Rating: 
Summary: My student were never so happy
Review: ...as when I told them about this book. It makes both content and context much easier. They understand what is being said and why it is important. I recommend this series to anyone studying Shakespeare. It cuts through all the language barriers and leaves you with and easily understandable text.
Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare's First Masterpiece
Review: Believe it or not, Shakespeare's funniest play will be found in the Histories section of your Complete Works. That's not to say this is a comedy, but the group of characters gathering at the tavern represent the Bard's supreme comic achievement. Falstaff and the future King Henry V will have you laughing out loud. However, in the serious main plot, which picks up from the previous play, Richard II, the Percys are leading a rebellion against the usurping King Henry IV. The rebellion continues into the next play, but the Battle of Shrewbury marks an important point in Henry's reign, and serves as a fitting end to Henry IV Part 1. The play is a complete unity unto itself, but I recommend you read the complete series (Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, Henry V) in order to get the most out a very exciting and entertaining cycle. I usually recommend the Arden editions, but in this case the Oxford is superior. David Bevington is clearly one of the top editors in the field, and his notes help smooth over the rough spots in the text, especially the comic scenes which really need to be seen or heard to be fully appreciated. In that respect the Arkangel Audio version of the play is excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: Henry IV Part II - A Good Play In the Middle of 2 Great Ones
Review: First off, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Part I and absolutely adored Henry V. Having said that, I found Part II to be enjoyable, yet perhaps leaving something to be desired - like more action. Falstaff and Prince Hal both come off as somewhat disingenuous and calculating Machiavellian individuals. Disappointingly, Falstaff speaks poorly of Prince Hal while unwittingly in his midst. Conversely, The Prince of Wales prematurely takes the crown before his King Henry IV's death as well as disassociating himself with Falstaff after he is crowned King. These instances, along with others throughout the play, show the self-serving tendencies of both characters. However, we can proudly witness the maturation of the young King from wild & dissolute young Prince Hal into one of the most revered monarchs in English history, King Henry V. Part II remains an intriguing play due to its paradoxical nature, yet unfortunately rarely acted out today. Now that I have read Henry IV(I&II) for the first time, I gladly move on to one of my personal favorites, Henry V. I recommend both parts(Folger editions) for all Shakespeare enthusiasts - they have given me greater insight into the young Henry V - when he was more concerned with downing a pint of ale rather than downing the French at Agincourt. 2 Magnificent Quotes from Henry IV Part II -
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." - King Henry IV
"He hath eaten me out of house and home." - Mistress Quickly
Rating:
Summary: Henry IV Part II - A Good Play In the Middle of 2 Great Ones
Review: First off, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Part I and absolutely adored Henry V. Having said that, I found Part II to be enjoyable, yet perhaps leaving something to be desired - like more action. Falstaff and Prince Hal both come off as somewhat disingenuous and calculating Machiavellian individuals. Disappointingly, Falstaff speaks poorly of Prince Hal while unwittingly in his midst. Conversely, The Prince of Wales prematurely takes the crown before his King Henry IV's death as well as disassociating himself with Falstaff after he is crowned King. These instances, along with others throughout the play, show the self-serving tendencies of both characters. However, we can proudly witness the maturation of the young King from wild & dissolute young Prince Hal into one of the most revered monarchs in English history, King Henry V. Part II remains an intriguing play due to its paradoxical nature, yet unfortunately rarely acted out today. Now that I have read Henry IV(I&II) for the first time, I gladly move on to one of my personal favorites, Henry V. I recommend both parts(Folger editions) for all Shakespeare enthusiasts - they have given me greater insight into the young Henry V - when he was more concerned with downing a pint of ale rather than downing the French at Agincourt. 2 Magnificent Quotes from Henry IV Part II -
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." - King Henry IV
"He hath eaten me out of house and home." - Mistress Quickly
Rating:
Summary: Top 5 Shakespeare!
Review: Having just completed Henry IV Part I, I must say that I came away delighted and impressed with Shakespeare's genius once again. Shakespeare's ability to intertwine the arduous dichotomy of the impcomparable comedy of Falstaff and the meaningful history of Henry IV, Prince Hal, & Hotspur is impressive to say the least. It comes as no surprise that this was one of Shakespeare's most popularly staged plays during his day and enjoyed an unusually long stage run. Falstaff is undoubtedly the most infamously famous literary comic character in the history of English literature. The scenes of him being robbed by Prince Hal, feigning his death, stabbing the already deceased Hotspur in the leg while claiming victory, and his employment of beggars as his foot soldiers galvanize the comic aspect of the play and make for a hilarious & farcical sublot. Interestingly, in the bar in Eastcheap, Prince Hal alludes to his future persecution of Falstaff when he is crowned king. I strongly recommend Henry IV Part I to all Shakespeare aficionados seeing as I deem it in the top five of all Shakespeare's works along with Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, & Henry V. Now on to Part II. Adieu. "The better part of valor is discretion." - Falstaff
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Summary: funny
Review: henry iv is misnamed since the play isn't really about king henry but about his son, prince hal, and his enemies, especially henry percy (aka 'hotspur') who is a rival to hal. hotspur is one of the leaders of the rebellion against the king and, at a tender age, is already an accomplished soldier. his story provides the drama of the play. hal, on the other hand, has fallen out of favor with the king, and is whiling away his days in the company of dissolute company, led by sir john falstaff, one of shakespeare's great characters. his adventures with sir john provide the comic relief. fortunately for the king, hal sheds his prodigal ways in time to save his father and his crown in the battle at shrewsbury, where, coincidentally, hal meets and slays his rival, hotspur. this is one of shakespeare's best plays. the story of the rebellion is intriguing, and the adventures of hal and falstaff are laugh-out-loud hilarious. the culmination of the two stories in the final battle scene is wonderful. this is a fitting sequel to richard ii. note that there are some historical inaccuracies and even outright inventions in this play. foremost is the character of falstaff who is pure invention (and genius). the story of hal's adventures stems from his reputation, enhanced by legend, as a playboy. falstaff was the perfect foil for a carousing prince. the biggest inaccuracy is hotspur's age. he was actually of the generation of henry iv, and not as young as he's depicted in the play. shakespeare made him younger to enhance, maybe even create, the rivalry with hal. there are other inaccuracies here, but better for the reader to consult 'shakespeare's kings', an excellent book by saccio that explains the history of the period and the discrepancies in the play.
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Summary: The two sides of Hal
Review: Henry IV remains one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, even though the tragedies and comedies get far more attention and seeming appreciation than do the histories. As an English major, I examined Henry's (Hal's) character, and I focused on his development from a somewhat foolhardy young man into a self-assured, even manipulative prince. It is hard to say which of these Hal truly is, or if he is a little bit of both.
At the beginning of the play, Hal spends his free time cavorting around with his friend Falstaff (who provides all of the laughs in the play and is cited as one of the best comic characters in all literature). In the first act we already see hints in Hal's sololiquy that he may not be as carefree as we are led to believe, and that he might betray friends like Falstaff to be the prince that he is expected to be. Read on in "Henry V" to see just how much of a polished politician Hal becomes--his battle cries and his "once more unto the breech, dear friends" is masterful in its persuasiveness and ability to induce his countrymen to fight.
Hotspur serves as a nice counterpoint to Hal in "Henry IV." Hotspur is the hothead and Hal makes his decisions calmly and rationally. This almost inhuman rationality comes into play again in "Henry V" and makes you long for the seemingly carefree Hal.
All in all, "Henry IV" is a great read and quite an interesting character study--I highly recommend it!
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Summary: Two sweeping plays where comedy and history join.
Review: I am actually reviewing both Parts One and Two with this since they should be read together.The reason why I enjoyed these plays so much is because we see Falstaff in both of them. He is my favourite Shakespearean character - big, bawdy, rough, a liar and a cheat, but again we know what he is right from the beginning, and Shakespeare keeps him so true to character. These plays are a bit different from some of the other histories. There are more comedic parts in them for one thing. The plays are certainly used as a medium for introducing young Hal (who will become King Henry V). We see him as a young man, and watch him grow and see the influences that his society and the people in it have on his development. He doesn't appear to be growing up well according to his father because he is so irresponsible. King Henry IV was not England's strongest ruler. He was haunted by his guilt over the death of his predecessor, King Richard II. In Part Two, comedy still plays a big role, and we still see Falstaff's influence on young Hal until the shocking moment of Falstaff's death. The best part about Part Two though is the deathbed scene between old King Henry IV and his son Prince Henry. The play leads us to "King Henry V". Prince Hal does finally grow up and he becomes a very strong leader. Actually King Henry Iv, Parts one and two should be read before King Henry V. It is the correct sequence and we see Prince Hal grow and mature.
Rating:
Summary: Good Adaptation
Review: I really like this seris of Shakespeare's work. If you read the original and then the new version, you get a feeling of his beutiful peotry while still being able to follow the story. My 10 year old brother reads it and has no problems with it what so ever.
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Summary: No One Is Honorable
Review: In contrast to moralistic King Lear, this play is morally ambivalent. No one is really honorable in this play. Falstaff and Prince Hal play anti-hero bandits similar to modern day characters in movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Hal's father, King Henry IV is an outlaw himself who has usurped the throne from the legitimate king, though he himself pretends that he is not and the therefore rebellion against him is not legitimate. The subplot involving Prince Hal and Falstaff are the comical parts of the play and Shakespheare reveals an attraction to low- life living in which these robbers carouse at bars and brothels and play jokes on each other. One gets the impression that it is fun to indulge oneself without getting too hung up on moral quibbles. Shakespheare makes banditry look charming, charismatic and romantic. My criticism is that the scenes aren't that funny to read about, although if one saw good actors acting the scenes out, it could be funnier, which brings up the weakness of merely reading plays, instead of watching them, which is how they are really are supposed to be experienced. Hotspur and his company rebel against Henry IV, but they were actually formerly his supporters in Henry's conspiracy to take the throne from the previous king, so I don't think that they are very honorable either. The scenes with Hotspur and Henry IV are the main part of play which is more serious than the subplot. The two plots are conjoined by Prince Hal and his decision to "come clean" and stop being a lowly bandit and participate in the high banditry of his father the King as the King tries to secure his throne that is not legitimately his. The King warns his son Hal to give up such petty thievery and instead keep up the appearances that he is noble, royal, and brave in defending the illegimate throne of his father. None of the dramatic monologues really moved me as much as some other monologues in other Shakespheare's plays; and to me, the monologues are often the high point of Shakespheare's plays. The play also seemed to go for too long also. This version has a modern parallel text, which I recommend for anyone first approaching Shakespheare. Although there is some talk of dumbing down Shakespheare by not keeping his play in the pure Elizabethan language, I don't think elitist reactionaries should have their way on this matter. Which would rather have, people that don't read Shakespheare at all because of the difficulties of the language or people who now appreciate Shakespheare because they can understand him better in the modern langauge? I definitely put myself in the latter camp.
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