The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth: Pt.2 (New Penguin Shakespeare S.) - Softcover

Davison, Peter; Spencer, T.; Shakespeare, William

3.77

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9780140707281: The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth: Pt.2 (New Penguin Shakespeare S.)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 014070728X ISBN 13: 9780140707281

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1977

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Part of The New Penguin Shakespeare which offers a complete edition of the plays and poems by Shakespeare. Each volume has been prepared from the original texts and includes an introduction, a commentary and a short account of the textual problems of the play.

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Written in 1598, hard on the heels of the massive popular success of Henry IV Part One, Henry IV Part Two takes up where the first part finished, and completes Shakespeare's portrayal of the troubled reign of Henry IV. Rebellion has apparently been quelled, but dissension still permeates the country, and Henry is disillusioned, sick and dying. After the pace and comedy of Part One., Part Two is a much more subdued and gloomy affair. The tone is set by the early appearance of Falstaff, who relishes the possibilities of easy picking in the face of more civil unrest with his sinister quip that "I will turn diseases to commodity".

The drama focuses on Henry IV's difficult relationship with his son Prince Hal, and the latter's gradual emergence as a charismatic sovereign. In the process he sheds his image as a prodigal wastrel dramatised in the first half of Part One, assuming the title of King Henry V in the closing scenes of Part Two. Perhaps the most poignant moment of the whole play remains Henry's cold-blooded rejection of Falstaff, his surrogate father for much of Part One. "I know thee not, old man" he tells the crushed Falstaff as he assumes the royal crown, preparing the audience for the type of monarch they will see in Shakeseare's subsequent dramatisation of English history, Henry V. --Jerry Brotton

Review:

Praise for "William Shakespeare: Complete Works: " A feast of literary and historical information. " The Wall Street Journal""

Praise for William Shakespeare: Complete Works: "A feast of literary and historical information." --The Wall Street Journal

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