Henry IV, part 1 - Definition and Overview

Although at its first publication in 1598 it was titled The History of Henrie the Fourth, this play by William Shakespeare is the tale of the coming-of-age of the future Henry V—young Prince Hal, the compatriot of Falstaff and other disreputable rascals.

At the outset, Prince Hal seems to pale in comparison with the fiery Henry "Hotspur" Percy, the young noble lord of the North. But Prince Hal does indeed grow up, evolving into King Henry V, perhaps the most heroic of all of Shakespeare's characters. This is the tale of the prodigal son writ large against the backdrop of medieval England.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Henry IV, part 1

• The First Part of Henry the Fourth (http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/s/shakespeare/william/henryiv_1/), from eBooks@Adelaide (http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/)
• Henry the Fourth part 1 (http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2251) - plain vanilla text from Project Gutenberg
• The First Part of Henry the Fourth (http://william-shakespeare.classic-literature.co.uk/the-first-part-of-henry-the-fourth/) - HTML version of this title.