4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My student were never so happy, May 15, 2000
This review is from: Henry IV, Part 1 (Shakespeare Made Easy) (Paperback)
...as when I told them about this book. It makes both content and context much easier. They understand what is being said and why it is important. I recommend this series to anyone studying Shakespeare. It cuts through all the language barriers and leaves you with and easily understandable text.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Adaptation, February 13, 2000
This review is from: Henry IV, Part 1 (Shakespeare Made Easy) (Paperback)
I really like this seris of Shakespeare's work. If you read the original and then the new version, you get a feeling of his beutiful peotry while still being able to follow the story. My 10 year old brother reads it and has no problems with it what so ever.
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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No One Is Honorable, January 19, 2003
This review is from: Henry IV, Part 1 (Shakespeare Made Easy) (Paperback)
In contrast to moralistic King Lear, this play is morally ambivalent. No one is really honorable in this play. Falstaff and Prince Hal play anti-hero bandits similar to modern day characters in movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Hal's father, King Henry IV is an outlaw himself who has usurped the throne from the legitimate king, though he himself pretends that he is not and the therefore rebellion against him is not legitimate.
The subplot involving Prince Hal and Falstaff are the comical parts of the play and Shakespheare reveals an attraction to low- life living in which these robbers carouse at bars and brothels and play jokes on each other. One gets the impression that it is fun to indulge oneself without getting too hung up on moral quibbles. Shakespheare makes banditry look charming, charismatic and romantic. My criticism is that the scenes aren't that funny to read about, although if one saw good actors acting the scenes out, it could be funnier, which brings up the weakness of merely reading plays, instead of watching them, which is how they are really are supposed to be experienced.
Hotspur and his company rebel against Henry IV, but they were actually formerly his supporters in Henry's conspiracy to take the throne from the previous king, so I don't think that they are very honorable either. The scenes with Hotspur and Henry IV are the main part of play which is more serious than the subplot. The two plots are conjoined by Prince Hal and his decision to "come clean" and stop being a lowly bandit and participate in the high banditry of his father the King as the King tries to secure his throne that is not legitimately his. The King warns his son Hal to give up such petty thievery and instead keep up the appearances that he is noble, royal, and brave in defending the illegimate throne of his father.
None of the dramatic monologues really moved me as much as some other monologues in other Shakespheare's plays; and to me, the monologues are often the high point of Shakespheare's plays. The play also seemed to go for too long also.
This version has a modern parallel text, which I recommend for anyone first approaching Shakespheare. Although there is some talk of dumbing down Shakespheare by not keeping his play in the pure Elizabethan language, I don't think elitist reactionaries should have their way on this matter. Which would rather have, people that don't read Shakespheare at all because of the difficulties of the language or people who now appreciate Shakespheare because they can understand him better in the modern langauge? I definitely put myself in the latter camp.
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