Henry IV, Part 2

Henry IV, Part 2 carries forward the two narrative strands of story put in motion in Henry IV, Part 1. The parallel lines are integrated, but not (I believe) nearly as dextrously as those in the first play. Some of the reason is that Harry Hotspur, who was one of the main points of interest in Part 1, is already dead, while the other story wanders into painful, or at least less congenial, territory: here we have to watch Hal extricate himself from the company of his former disreputable associates (chiefly Falstaff). All this draws to a head and a dramatic close with the death of King Henry IV. To some degree, the play seems to be a mechanical bridge between Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry V, though it is not without its dramatic virtues.

I personally find it less amusing and nuanced, but in all fairness, it continues to carry forward the fascinating thematic reflections that permeate the whole sequence of histories from Richard II to Richard III. The end of the play affords a couple of dramatically powerful scenes — the first where Hal takes and dons the crown before his father has actually died, and has to explain his way out of this presumption, and the other where he finally and unequivocally rejects Falstaff. There’s considerable dramatic meat here that can be disclosed in a variety of ways in performance.