.

London, in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, was a bustling urban center fi lled with a wide variety of people and cultures. Although most life centered around making a living or going to church, the main source of diversion for Londoners was the theatre. It was a form of entertainment accessible to people of all classes. The rich and the poor, the aristocrats and the beggars all met at the theatre. Though oft en appeasing the church or the monarchy, theatre at this ti me did experience a freedom that was unknown in previous generati ons. Evidence of this can be found in the numerous bawdy and pagan references found in Shakespeare’s plays. This relati ve arti sti c license and freedom of expression made theatre extremely unpopular among certain members of society, and it was later banned enti rely by the Puritans. Not unti l the reign of Charles II (1660-1685) was the theatre restored to the status it held in Shakespeare’s day.

The Globe Theatre, the resident playhouse for Shakespeare’s company of actors, was easily accessible to Londoners and an acti ve social center. Actors and performers were also regularly brought to court or to private homes to entertain. Despite their social popularity, actors maintained a relati vely low status, someti mes no bett er than a common beggar or rogue. Most performers were forced to earn a living doing trade work. The aristocracy’s desire for entertainment, however, did spur the development of numerous new theatre pieces. Oft en a nobleman would become a patron to an arti st or company of actors, providing for their fi nancial needs and sheltering them to some degree from offi cial sancti ons.

Shakespeare’s London

The SonnetsYou might have thought that Shakespeare wrote the sonnets earlier in his career, as a type of “stepping stone” to his plays. However, Shakespeare actually penned most of his sonnets during the various outbreaks of the plague in London, when the theatres were closed.

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Director’s Thoughts on Henry IV, Part One

Henry IV, Part One is the second installment of Shakespeare’s “Henriad”, the second of his two historical tetralogies. The “Henriad” includes Richard II; Henry IV, Part One; Henry IV, Part Two; and Henry V. Henry IV, Part One is set in the years 1402-1403, beginning with the Batt le of Holmedon Hill and ending with the fi rst Percy family revolt at the Batt le of Shrewsbury in 1403.

Henry IV, Part One is a notable example of how Shakespeare took great liberti es with adapti ng true historical facts in order to create complex, dynamic characters and engaging stories. For example, the historical Hotspur was not the same age as Prince Hal. Rather, he was much older. The historical Prince Hal didn’t actually kill Hotspur at the Batt le of Shrewsbury. Although Falstaff is allegedly modeled on a real person (Sir John Oldcastle, a knight who fought alongside King Henry V), and although Prince Hal did display debaucherous youthful behavior, there is no historical evidence to suggest that there was an actual Falstaff fi gure leading the Prince down that path. These changes focus the story on the character development of Prince Henry. Indeed, despite the play’s ti tle, the primary character in the story is not the king, but Prince Hal, and the play is themati cally concerned with his rivalry with Hotspur and his friendship with Falstaff .

Shakespeare wrote Henry IV, Part One in the years 1596-1597. His primary source for his historical material is generally agreed

Sources and History of Henry IV, Part Oneto be the second editi on of Raphael Holinshed’s massive work, The Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, which was published in 1587. However, he was also infl uenced by an anonymous play staged in 1595 called The Famous Victories of Henry V. Henry IV, Part One was enormously popular in its ti me, and was published in six quarto editi ons before it was included in the First Folio published in 1623. The play conti nues to be popular today, and is oft en performed alongside the other “Henriad” plays, which helps to highlight the theme of Hal’s maturati on and transformati on into King Henry V.

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“Thou hast redeemed thy lost opinion!”King Henry; Henry IV, Part One

THE PLAYHenry IV, Part One was extremely popular during Shakespeare’s ti me. It was published in six quarto editi ons before its inclusion in the First Folio of 1623. Shakespeare’s main historical source was Holinshed’s Chronicles, but he also borrowed from The Famous Victories of Henry V, an anonymous play from 1595. Henry IV, Part One is arguably Shakespeare’s best history play, presenti ng a powerful story of a king in the making, and introducing one of his greatest and most memorable comic characters, the witt y and decadent Sir John Falstaff , a character that so charmed Queen Elizabeth that she is said to have commissioned Shakespeare to write a play showing Falstaff in love, which Shakespeare did with The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Can no man tell me of my unthrift y son? ‘Tis full three months since I did see him last. If any plague hang over us, ‘ti s he. I would to God, my lords, he might be found. Inquire at London, ‘mongst the taverns there, For there, they say, he daily doth frequent With unrestrained loose companions! --Henry Bolingbroke in Richard II

As Henry IV, Part One begins, King Henry is plagued with guilt over his usurpati on of the throne and the murder of his cousin, King Richard II. His kingdom is torn apart by civil strife. His son and heir to the throne, Prince Hal, is nowhere to be found. We discover the prince at the Boar’s Head Tavern, running from his royal responsibiliti es and wasti ng ti me drinking and carousing with Sir John Falstaff and a gang of thieves. Meanwhile, King

John Ahlin as Falstaff. Photo: ©Gerry Goodstein, 2012.


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they can be set in alternate locales and ti me periods and accommodate modern conceits. It is because their relevance reaches out from centuries past.

Someone told me recently that the abundance of over-conceptualizati on and modernizati on currently practi ced in producing Shakespeare’s work make presenti ng his plays in their original historical period almost revoluti onary. I make no claims to revoluti on; I just appreciate the journey that Shakespeare’s text provides on its own, and feel that the actual ti me and place of the events in Henry IV, Part One provide the best scenario for this producti on, at this theater, and at this ti me in our history.

With those things in mind, the design team and I have taken an approach that avoids an absolute historically accurate landscape as much as a metaphorical or symbolic one. Instead, we have endeavored to combine late medieval costumes from the

Henry’s legiti macy is being hotly debated and a new rebellion brews, led by his once loyal subject Hotspur. Before all-out war, the King summons his son back to court.

THE PRODUCTIONThere is something very exciti ng to me about presenti ng one of Shakespeare’s best history plays as we celebrate the 50-year history of our company, and the occasion has informed my approach to Henry IV, Part One.

I do not consider myself a traditi onalist Shakespeare director (though my reverence for the power in Shakespeare’s words makes me somewhat of a purist), but because this producti on launches our milestone 50th Anniversary season, I felt a certain amount of pageantry and traditi on was in order and I decided to embrace the period in which the story takes place. Shakespeare’s plays are ti meless, but not only because

BEFORE HE WAS KING

Before becoming king, Henry Bolingbroke was Duke of Lancaster, a nobleman who was banished for ten years by his cousin, King Richard II. While in banishment, his father, Sir John of Gaunt, died. Richard took this opportunity to claim all of the properti es and money that should be inherited by Lancaster for himself against the advisement of many of his counselors.

In 1399, while King Richard II was away fi ghti ng in Ireland, Henry claimed the throne, and subsequently deposed and imprisoned Richard. Richard died in prison, and Henry was accused of his murder.

King Henry IV’s ascension to the throne marked the beginning of the short reign of the House of Lancaster (a branch of the House of Plantagenet), which lasted from 1399-1471. The reign included Henry IV, his son Henry V, and later his grandson Henry VI (who briefl y lost the throne to civil war from 1461-1470).

WHAT’S A TETRALOGY?

A tetralogy is a collecti on of four related literary or operati c works that, when united, tell a common story. Shakespeare’s two tetralogies include The Henriad (Richard II; Henry IV, Part One; Henry IV, Part Two; and Henry V) and a second focusing on the War of the Roses (Henry VI, Parts One, Two and Three, along with Richard III). Each of these individual works are designed to be enjoyed on their own or in concert with each other.

Another popular tetralogical example is J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.

Brent Harris as king Henry the Fourth and John Little as earl of westmoreland, with Cliff Miller as John of Lancaster in the background Photo: ©Gerry Goodstein, 2012.


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actual ti me of Henry IV, with a scenic design that emulates an Elizabethan theatre aestheti c; a unit set that provides a strong visual framework and embraces theatricality; that is capable of being in turn, powerful or neutral, colorful or uti litarian; that allows us to travel deft ly from scene to scene, relies upon the actors and the text to tell the story, and asks our imaginati on to be an integral part of the experience.

FURTHER THOUGHTSWhen I was given the opportunity to work on Henry IV, Part One, I was primarily excited about Prince Hal’s journey; his plan to “imitate the sun,” and his desire to prove himself. These were ideas with which I identi fi ed and what I mainly recalled from my

early readings and from a producti on I saw at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey twenty years ago.

As I worked on the script and read the play repeatedly, I fell in love with all of it. Shakespeare has woven a rich tapestry which connects every moment of the play, combining history and invented characters, blending pathos with comedy, and revealing the same complex humanity in servants and thieves as he does in knights and kings.

Unfortunately, the history plays oft en suff er from the sti gma that they are dry and boring. People tend to feel less connected to these plays than they do to Shakespeare’s tragedies and

comedies. Perhaps it is because of the misconcepti on that history plays are like dusty theatrical lectures about royalty and nobles fi ghti ng over a crown,” people whose lives are alien to ours, who lived in a ti me far removed from our own. Certainly Henry IV, Part One was ti mely for Shakespeare’s audience; it touched on their concerns about legiti macy and succession, for Queen Elizabeth was aging and without an heir. But ulti mately, the histories are about all of us. They are pageants of humanity. They are about struggling, dysfuncti onal families; fathers and sons trying to relate; husbands and wives trying to stay together; friends growing apart; and people trying to live honorably and striving for redempti on.

toP: Izzie Steele and Jon Barker as Lady Percy and Hotspur. ABove: Derek wilson as Prince Hal and the company . Photos: ©Gerry Goodtein, 2012.


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Commentary and CriticismFALSTAFF AS FATHER-FIGURE: “The two parts of Henry IV do not belong to Hal, but to Falstaff, and even Hotspur, in the first part, is dimmed by Falstaff’s splendor. … Courage in Falstaff finds expression as a refusal to acknowledge rejection, even though Sir John is aware, as Henry IV, Part One, opens, that Hal’s ambivalence has resolved itself into a murderous negativity. Hal’s displaced paternal love is Falstaff’s vulnerability, his one weakness, and the origin of his destruction. Time annihilates other Shakespearean protagonists, but not Falstaff, who dies for love. Critics have insisted that this love is grotesque, but they are grotesque. The greatest of all fictive wits dies the death of a rejected father-substitute, and also of a dishonored mentor.”

SHAKESPEARE: THE INVENTION OF THE HUMAN, Harold Bloom, 1998

THE GENIUS OF HENRY IV, PART ONE – “At issue are not only the contradictory desires and expectations centered on Hal in the play –the competing hopes of his royal father and his tavern friends—but our hopes, the fantasies continually aroused by the play of innate grave, limitless playfulness, absolute friendship, generosity, and trust. Those fantasies are symbolized by certain echoing, talismanic phrases (“when thou art king,” “shall we be merry?” “a thousand pound”), and they are bound up with the overall vividness, intensity, and richness of the theatrical practice itself. Yeats’ phrase for the quintessential Shakespearean effect, “the emotion of multitude,” seems particularly applicable to 1 Henry IV with its multiplicity of brilliant characters, its intensely differentiated settings, its dazzling verbal wit, its mingling of high comedy, farce, epic heroism, and tragedy. The play awakens a dream of superabundance, which is given its irresistible embodiment in Falstaff.”

SHAKESPEAREAN NEGOTIATIONS, Stephen Greenblatt, 1989

COMEDIC ELEMENTS IN HENRY IV, PART ONE – “1 Henry IV is the first of Shakespeare’s history plays to make extensive use of the techniques of comedy. On a national level, the play shows the continuing problems of Henry Bolingbroke, insecure in his hold on the throne, and the victim of rebellions led by Worcester, Hotspur (Harry Percy), and Glyndŵr. These scenes are counterpointed by others, written mainly in prose, which, in the manner of a comic subplot, provide humorous diversion while also reflecting and extending the concerns of the main plot. Henry suffers not only public insurrection but the personal rebellion of Prince Harry, in his unprincely exploits with the reprobate old knight, Oldcastle [commonly known as Falstaff]. Sir John had become Shakespeare’s most famous comic character, but Shakespeare shows that the Prince’s treatment of

him as a surrogate father who must eventually be abandoned has an intensely serious side.”

THE OXFORD SHAKESPEARE: THE COMPLETE WORKS, 2ND ED., Edited by Stanley Wells, 2005

CRITICISM OF PRINCE HENRY – “One can hardly forgive Shakespear[e] quite for the worldly phase in which he tried to thrust such a Jingo hero as his Harry V down our throats. The combination of conventional propriety and brute masterfulness in his public capacity with a low-lived blackguardism in his private tastes is not a pleasant one. No doubt he is true to nature as a picture of what is by no means uncommon in English society, an able young Philistine inheriting high position and authority, which he holds on to and goes through with by keeping a tight grip on his conventional and legal advantages, but who would have been quite in his place if he had been born a game-keeper or farmer. We do not in the first part of Henry IV see Harry sending Mrs. Quickly and Doll Tearsheet to the whipping-post, or handing over Falstaff to the Lord Chief Justice with a sanctimonious lecture; but he repeatedly makes it clear that he will turn on them later on, and that his self-indulgent good-fellowship with them is consciously and deliberately treacherous. … And there is neither subtlety nor (for Shakespear[e]) much poetry in the presentation of these characters. They are labeled and described and insisted upon with the roughest directness; and their reality and their humor can alone save them from the unpopularity of their unlovableness and the tedium of their obviousness. Fortunately, they offer capital opportunities for interesting acting.”

SHAW ON SHAKESPEARE, George Bernard Shaw, 1961

THE EDUCATION OF PRINCE HAL: “The Henry IV plays are above all “education” plays in the manner of Edward III. They show us the process by which the ideal king is made. And to accomplish his “education” purpose, Shakespeare adapted the dramatic form which had traditionally been used in such interludes as Nice Wanton, Lusty Juventus, and Wit and Science. Prince Hal must be educated in the arts of war and the arts of peace, and to each of these ends one part of Henry IV is devoted. We thus have in the two plays a development of the two ends which the author of Edward III has encompassed in his single play. Just as the moral aspects of kingship are taught to Edward and the military aspects are taught to his son, Prince Hal is taught to be a soldier in 1 Henry IV and a statesman in 2 Henry IV.”

THE ENGLISH HISTORY PLAY IN THE AGE OF SHAKESPEARE, Irving Ribner, 1957


Are You SURE This Is English?Contrary to popular belief, Shakespeare and his contemporaries did not write in Old English, or even Middle English. PLAYWRIGHTS OF THE 16TH AND EARLY 17TH CENTURIES WROTE IN MODERN ENGLISH. Shakespeare spoke (and wrote in) the same language which we speak today. It is possible to be thrown a bit by grammati cal “carry-overs” from earlier English [“thee” and “thou” instead of “you”] and the poeti c liberti es that Shakespeare took, but there is no doubt that the words and syntax used in his plays can be understood today without any “translati on.” To help clarify this point, here are some examples of Old, Middle, and Modern English.

When Julius Caesar invaded Britain in BCE 55-4, the Celti c (pronounced KEL-ti c) tribes lived in the Briti sh Isles. Their languages survive today in the forms of Gaelic (Scotland and Ireland), Welsh (Wales) and Manx (Isle of Man). The Romans brought Lati n to Britain. However, early English developed primarily from the language of tribes which invaded and sett led England from what is now Germany. This language, known as Old English, was also infl uenced by the Lati n spoken by Catholic missionaries from Rome as well as the Scandinavian dialects of Viking raiders and sett lers.

Oft en Scyld the Scefi ng from squadroned foes,

from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore,

awing the earls. Since fi rst he lay

friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him:

for he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve,

ti ll before him the folk, both far and near,

who lived by the whale-path, heard his mandate,

gave him gift : a good king he!

Selecti on from Beowulf

Author unknown, ca 800 CE

Oft Scyld Scèfi ng sceaðena prèstum,

monegum mægðum meodo-setla oft èah,

egsode eorlas. Syððan ærert wearð

fèasceaft funden, hè þæs frofre gebàd,

wèox under wolcnum, weorð-myndum þàh,

oð-þæt him aeghwylc ymb-sitt endra

ofer hron-ràde hÿran scolde,

gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning!

MODERN ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

Middle English (1150 - 1450 CE)The conquest of England by the Norman army in 1066 brought great changes to English life and the English language. The Old French spoken by the Normans became for many years the language of the Royal Court and of English literature. Over ti me, the spoken English sti ll used by the lower classes borrowed about 10,000 words from French, as well as certain grammati cal structures. By the ti me English reappeared as a writt en, literary language in the 14th century, it only distantly resembled Old English. This German-French hybrid language is known as Middle English.

Selecti on from The Canterbury Tales

By Geoff rey Chaucer, ca 1390 CE

But natheless / while I haue tyme and space

Er that I ferther / in this tale pace

Me thynketh it acordant to resoun

To telle yow / al the condiciun

Of eeche of hem / so as it seemed to me

And whiche they weere / and of what degree

And eek in what array / that they were inne

And at a knyght thanne wol I fi rst bigynne.

MODERN ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

But nonetheless, while I have ti me and space

Before I conti nue in this story

I think it appropriate to speak of,

To tell you, the conditi on

Of each of them, as it seemed to me.

And who was who, and of what degree,

And in what fashion each was dressed.

And with a knight then I will begin.

Modern English (1450 - present day)With the inventi on of the printi ng press in the 15th century, the English language began to develop and mutate at an unprecedented rate. Books, previously a precious and expensive commodity, were now widely available to anyone with basic literacy. Works in Lati n, Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese were being translated by the hundreds, and the translators found it necessary to borrow and invent thousands of new words. Eng-lish trade and explorati on fueled even more cultural and linguisti c exchange. The early Modern English of Shakespeare and his contemporaries has been referred to as “English in its adolescence”: daring, experimental, innovati ve and irreverent.

Old English (500 - 1150 CE)When Julius Caesar invaded Britain in BCE 55-4, the Celti c (pronounced KEL-ti c) tribes lived in the Briti sh Isles. Their languages survive today in the

What did Shakespeare sound like?

While we may associate Shakespeare with the “refi ned” Briti sh accent of an Ian McKellen or Judi Dench, linguisti c scholars suggest that the closest approximati on to the London accent of Shakespeare’s day is the accent heard nowadays in the Appalachian region of the United States.

selecti on from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, ca 1595 CE

Well, you have made a simple choice; you know not how to choose a man: Romeo! No, not he; though his face be bett er than any man’s, yet his leg excels all men’s; and for a hand, and a foot, and a body, though they be not to be talked on, yet they are past compare...

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alack — expression of dismay or shock anon — soon, right awayaught — nothingavaunt — go awayere — beforehath — hashence — away (from here)henceforth — from now onhither — herelest — or elsenaught — nothingoft — oft enperchance — by chance, perhaps, maybesirrah — [pronounced SEER-uh] “hey, you” as to someone

of lower statusthee — youthence — away, over therethine — yoursthither — therethou — youthy — yourwhence — wherewherefore — why [literally: “where is the ‘for’ or ‘reason?’ ”] whither — where

Shakespeare’s Common Tongue

Terms and Phrases Found in Henry IV, Part One

... and the “thys” have it

Oft en Shakespeare will alternate his usage of “thou” for “you”, or “thy” for “your”, or “thine” for “yours”. Though the words are synonymous, there is a great deal of informati on that can be obtained by looking closely at these choices.

The diff erent uses of these pronouns have to do with status, relati onship, degrees of inti macy and shift ing atti tudes. “You” is used in formal situati ons and conveys respect from the speaker. It is used when addressing royalty and parents. “Thou,” used in more informal setti ngs, also can suggest contempt or aggression from the speaker. The use of “thou” places the speaker above the status of the person to whom s/he is speaking. Children are addressed using “thou,” thee” or “thy.” In a conversati on between two people of equal status, the use of “you” suggests that everything is going along smoothly, whereas “thou” would suggest that there is some kind of upset or unrest in the relati onship.

ACT 1Holy-rood day – Holy Cross Day, September 14.Balked – heaped up, thwarted.Sack – Spanish white wine.A fair hot wench in fl ame-colored taff eta – a term for falconry

suggesti ng the hawk’s trimming of its feathers as preparati on for acti on.

“Lay by!” – a thief’s cry, similar to “Hands up!”Lugged bear – baited bear. In a popular form of entertainment,

bears were led in chains and set upon by dogs.Latt er spring/All-Hallown Summer – Hal addresses Falstaff as

a youth in age (a second spring) and likens him to a period of unusually mild weather (a second summer) occurring around All Hallow’s Day, November 1.

Pouncet-Box – perfume box with a perforated lid.“God save the mark!” – God keep evil away! (An expression of

indignati on).Bolingbroke – Henry’s family name. Hotspur’s use of it suggests

his unwillingness to acknowledge Henry as King.Canker – wild and inferior kind of rose; also, cankerworm (which

destroys plants), or ulcerated sore.Sword-and-buckler – in Elizabethan England, the sword-and-

buckler, or small shield, were associated with ordinary fi ghti ng men. A prince should use a rapier and dagger.

ACT 2Charles’s Wain – The constellati on now known as the Plow or

the Great Bear.Tench – spott ed fi sh whose markings may have looked like fl ea

bites.(Breeds fl eas like a ) Loach – a fi sh. The comparison means that

urine breeds fl eas either as a loach breeds loaches or as a loach breeds fl eas. There was a popular belief that some fi sh spawned fl ies or fl eas.

Culverin – a name both for a kind of long cannon and a fi rearm noted for its ability to fi re over a long range.

“O, Esperance!” – referring to the Percy mott o Esperance ma comforte, or “Hope is my reliance”.

“Pass them current” – establish them as the norm, let them circulate.

“By’r lady” – “By our lady” (an oath invoking the Virgin Mary).Humors – Renaissance theory held that four bodily fl uids, or

humors, determined by their relati ve proporti ons the health, temperament, and mood of an individual.

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“Ecce signum” – Behold the evidence (Latin).(knaves in) Kendal green – a course green cloth made in

Kendal, Cumbria. It was associated with poor country people, especially forest dwellers.

Hot livers – short tempers, livers inflamed by drink.“Saving your reference” – “if you will excuse the reference.”

ACT 3Burning cressets – metal baskets of fire suspended from long

poles; meteors.Ballad-mongers – sellers of writers of ballads.Moldwarp – mole. Holinshed records a prophecy whereby

Henry, figured as a mole, would be overthrown by a dragon, a lion, and a wolf, representing Glendower, Percy, and Mortimer, respectively.

“which do hold a wing quite from” – “Why do fly a course contrary to.”

“to fill the mouth of deep defiance up” – To add volume to the voice of deep defiance; to fill up the appetite of deep defiance.

Apple-John – a kind of apple often eaten long after picking, when its skin was shriveled.

“out of heart” – disinclined, weary.Dame Parlet – a traditional name for hens and for women

supposed to talk too much.Denier – a French copper coin of little value.Newgate fashion – bound like convicts and taken to and from

London’s Newgate prison.Embossed rascal – bloated rogue; hunted deer, exhausted and

foaming at the mouth.“I could wish this tavern were my drum!” – disputed passage.

Perhaps Falstaff means he wishes he could stay at the tavern rather than go to the war, or that he could make the tavern

ring with noise of his departure. He puns on “taborn” (tabor), a kind of drum used to call soldiers to battle.

ACT 4Soothers – flatterers.Zounds – “God’s wounds”, an oath or curse.Quailing – backing down.Maidenhead – beginning.Daffed – put aside.Agues – shivery fear.Labor – effort.Yeomen – small freeholders.Toasts-and-Butter – cowards.Zeal – sincerity.Pages – young servants, attendants.Forsooth – indeed.

ACT 5Chewet – chatterbox.Wanton – ungoverned, ill-managed.Water-colors – excuses that are transparent and flimsy.Albeit – although it be that, although on the other hand.Scutcheon – eschutcheon, painted shield.Catechism – religious instruction and statement of faith in the

form of a question and answer.Spleen – intemperate impulse.Forswearing – swearing falsely.Coats – richly embroidered vests worn over armor and featuring

coats of arms.Carbonato – rasher of meat, scored across and grilled.Cheerly – a cry of encouragement.Vanities – empty boasts.Termagant – savage and aggressive.

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Hazlitt, William. Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays. Irvine, CA: Reprint Services, 1992. Print.

Rozakis, Laurie E. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Shakespeare. New York: Alpha Books, 1999.

Toropov, Brandon. Shakespeare for Beginners. New York: Writers and Readers, 1999.

Van, Doren Mark. Shakespeare. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1953.

Asimov, Isaac. Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare. New York:Gramercy, 2003.

Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998.

Boyce, Charles. Shakespeare A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Plays, His Poems, His Life and Times, and More. Peaslake: Delta, 1991.

Doyle, John and Ray Lischner. Shakespeare for Dummies. New York: Hungry Minds, 1999.

Dunton-Downer, Leslie and Alan Riding. The Essential Shakespeare Handbook. New York: Dorling Kinderley, 2004.

Further Reading

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2012 HENRY IV, PART ONE: Know-the-Show Guide About The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey

The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is one of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nati on. Serving approximately 100,000 adults and young people annually, it is New Jersey’s largest professional theatre company dedicated to Shakespeare’s canon and other classic masterworks. With its disti nguished producti ons and educati on programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasti ng relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences. The longest-running Shakespeare theatre on the East Coast and the seventh largest in the nati on, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey marks its 50th season in 2012.

The company’s 2012 Main Stage season features six producti ons presented in its 308-seat F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre and runs June through December. In the summer, an Outdoor Stage producti on is also presented at the Greek Theatre, an open-air amphitheatre nestled in a hillside on the campus of the College of Saint Elizabeth in nearby Morristown.

In additi on to being a celebrated producer of classic plays and operati ng Shakespeare LIVE! (one of the largest educati onal Shakespeare touring programs in the New York/New Jersey region), The Shakespeare Theatre is also deeply committ ed to nurturing new talent for the American stage. By providing an outstanding training ground for students of the theatre, and culti vati ng audiences for the future by providing extensive outreach opportuniti es for students across New Jersey and beyond, The Shakespeare Theatre is a leader in arts educati on. For additi onal informati on, visit our web site at www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is one of 20 professional theatres in the state of New Jersey. The company’s dedicati on to the classics and commitment to excellence sets criti cal standards for the fi eld. Nati onwide, the Theatre has emerged as one of the most exciti ng “new” theatres under the leadership of Arti sti c Director, Bonnie J. Monte since 1990. It is one of only a handful of Shakespeare Theatres on the east coast, and in recent years has drawn larger and larger audiences and unprecedented criti cal acclaim. The opening of the inti mate, 308-seat F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in 1998, provided the Theatre with a state-of-the-art venue with excellent sightlines, and increased access for patrons and arti sts with disabiliti es.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is a member of ArtPride, The Shakespeare Theatre Associati on, Theatre Communicati ons Group, and is a founding member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

the Shakespeare theatre of New Jersey’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the National endowment for the Arts. Additional major support is received from

the Geraldine r. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. kirby Foundation, the edward t. Cone Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, and Drew University, as well as contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals.

the Shakespeare theatre is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus.

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Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey - !!HENRY IV Audience Guide IV Part One... · 2018. 3. 5. · IV, P ˝ ˛˚ By William Shakespeare KNOW-THE-SHOW Audience Guide. Cover Artwork: Madrid