In Henry IV Part 1, the transformation of Hal is central to Shakespeares presentation of kingly qualities. Looking at two different scenes from the play, explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents issues related to kingship and how an Elizabet

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Robin D’Arcy 4D        

In Henry IV Part 1, the transformation of Hal is central to Shakespeare’s presentation of kingly qualities. Looking at two different scenes from the play, explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents issues related to kingship and how an Elizabethan audience would have seen them.

“Henry IV Part 1” is the second in Shakespeare’s tetralogy of history plays that focus on the consecutive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V; the play is believed to have been written no later than 1547. It is set in 1402 (beginning with Hotspur’s battle at Homildon) and ends in 1403 with the defeat of the rebels at Shrewsbury, almost 100 years before it was written. The main characters – with the exception of Sir John Falstaff – are based on real people. However, as the play is a work of fiction and written for entertainment purposes, they are probably caricatured and the dialogues will not be historically accurate. Falstaff was originally called Oldcastle after John Oldcastle, a powerful Protestant martyr. The character’s name was changed to Falstaff (after Sir John Fastolf, who had a reputation for cowardice at the Battle of Patay) because of political pressure from living descendents Oldcastle who had powerful acquaintances in England.

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. When he was 18, he married Anne Hathaway and they had three children. Around 1590 he became an actor, writer and part owner of a company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, who later changed their name to the King's Men. This was when his career began to be successful and he started to produce his famous works of theatre and poetry.

Most of Shakespeare’s well-known work was written between 1590 and 1613. He wrote mainly histories and comedies at the beginning of his career, then mainly tragedies which included what is considered by some to be the finest work in the English language. Later on, he wrote romances which incorporated elements of tragedies and comedies, and collaborated with other playwrights.

It is thought that Shakespeare retired to Stratford around 1613, and that he died there three years later. There have been few records of his personal life kept and there is some speculation and controversy about whether works attributed to him were in fact written by others.

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The part of Hal was written for Richard Burbage, generally considered one of the greatest actors of his time. The part of Falstaff, played originally by Will Kemp, is considered Shakespeare’s greatest comic creation, and arguably the greatest comic creation in literature. This was almost definitely true in the Elizabethan era when the play was written – Falstaff was killed in a play but then brought back because of popular demand. It is interesting to note that after a few performances Will Kemp left the show following an argument with Shakespeare. It is ironic that the rejection of Kemp by ...

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