The First Part Of King Henry The Fourth — Acts IV, V, Reveal

Act IV

The rebel camp near Shrewsbury. Chewbacca just told a joke that might have been racist but no one’s really sure.

Enter Hotspur, Worcester, and Douglas.

Hotspur receives a letter from his father and is upset he didn’t just come to him personally. The messenger informs Hotspur that dear Dad is sick, but Hotspur doesn’t buy it. But then he changes his mind and says they can win any war without his father.

Next Hotspur learns there is an army 7,000 strong marching toward them. The news doesn’t phase him. Bring it.

Scene ii

A public road near Coventry.

Falstaff tells Bardolph that he is not ashamed of the soldiers he fights alongside. But then he launches into a lengthy speech about how they are all kinds of worthless. Falstaff is the worst.

Prince Henry pops out of nowhere and gets an update from Falstaff. The fool tells the prince the men are

good enough to toss; food for powder, food for powder, food

for powder; they’ll fill a pit as well as better:

tush, man, mortal men, mortal men.

Yup. That about sums it up.

Scene iii

Back at the rebel camp, Chewy apologizes and now sees the error of his ways. “We can all get along,” he says. Except, when he talks, it sounds like a seal just went through a wood chipper… so who knows if he meant it?

Enter Hotspur, Worcester, Douglas, and Vernon.

Sir Walter Blunt comes to tell them that the king wants to make peace and offers to reward their desires. Hotspur doesn’t give it a second thought and spits on the king’s offer. I mean, he doesn’t actually spit but he talks a bunch about how it’s a no go.

In fairness, if Hotspur’s claims are true, he does have good reason to despise King Henry. He says that his people and family have met with the King before (back before he was king), and a lot of junked up badness occurred.

What? That’s not good enough? I’m speaking too much in broad strokes because I don’t understand the particulars? You’ve a keen eye, my friend.

The best I can make of this is that Henry came in and deposed the old king, whoever he was. Richard II maybe? There’s been some talk of him. And then, as these things go, Henry also killed him. Shortly after that, Hotspur’s father was thrown out of the court, as was every other loyal man to the old king. If you ask me, the conquered got off easy, escaping with their lives. Henry spared them. War is hell, don’t you know?

Sir Walter Blunt takes Hotspur’s angry message and says he will relay it back to Henry.

Better? Well, don’t shoot me if I’ve got it all wrong.

Scene iv

York. The archbishop’s palace.

Sir Michael and the archbishop powwow about recent events. They’re both very concerned for the coming battles that are inevitable now. It seems as if King Henry’s enemies are multiplying by the day. It’s enough to put a chap in a tizzy!

Act V

King Henry IV’s camp.

Enter pretty much everybody.

King Henry mentions how bloody the sun looks. I’d say that would be a pretty telling foreshadowing except this play is only Part One.

The Earl of Worcester steps up and Henry asks him why he is here. Falstaff jumps in and says he’s here to usurp you, serpent! Then he is hushed like the child he is and the adults continue to speak.

Earl of Worcester goes on at length to list the many ways Henry had befouled him and the people. But what it boils down to is the rebels are all still in allegiance with dead King Richard. Kinda ballsy, if you ask me.

Henry wants to do battle with Hotspur mono y mono. He tells Worcester to take the message back to him. For single battle could save thousands of men.

Worcester leaves and Henry and Harry both doubt anything will come of it. Hotspur thinks he can win a massive war so that’s what’s a gonna happen I guess.

Falstaff talks some smack about honor and how only dead men can hold on to it. Ok, Falstaff. Your character is perplexing enough. Now you gotta bring honor into it? What know you of honor, sir?

Scene ii

The rebel camp. Chewy dies. But not really because he’s Chewy and that would be insane. It’s a terrible fake-out that never should have been. Anyway…

The king’s message has been relayed to Hotspur. He and his men all seem to think King Henry was noble in making the offer to do solo combat but they decide not to take him up on it. Just as Henry figures they would. Oh well, it was worth a shot, eh Hank?

Hotspur gets all worked up and horny for battle, delivering a truncated but nonetheless rallying speech:

Let each man do his best: and here draw I

A sword, whose temper I intend to stain

With the best blood that I can meet withal

In the adventure of this perilous day.

Scene iii

The Earl of Douglas and Sir Walter Blunt meet on the field between the camps. After a few words, Douglas kills Blunt, a fan favorite. In fact, it appears that the rebels considered Blunt their king? That’s probably an obvious one. I should really be reading these plays without so many days in between scenes.

No wait! I was wrong about being wrong. Blunt only told Douglas he was a king in order to protect his actual King, who is Henry, I think. Oh man. Shakespeare is hard, yo.

Falstaff comes upon dead Walter Blunt and tells him he has honor because, you know, he’s dead.

Prince Henry calls for his sword three times and gets nothing but a bottle of sack from Falstaff.

What in tarnation is a bottle of sack?

Scene iv

Prince Henry bleeds and is led off the field.

King Henry fights Douglas. Prince Henry (or Harry, if it pleases you) enters and saves the King. Douglas flees.

Hotspur enters and fights Prince Henry. Hotspur reveals his name is Harry Percy. Did we know this? Probably. Percy is the name that everyone in the rebel camp rallies behind, in honor of dead King Richard II. I think. So if this be true, it makes logical enough sense.

Falstaff enters.

Douglas renters and fights Falstaff who falls and pretends to be dead. Douglas leaves again.

Hotspur and Prince Henry fight. Hotspur is wounded and falls. He gives a decent death speech and dies.

Prince Henry mourns the loss of a noble enemy. Then he sees Falstaff lying, seemingly dead, and calls him a fat oaf not worthy of being in Hotspur’s dead company. Prince Henry exits.

Falstaff rises, alive. It’s a bloody miracle (kidding). He sees his opportunity lying before him and stabs Hotspur’s corpse. I guess he thinks he can take credit for killing the warrior. He then throws Hotspur over his back and starts to walk out with him when Prince Henry re-enters with Lord John of Lancaster.

Prince Henry is shocked to see Falstaff living. Furthermore, he is dumbstruck when Falstaff claims he killed Hotspur. Not that it matters. Does it? But Falstaff keeps up the rouse and says he expects some reward from King Henry for doing the killing. So I guess it does. Falstaff even goes as far as to call Prince Henry a liar, a notion the prince kind of waves off as ridiculous. Prince Henry is just flabbergasted by Falstaff and says he is “the strangest fellow.” So yay, that’s levity.

Scene v

Another part of the field.

I thing much left to do than for King Henry to claim victory over the Scottish rebellion and divvy up the lands, which is exactly what he does.

There is no return of Falstaff or any mention of Hotspur. Just a wrapped up bow ending for this one because, I suppose, it continues next month in:

The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth

Do I have chills? Not especially. Though I am curious as to what becomes of Falstaff. And Henry for that matter, both the king and the prince.

Anywho… let’s do a

Reveal

I may not know much… there’s no end to this sentence. That pretty much covers it.

I often like to tout that Shakespeare is hard. I mainly do this to pat myself on the back for getting close to the story without being capable of deciphering every single nuance — but then again, who can? With this particular play, I think I have done a halfway decent job discerning just what the heck it’s all about. Though if I had done any research whatsoever before beginning Henry IV, Part One, I would have learned that it is the second play in what is known as the Henriad. Neat title, right?

The Henriad is a four play structure which includes Richard II, Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part 2, and Henry V. This tetralogy, as it is known, is considered Shakespeare’s epic story. And even so, it is only half of the overall 8-play Henriad which includes four additional Histories. But you know what, we aren’t going to go into all that right now. I just wanted to mention it briefly here to say that, had I known that going in, I would have at least known that Richard II was the King before Henry IV. However, given the obvious plot context clues of this play, I brilliantly deduced (ahem) that Henry overthrew Richard. And now, given that I know where we’re going, I also know that Prince Harry will succeed Henry IV and become Henry V. But thats just simple King math that any peasant can figure.

It’s kind of a shame that I’m reading all Shakespeare’s plays alphabetically. If I had chosen a more sensible structure, we’d have linear normality. As it is though, it makes for a more challenging experience. And who doesn’t want even more of a challenge when reading The Bard?

As for Henry IV, Part One, the biggest reading foul I made was not understanding the Percys. Hotspur was the main antagonist, sure. But I didn’t quite understand that he was the head of the Percy family rebelling against Henry because of slights they figured Henry had done to them. Henry didn’t keep his promises to the Percys after they helped him greatly in overthrowing Richard II. I don’t know how they helped Henry exactly, but I guess we’ll learn all that when we get to the Rs.

Falstaff is clearly this best part of this play and I’m very much looking forward seeing him again. That said, he’s a louse! He reminds me much of Ignatius Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces or even Frank Gallagher of Shameless fame. Though he’s a scoundrel and a fool, he’s got the ear of Prince Harry. It will be interesting to see if he can keep it going forward. I know Harry has vowed to grow up and be more respectable. Will it take? Find out next month when we delve into The Second Part of King Henry IV.

It’s gonna be a hoot.

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