The Shakespeare Book

135

underworld of Eastcheap. There

his surrogate father, Sir John

Falstaff, holds sway over a tavern-

court of drunkards, thieves, and

prostitutes. Hal joins in the revelry,

but only, he tells us, to shine the

brighter when, like the prodigal

son, he turns away from fleshly

pursuits to take up his royal role.

Hal’s eventual return to face

his father is rehearsed in the tavern

where, speaking as Hal, Falstaff

defends his own licentiousness

as a celebration of life. But Hal,

speaking as his father, calls such

vice life-threatening, and admits

he’ll banish Falstaff one fine day.

He seems to speak both as the

king and as himself in this.

With the rebellion gathering

pace, Hal returns to court and plays

the out the tavern scene with his

father. When he promises to defeat

Hotspur and appropriate his honors,

Henry is reassured, finally seeing

something of his own ambition in his

son. Together they meet the rebels in

a parley. Hal offers to fight Hotspur in

single combat but the unbending

Henry refuses, dismissing the rebels’

claim of broken promises and

repeating his demands. The two

THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN’S MAN

2.5

3.1 4.1 5.1

3.2 4.2 5.4

In the Boar’s Head Tavern,
Hal and Falstaff
rehearse Hal’s future
interview with his father.

In Wales, Hotspur,

Mortimer, and

Glyndwˆ r plan to divide

the realm in three once

Henry is defeated.

Hotspur learns that

neither Glyndwˆr

nor his father

will send him

necessary

reinforcements.

Henry talks with

the rebels but offers

them no compromise.

At court, Hal

assures his father

that he’ll prove himself

a worthy prince

against Hotspur.

Falstaff helps

the royal cause by

accepting bribes to

dismiss good

soldiers from

the army.

At Shrewsbury,

Hal fights and kills

Hotspur, although

Falstaff steals the glory.

5.5

Henry sends his son John

north and Hal west as

rebellion threatens

once more.

Act 2 Act 3 Act 4 Act 5

sides fight at the Battle of

Shrewsbury, where Hal fights

Hotspur one-to-one. After killing his

rival, the prince praises his nobility.

Then, seeing the body of Falstaff,

he grieves the loss of his less noble

friend. True to form however, Falstaff

is feigning. Once Hal has left, the

wily knight sees the chance for

profit and takes the body of Hotspur

off as his own kill. Meeting Hal

as he goes, Falstaff persuades

the Prince to condone the lie.

Meanwhile, news of further rebellion

leaves the resolution of Henry IV’s

political difficulties to Part 2. ❯❯