# What does Part Two of Henry IV add to Part One (apart from the Ending to Part One)?

Johannes Siedersleben, Oxford, June 2018

A short answer could be: Part One describes the first rebellion against Henry IV
led by Hotspur and outplayed in the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. 
Part Two describes the second rebellion led by Scrope, Mowbray and Hastings, duped at Gaul
Tree Forest. But Shakespeare tells us more than a textbook on history. The two
parts can be seen as five interconnected story threads differing in focus, graveness and mood.

A) Harry and his louche friends with Falstaff as the most prominent character.
We observe Harry evolving from a supposed riot to a prince and finally to a
respected king, going through numerous adventures, mockeries and funny
scenes with Harry being perfectly aware of what he is doing: My reformation,
glitt’ring o’er my fault, shall show more goodly and attract more eyes than
that which hath no foil to set it off. [1, I.1].

B) Henry IV, his sons and his allies. Henry was an unhappy king, brooding over
his usurped crown and fighting against a sea of troubles: his waning health,
enemies abroad (Scots, Welsh, French) and at home (the Percys and other
nobles). Throughout the plays, Henry is busy to get the wayward Prince, his
other sons and his allies organized against the rebels. But his military success
is mainly due to the disunity of his adversaries rather than to his own military
skills.

C) The Percy rebellion (Part One) which looks quite promising in the beginning
but loses speed when Glendower and Northumberland opt out. Harry who,
much to his displeasure, is repeatedly compared to Hotspur, finally kills this
competitor on the battlefield at Shrewsbury, setting the final nail on the first
rebellion’s coffin.

D) The second rebellion (Part Two), only hinted to in Part One (IV.4) when
Scrope, the Archbishop of York, seems to set up a contingency plan in case
Henry wins at Shrewsbury. This second rebellion fails miserably at Gaul Tree
Forest, when John of Lancaster manages to dupe his adversaries: He had in
fact granted their requests but never promised not to kill them. This can be
called a stratagem, a ploy or a guile, depending on the historian’s point of
view.

E) Justice Shallow, an old friend of Falstaff, his cousin Justice Silence and other
hilarious figures such as Davy, the servant and the recruits. They appear in
Part Two only, adding elements of fun and a feeling of the good old days in
Gloucestershire.

Part Two thus appears as the logical follow-up to Part One, spinning the same
wheel: It continues threads A and B, ends C and starts D and E. But there is more
to observe.

Many Shakespearean plays feature two strands, one with the commoners prevailing and 
the other with the nobles. It is the commoners’ strand in threads A
and E which finds itself vastly enhanced in Part Two: There are Fang and Snare,
two policemen, Dolly Tearsheet and Jane Nightwork, two prostitutes, Shallow
and Silence, two Justices, Pistol, a soldier, and finally the recruits Mouldy,
Shadow, Feeble, Wart and Bullcalf. These characters, who all live up to their
comical names, add humour, nostalgia and some unveiled allusions to sexuality.
They are not essential to the main story but do introduce elements of agreement, 
diversion and even lewdness, suitable to attracting a large audience. One
is tempted to believe that Shakespeare took a particular pleasure in writing these
very scenes found in treads A and E. The remaining threads in Part Two, B and D,
are devoted to the hard work and do not lend themselves to much fun.

Let us first look at thread A. Falstaff’s luck is on a steady descent throughout Part
Two, from the acme of his fame from the Battle of Shrewsbury [2,I.2] to his
rough repudiation by the new King [2, V.5] while his role as Hal’s fatherly advisor
is gradually shifting to the Chief Justice, the one who keeps on harassing Falstaff
and his crew. Falstaff’s sad fate is much alleviated by Dolly Tearsheet, a prostitute 
who really seems to love him, notwithstanding his age, fat belly, and supposed deficiencies: 
Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance? 
Saturn and Venus this year in conjunction! Dolly, a close friend of Miss
Quickly, is first mentioned in [2,II.2] when Harry and Poins plan to mock Falstaff
dining with her. Scene [2, II.4], which introduces Dolly and gives Hal 
his last appearance as a jester, abounds with allusions to sexual practices and diseases. While
delivering eccentric compliments to Falstaff (thou whoreson little tidy Bartholomew boar-pig), 
Dolly has a good supply of insults she lavishly distributes to policemen and punters but with 
predilection to Ancient (Ensign) Pistol, another
laughingstock introduced in the same scene: I scorn you, scurvy companion.
What! you poor, base, rascally, cheating, lack-linen mate! Away, you mouldy
rogue, away! The name Pistol must have sound funny to contemporary spectators for at least two reasons: 
a pistol (the weapon) at that time was as dangerous
to its bearer as to potential targets, and the way Pistol speaks is a bold parody of
a style Christopher Marlow occasionally adopted. A sad end awaits Dolly and
Miss Quickly [2, V.4]: they are dragged to prison with whipping or execution
looming.

We now turn to Thread E with the Gloucester scenes. They are no doubt inessential, 
but it would have been a pity to leave them out. They are considered by
many a tribute to English country live, which Shakespeare himself experienced in
his youth. The Justices Shadow and Silence help Falstaff select recruits among
five dubious heroes. Bribed into letting two of them from the hook, Falstaff
chooses three with unsurprisingly little impact on the upcoming warfare [2, III.2].
Falstaff, after observing for a while Shallow and Davy, has matter enough to keep
Prince Harry in continual laughter [2, V.1]. Copiously dining and wining drives Silence 
finally to grow garrulous and cheerful for the second time in his life. It is
during this memorable dinner that Pistol brings the news of Henry’s death [2, V.4]
and Harry’s ascent to the throne. Expecting a bright future, Falstaff generously
offers high positions to his friends, but a rough deception awaits them: They are
cut off from the new King’s benevolence and condemned to keep 10 miles off
the King.

At the end of Part Two Harry has fully assumed his new role and is ready to prepare 
for war against France. His former friends are largely forgotten: in [Henry V],
only Pistol, Miss Quickly and Bardolph make minor appearances. The people to
be laughed at are now the French.

## References

The Oxford Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part One, 2008

The Oxford Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part Two, 2008

The Oxford Shakespeare: Henry V, 2008

No Fear Shakespeare: Henry IV, Parts One and Two, 2005

No Fear Shakespeare: Henry V, 2005

Links verified on 24/05/2018

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/henry4pt1

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/henry4pt2

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/henry5