The stirring continuation of the themes begun in "Henry IV, Part One" again pits a rebellion within the State and that master of misrule, Falstaff, against the maturing of Prince Hal. Alternating scenes between bawdy tavern and regal court, between revelry and politics, Shakespeare probes at the sources, uses, and responsibilities of power as an old king dies and a young king must choose between a ruler's solemn duty and a merry but dissipated friend, Falstaff. The play represents Shakespeare at the peak of his maturity in writing historical drama and comedy.
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prince Hal and Falstaff part their ways,
By
This review is from: Henry IV, Part II (Arkangel Complete Shakespeare Series) (Audio Cassette)
In the second part of this drama, the main thread is the evolution of Prince Hal, future Henry V, from a young, irresponsible, and party-animal lad into a real monarch. Please note that, from the author's persepctive (and most likely yours) this is not any good, since it leads to the inevitable estrangement between the former comrades Hal and Sir John Falstaff, the leader of Hal's group of troublesome (and even criminal) friends. This develpoment will eventually hurt Falstaff very much, for he has come to see Hal as the son he never had. Little by little, Hal shows his true colors: like many heirs of power, he becomes cruel, cold, ambitious and mean. He marches away from his joyful past and starts to assume the reins of power. He has become a politician and a warrior. In the meantime, Henry IV's strength has greatly diminished from so many worries and fighting. Hal helps him defeat their enemies and in the end the King dies and Hal becomes Henry V. In the painful final scene, Falstaff greets the new monarch, only to receive an order of imprisonment from his former friend.
Just as in Part I, here the main character is Falstaff. The fat Sir displays all his power of enchantment over the reader, by way of his infinite jest, wit and cynicism. He surges over the other characters as the greast transgressor, the great Dyonisian spirit, full of vitality and assuredness. Shakespeare's most salient features shine here as in the rest of his work: the fact that the characters change during the plays gives them a lot of literary power.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
