Henry IV is a play by Shakespeare based on historical events during the War of the Roses. It is part of a tetralogy and follows the story of King Henry IV and his son, Prince Harry, as they face off against rebels. The play features fictional and real characters, with dramatic license taken in their portrayal. Shakespeare likely drew his research from The Chronicles of England and the play explores the theme of whether the nobility was divinely chosen.
Henry IV, also called Henry IV – Part I or I Henry IV, is a play written by William Shakespeare in the late 1500s that draws its origins from historical facts. The game forms the second part of a tetralogy which follows the events associated with the House of Lancaster, one of the warring houses in the 15th century Civil War battle called the War of the Roses. Most of the events follow the story even though dramatic license is used and most of the characters are exaggerations based on real people.
Shakespeare wrote the play for his modern audience, assuming some understanding of history and moral climate. A tetralogy is a collection of four related works and Henry IV is the second chronological entry, after Richard III. Knowledge of Richard III, both the play and the historical monarch, helps the reader understand Henry IV. The last entries in the tetralogy are Henry IV – Part II and Henry V.
The game begins as civil war is about to break out as King Henry IV’s allies begin to turn against him. This includes young soldier Hotspur, his uncle Thomas Percy and father Henry Percy. Despite the play’s name, the plot of Henry IV is actually less important than the more comical happenings of his rogue son, Prince Harry, and his dramatic best friend, Falstaff. The final battle sees Harry and his father face off against Hotspur and his uncle, with Hotspur’s father sitting out at the last minute.
Falstaff is the only character in the play who is entirely fictional. The Percy family is all based on real people who have played similar roles in real life and King Henry IV and his son were obviously royalty as well. Dramatic license was taken with the personalities of the characters, with the Percys portrayed as more villainous and Prince Harry as more comical than they likely were in real life.
Shakespeare probably drew his research for the play from a well-known text of the time called The Chronicles of England. Henry IV was written on the assumption that the public already knew about the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York. A major theme featured in the play, which was first produced in 1597, was whether the nobility was divinely chosen. This was a common question discussed in the arts during the time Shakespeare was writing.
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