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The History Of European Theatre
Henry IV Part 2: ‘We Have Heard the Chimes at Midnight’
Episode 168:
Although Shakespeare's completion of the events of Henry IV’s reign is very much a continuation of the story from part one it is a play with a very different vibe. The vigour of the battle scenes and the exuberance of prince Hal and Falstaff’s relationship are replaced in part two with a more sombre and elegiac tone. The effects of old age and the passing to time hang over the play and even at its ending, where the coronation of Henry V could have been treated as a big party full of hope, it is the final rejection of Falstaff that dominates as once again Shakespeare provides an ending that many would have found surprising.
The dating of the play
The early publishing history of the play
The early performance history of the play
Shakespeare’s sources for the play
A Synopsis of the plot
How the play functions without much dramatic action
Was the play a hurriedly written sequel?
Foreshadowing and references to history
The presence of the king and his illness in the play
The nature of the comedy in the play
The final split with Falstaff
Falstaff the dangerous conman
The Justices Shallow and Silence
Mistress Quickly and the other comic characters
The Epilogue
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