"1 Henry IV" Act 1 Reading Notes

The Set Up…

--As this play begins, one year has passed since the end of “Richard II” (Henry IV says so at 1.1.28)

Henry IV still wants to go to the Holy Land (a distraction that will unify the country against a common enemy), but the civil unrest since he took the throne has been so intense that Henry’s English forces haven’t been able to get there.


There are two main settings in this play—the court and tavern.
Hal (King Henry IV’s son) moves through them both. Watch for how he gets an education in the tavern and at court. Hal will eventually become King Henry V at the end of these plays (“2 Henry IV” and “Henry V,” which we aren’t reading this semester).

In the tavern scenes like 1.2, Falstaff is Sir Toby Belch to the extreme. A knight from ye olde days who is now debauched and perhaps the most hilarious Shakespeare character in the canon (in the humble TA’s opinion). Watch for his speeches on the body and the material vs. other characters, like Hotspur, who talk of intangibles and values like “honor.”

More General Back Story/Plot Notes…

- There are rebellions in Ireland and the northern outskirts of the country.

- Hotspur and Mortimer are off fighting the rebellions for King Henry IV.

- Hotspur has married a nice girl named Lady Hotspur. Her brother is Mortimer.

- It seems that Mortimer, we find out at 1.3.155, was the person Richard II had proclaimed heir to the throne when he was still alive.

- This is not cool if you’re Henry IV. This means Mortimer could rebel, stating his is a stronger claim to the throne than Henry IV’s.

- This tension exists below the surface as the play begins. And it intensifies when Mortimer is captured by the enemy forces.

- Henry IV refuses to ransom Mortimer—pay money for his release—because it’s actually rather nice to have a threat to his throne removed from the picture.

- This infuriates Hotspur, as Mortimer is his brother-in-law.

- Hotspur has his own prisoners of war, who he should give over to King Henry IV by the rules of warfare. Prisoners = $$$$ because the opposition ransoms them to get them back. King Henry needs $$ because the kingdom’s bankrupt. Hotspur refuses to give over the prisoners, as his uncle Worcester advises, until Mortimer is ransomed and released. King Henry obviously refuses to do this.

- Such is the stalemate that creates incredible political pressure in Act 1.

- Northumberland, his son Hotspur, and Worcester decide to oppose the crown and join forces with Glendower, a crazy Welshman, and the rebel camp. They are reunited with Mortimer in Act 2.

Members of the Rebel Camp/Opposed to Henry IV We See & Hear About In Act 1:

Northumberland
Hotspur
Worcester
Mortimer

Loyal Supporters to Henry IV:

Westmoreland