Reviews for Henry IV, Parts I & II, A Longman Cultural Edition

The average rating for Henry IV, Parts I & II, A Longman Cultural Edition based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-05-03 00:00:00 Stewart Smith I marvel at how smoothly this play enhance the cyclical nature of history, how the succession of kings, of fathers and sons, mimics a pattern of fall and redemption that is repeated in Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V, and accordingly, the evolution of styles echoes this pattern of unrestrained chaos, reestablished order and promised posterity. In Henry IV, part one, there is an unmistakable jesting tone in Mr. John Falstaff's famous soliloquies, both sage and villain, which are characterized by flexible verse and full sections of unadorned prose that recalls the uncorseted atmosphere of the taverns and brothels that young Prince Harry, heir of the throne of England, frequents with his gang of disreputable friends. Falstaff's is the leading voice in this section, where the reader encounters an immature, irresponsible Prince, and ashamed King and a proud surrogate father who casts a questionable influence over an impressionable young man. Contrarily, in the second part of the play, poetry seems to be reserved for honest and sophisticated speech such as the final words of Henry IV before he dies or the discourses of the Chief of Justice when he publicly condemns the reprehensible behavior of Falstaff and his acolytes. In that sense, the play subtly criticizes the side effects of acquiring power. Once Prince Harry is crowned king, he has to sacrifice his personal life in favor of public image, with the added cost of severing relations with Falstaff, whose affection for the young ruler is sincere. The Bard prickles the reader with moral dilemmas that go beyond mere political machinations. Falstaff is a multifaceted character that earns the sympathy of the reader in spite of his evident flaws and vices. He is a rebel, a crook and a buffoon, but he's also a surrogate father who remains loyal to his protégé with heart and mind. Prince Harry fulfills his role and becomes a responsible ruler, but in order to do so, he has to abandon his previous life and forsake those who showed fidelity to him. The forces of regeneration and betrayal become interfused in the erratic evolution of man and history. No achievement can be permanent; no emotion is infallible in the face of collective expectation and discordance between duty and justice, and most times appearances are misleading, so beware of Falstaff! "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." The invention of the human, Harold Bloom

Review # 2 was written on 2015-05-20 00:00:00 Benjamin Zeckhauser I love this whole series of historical plays by William Shakespeare, especially through Henry V. I am still reading Henry IV, Part 2 but it is hard to find the right edition of a play on Goodreads.