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FIRST FOLIO:
TEACHER AND STUDENT RESOURCE GUIDE
Consistent with the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s central
mission to be the leading force in producing and preserving the Table of Contents
highest quality classic theatre, the Education Department
challenges learners of all ages to explore the ideas, emotions Synopsis 3
and principles contained in classic texts and to discover the
connection between classic theatre and our modern Who’s Who 4
perceptions. We hope that this First Folio: Teacher and Student
Resource Guide will prove useful to you while preparing to Who’s Who in the War of the Roses 6
attend Henry IV Part 1 or Part 2.
The Divine Right 7
First Folio provides information and activities to help students
form a personal connection to the play before attending the The Drunken Knight: 9
Falstaff’s World
production. First Folio contains material about the playwrights,
their world and their works. Also included are approaches to The Dream of Escape 10
explore the plays and productions in the classroom before and By Stephen Greenblatt
after the performance.
Shakespeare’s Language 12
First Folio is designed as a resource both for teachers and
Classroom Activities 16
students. All Folio activities meet the “Vocabulary Acquisition
and Use” and “Knowledge of Language” requirements for the Resource List 19
grades 8-12 Common Core English Language Arts
Standards. We encourage you to photocopy these articles and Theatre Etiquette 20
activities and use them as supplemental material to the text.

Enjoy the show!

Founding Sponsors
The First Folio Teacher and Student Resource Guide for Miles Gilburne and Nina Zolt
the 2013-2014 Season was developed by the
Presenting Education Sponsor
Shakespeare Theatre Company Education Department:

Director of Education Samantha K. Wyer

Associate Director of Education Dat Ngo
Audience Enrichment Manager Hannah Hessel Ratner
Community Engagement Manager Laura Henry Buda Leadership Support
School Programs Manager Vanessa Hope The Beech Street Foundation
Education Coordinator Meaghan McFadden Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national
Training Programs Coordinator Brent Stansell program of the National Endowment for the
Resident Teaching Artist Jim Gagne Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest
Education Intern Stephanie Ramsey

Additional Support In-Kind Support

Marshall B. Coyne Foundation
D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities
ExxonMobil
Mark & Carol Hyman Fund
For more information on how you can The Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation
The George Preston Marshall Foundation
participate in other Morningstar Foundation
Shakespeare Theatre Company programs, Ms. Toni Ritzenberg
please call the Education Hotline at Anthony F. Lucas-Spindletop Foundation
Hattie M. Strong Foundation
202.547.5688 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org. Solon E. Summerfield Foundation

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Henry IV, Part 2 Synopsis
The play picks up where Part 1 leaves off, in the
immediate wake of the Battle of Shrewsbury, where King
Henry IV and his son Prince Hal have defeated the
rebels. As rumors spread throughout England that the
rebel Hotspur has killed Prince Hal, uncertainty hangs
over the Earl of Northumberland, absent at Shrewsbury
due to illness. After hearing contradictory reports,
Hastings reveals the truth—that Hotspur was killed.
Northumberland, heartbroken that he abandoned his
son in battle, swears revenge. Meanwhile, the
Archbishop of York, Hastings, Lord Russell and
Mowbray decide to raise an army against the King’s
forces with or without Northumberland’s help.

In London, Falstaff gains favor from the rumor that he

fought valiantly at Shrewsbury and tries to ignore the
King’s orders to raise an army to aid his younger son,
Prince John, in putting down the new Yorkshire
rebellion. As news of the rebel forces reaches King
Henry, whose health is deteriorating from the stress of
impending war, the sleepless monarch turns his uneasy
mind toward the future of an England ruled by his
seemingly degenerate heir.

Meanwhile, in the Eastcheap tavern, Prince Hal

discovers Falstaff embroiled in intrigues with his
landlady Mistress Quickly, the younger Doll Tearsheet
and the pompous Pistol. When news arrives of the
King’s swiftly declining health, a guilty Hal rushes off,
warning Falstaff that he must join the fight against the
rebels.

Back north, Lady Percy, Hotspur’s impassioned widow, along with Lady Northumberland, prevails on
Northumberland to retreat to Scotland. Geared for battle at Gaultree Forest, the Archbishop, Hastings and the
remaining rebels present a list of demands to Prince John. When they accept his offer of truce and disperse
their troops, John arrests the rebels and leads them off to be executed. Falstaff, who has again recruited a
ragtag army, arrives at the battlefield after the armies have gone. He praises the drinking of wine, then heads
for Gloucestershire to borrow money from an old acquaintance, Justice Shallow.

Back in London, the ailing King finally learns of the rebels’ defeat and falls asleep. Thinking him dead, Prince
Hal takes the crown from his father, only to be reprimanded when the King awakens. Father and son finally
share their true feelings with one another. Shortly after, news of the King’s death reaches Falstaff in
Gloucestershire. Thinking his old tavern companion, Hal, will certainly elevate his position now that he’s King,
Falstaff rushes back to London. As the coronation procession passes by, Falstaff calls out from the crowd to
Hal, newly crowned King Henry V. The new King, turning away from his former self, finally assumes his royal
role and renounces Falstaff.

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WHO’S WHO in Henry IV, Part 2

Allies to the King Tavern Folk

KING HENRY IV SIR JOHN FALSTAFF
The ruling king of England. He Leader of the seedy tavern gang who
seized the throne after winning a civil spends his time stealing and carousing.
war. Father of Prince Hal and John Close friend and mentor to Prince Hal.
of Lancaster.

Ed Gero Stacy Keach

PRINCE HAL (HARRY MONMOUTH) BARDOLPH

Son of the king and heir to the Thief and criminal, friend of Falstaff and
throne. Friends with Falstaff and the Prince Hal.
others from the seedy side of
London.

Matthew Amendt Brad Bellamy

LORD JOHN OF LANCASTER PISTOL

Younger son of King Henry IV and An army ensign under Falstaff’s
younger brother to Prince Hal. command.

Patrick Vaill Steve Pickering

EARL OF WESTMORELAND MISTRESS QUICKLY

Close ally of King Henry IV. Hostess of the Boar’s Head Tavern, the
seedy dive that Falstaff and Hal
frequent.

Craig Wallace Kate Skinner

LORD CHIEF JUSTICE NED POINS

The most powerful official of the law Thief and criminal, friend of Falstaff and
in England and King Henry IV’s Prince Hal.
advisor.

Derrick Lee Weeden Jude Sandy

PAGE DOLL TEARSHEET

Falstaff’s page. Falstaff’s favorite prostitute.

Max Jackson
Maggie Kettering
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WHO’S WHO in Henry IV, Part 2

Members of the Rebellion

ARCHBISHOP OF YORK HENRY PERCY,
Leader of the rebellion against Henry EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND
IV.
Father of Hotspur. He helped King
Henry IV gain the throne but now
regrets it.
Steve Pickering
Kevin McGuire

HASTINGS LADY NORTHUMBERLAND

Plots with the Archbishop to rebel Wife of Northumberland, mother of
against King Henry IV. Hotspur.

Aaron Gaines Julia Brandeberry

MOWBRAY LADY PERCY (KATE)

Plots with the Archbishop to rebel Hotspur’s widow.
against King Henry IV.

Rhett Henckel Kelley Curran

SIR COLEVILLE RUSSELL

A rebel who surrenders to Falstaff in Plots with the Archbishop to rebel
terror. against King Henry IV.

John Keabler Joel David Santner

Country Folk

JUSTICE SHALLOW JUSTICE SILENCE

A country justice who knew Falstaff in Cousin of Justice Shallow. Helps
his youth. Helps Falstaff enlist soldiers Falstaff enlist soldiers in
in Gloucestershire. Gloucestershire.

Ted van Griethuysen Bev Appleton

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Who’s Who in the War of Roses
KEY
Character in
King of England Henry IV Part 2

King Edward III

Edward III’s sons...

Edward,
The Black Prince Lionel, John of Gaunt Edmund,
(the eldest, dies Duke of Clarence Duke of Lancaster Duke of York
before Edward III)

Philippa marries
King
Edmund Mortimer
Richard II
King Henry IV
(deposed King Richard II
and seized the throne) Richard,
Earl of
Earl of
Cambridge
Northumberland
Roger Mortimer,
declared heir by
Kate (Lady Percy) Lord John King Henry V
Richard II
of Lancaster (Prince Hal)
marries
Richard,
Hotspur 3rd Duke of York
(Henry Percy) King Henry VI
Edmund Mortimer,
heir to throne after his
father’s death
King Edward George,
Duke of
Clarence

King Richard III

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The Divine Right:
English Kings and the War of the Roses
Becoming the King of England is no easy task, but keeping the crown once you had it was even harder in 15th-
century England. During that time the Wars of the Roses tore the nation in two. The conflict centered around
two opposing sides of the same Plantagenet family—the Houses of York and Lancaster, both descendants of
King Edward III—who fought for possession of the crown for 100 years. The name “Wars of the Roses” comes
from the traditional use of the red rose as a symbol for the House of Lancaster and the white rose as a symbol
for the House of York. Shakespeare dramatizes the conflict in a series of eight plays: Richard II, parts one and
two of Henry IV, Henry V, the three parts of Henry VI and Richard III. Although the first battle of the war was
officially fought in 1455, the roots of the war can be traced to a question of succession in 1377.
The rules of succession were strict and male-oriented. Heirs to the throne were chosen according to royal
bloodlines, following the concept of Divine Right of Kings. Divine Right is based on the belief that God selected
the king’s family to rule England, therefore only members of the royal bloodline or direct descendants of the
king could become the next monarch. The order of inheritance was based on primogeniture—the right of the
eldest son to inherit his parents’ estate. Primogeniture, the rule of inheritance for both citizens and sovereignty,
included many provisions in case an eldest son did not exist or died prematurely. In primogeniture’s most basic
form, when a king died, the crown passed to his eldest son. If his eldest son predeceased him and had no heir,
the crown passed to the next oldest son, and so on
through the sons. If no male child was born to the
monarch, the crown then passed to his eldest
daughter. If the deceased monarch had no children,
the crown would go to his oldest brother. If this
brother died before the king, the crown passed to
the king’s next oldest brother. The order of succes-
sion stretched far beyond siblings and children to
guarantee an undisputed heir to the throne, even if
the king’s entire immediate family died before him.
According to Divine Right, any attempt to remove a
proper monarch would be seen as acting against
God’s will—a mortal sin deserving divine
punishment. A question of succession and a
potential violation of Divine Right incited the Wars of
the Roses and began with the death of Edward III.
Edward III outlived four of his seven sons including
his eldest, who was also named Edward. Young
Edward earned the nickname the “Black Prince”
during his conquests in continental Europe, where
he overpowered armies and won lands for England.
According to Divine Right, the Black Prince should
have succeeded Edward III. When his eldest son
died suddenly, the grief-stricken Edward III fell ill
and died shortly after. Even though Edward III still
had surviving sons, the Black Prince had a son,
Richard, who inherited the throne (through primo-
geniture, the descendant of the deceased assumes
succession rights). At ten years old, some noblemen
claimed Richard was not ready to assume the
throne; many supported one of his adult uncles—
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, or Edmund of
Langley, Duke of York, the fourth and fifth sons of
Edward III.

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King Edward III’s Privy Council (his advisory group
of wealthy, powerful lords) decided that the boy
should be crowned King Richard II and that his
uncles should act as regents, or primary advisors.
The Dukes of York and Lancaster accepted this
decision and maintained their regent status well
into Richard’s adulthood. In his thirties, King
Richard II began ruling England on his own, but
failed to appease frequently feuding English lords.
Political squabbles and frequent battles created chaos and unrest; eventually even Richard II’s own Privy
Council began to doubt his ability to rule. These negative opinions of the king led the descendants of Lancaster
and York to consider usurping the crown.
Shakespeare’s Richard II, the precursor to Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, begins at this point in history, with an
unpopular Richard II beset with battling noblemen and many enemies at court, including Henry Bolingbroke
(the son of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster), whom Richard exiled to France. While Bolingbroke was in
exile, John of Gaunt died, and Richard illegally and unfairly claimed Bolingbroke’s inheritance for himself.
When the Lancastrian Bolingbroke returned to England to claim his inheritance, the support he garnered was
enough to seize not only his inheritance but also the throne itself, and he became King Henry IV. Richard was
deposed (removed from the monarchy) and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Bolingbroke’s claim to the
throne was tenuous and certainly not as strong as Richard’s; even when Richard died childless, heirs remained
whose right to the throne superseded Bolingbroke’s. Richard’s deposition defied Divine Right; many citizens
believed that the newly crowned King Henry IV had gone against God’s will by removing Richard and God
would eventually take revenge. Fifty years later, when the Wars of the Roses began, many citizens saw what
they believed was that prophecy coming true.
Despite Henry IV’s troubles attaining the crown, he was a capable ruler. As we see in Shakespeare’s Henry IV,
Part 1, Henry dealt with frequent uprisings during his reign from noblemen still contesting his usurpation. His
son Henry V had a smooth succession to the throne when his father died and enjoyed a successful reign
during which he conquered lands in France and married the French princess, Katherine. When he died
tragically, his one-year-old son became King Henry VI.

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Henry VI had a rocky and ultimately unsuccessful reign; a combination of mental illness and a domineering wife
fostered much uncertainty about his abilities to rule, and when he temporarily left the throne during a mental
breakdown, his substitute Richard Duke of York (a descendent of Edmund of Langley, Duke of York) was
accused of attempting to usurp the throne. The result of this accusation officially started the bloody battles of
the Wars of the Roses—the Yorks led by Richard and the Lancasters led by Queen Margaret and Henry VI.
When Richard died in battle, his son Edward took over the fight and eventually overthrew Margaret’s army and
was named Edward IV. Edward’s brother Richard Duke of Gloucester, the future Richard III, killed Henry’s only
son to ensure Edward’s claim to the throne. These battles are dramatized by Shakespeare in the three parts of
Henry VI.

Edward IV is on the throne, but very ill, at the beginning of Shakespeare’s Richard III, and he is survived by two
sons, the eldest another Edward. After the king’s death, rumors surfaced that the young heir to the throne was
conceived illegitimately. It remains unclear whether Richard himself orchestrated these claims to promote
himself to the throne, where he was invested in 1483. Shakespeare’s Richard is an evil man who usurps the
throne from his nephews and has them murdered in the Tower. This view of Richard, though popular, is
unsubstantiated in history, and his path to the throne remains a cloudy one. The Wars of the Roses ended with
Richard III’s defeat by Henry Tudor—a descendant of the Duke of Lancaster, son of Edward III—who claimed
the throne and married Elizabeth of York, uniting the two houses and beginning the Tudor dynasty as King
Henry VII. The couple’s oldest son succeeded as Henry VIII, who in turn was succeeded by his three children:
Edward VI, Mary and Shakespeare’s own Elizabeth I.

In Shakespeare’s dramatization of the Wars of the Roses we can see a bias beginning to form when the
incompetent Plantagenet Richard II is overthrown by the bravery of Lancastrian Henry IV, followed by the
scheming bloodthirsty Yorkists taking the throne from mentally ill Henry VI and ending with conquering
Lancastrian Henry VII killing the evil Richard III. Of course, as Henry VII is Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather, it is
unsurprising that Shakespeare would have painted history in a light that favored the sitting monarch.

The Drunken Knight: Falstaff’s World

In Henry IV, Part 1, Shakespeare explores the counterculture of Elizabethan

England through life in the Boar’s Head Tavern. Although the play takes place in
the early 15th century, Shakespeare is clearly also exploring issues of his own
society. Drinking, for example, was certainly the central form of entertainment in
Shakespeare’s England, coupled with gaming, dancing and bearbaiting. The
public drinking house was central to Elizabethan society as the place that people
met, socialized, did business, committed crimes or simply wiled away their free
time. Though moral and social evils existed almost everywhere in Elizabethan
London, most of London society singled out brothels, theatres and taverns (or
alehouses) as the centers of criminal activity.

As the primary socializing space of Elizabethan England, public drinking houses

were divided into three different settings: the inn, the alehouse and the tavern.
The inn was the most respectable of these three venues; a place where persons
of a higher social status might spend the night and where people from various
social levels gathered and conducted business. The alehouse, as the bottom of
drinking house society, offered only the cheapest of English ale and the most
dangerous of crowds. The tavern, just below inns and above alehouses on the
social ladder, would invite a mix of people from both the middle and lower classes,
a place where those higher in society could publicly mix with lower classes and
lower classes could more easily pick the pockets of the drunken middle class.
Taverns offered wines instead of malt liquor, including sack, the Spanish wine
enjoyed by Falstaff.
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Notably Hal does not mix much into various groups or rooms in Henry IV, Part 1, mostly observing and enjoying
other lower levels of society but not actually intermingling with them, sticking close, instead, to the Drunken
Knight. The combination of alehouse and tavern does, though, provide an environment in which Hal can be
exposed to a variety of social classes, from the knight Falstaff (who might not deign to enter an alehouse) to
Mistress Quickly (who could, presumably, be found in either an alehouse or a tavern) and Bardolph or Poins
(both perhaps often found in the alehouse but never the inn). Hal can also explore criminal activity in this
tavern/alehouse while remaining relatively safe. He is able to enter the growing Elizabethan subculture of
vagrants that he must explore before truly understanding the country he will someday lead as king.
Violence and theft also pervaded these alehouses and taverns. Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare’s fellow
playwright, was stabbed to death in a barroom brawl. Prostitution openly flourished, as the mistress or master
of the house would hold rooms just off the main hall for prostitutes to quickly do their business with customers
without having to leave the alehouse. Ironically, many alehouses as well as taverns were run by women, or the
“mistress” of the alehouse, such as Mistress Quickly, one of the few jobs open to women during Shakespeare’s
time. Although women often ran them, an alehouse or tavern was always a male-dominated space. More often
than not, running an alehouse or tavern was actually a family affair, with every member working in some way,
similar to many English pubs today.
As the 16th century came to a close, the culture of taverns and alehouses clashed with the Protestant ideas of
sobriety and the work ethic embraced by Elizabethan society. As dangerous, disorderly and subversive places,
alehouses needed to be controlled and monitored. Hal’s behavior reflects a social trend in Elizabethan England
towards an adolescence of fun and freedom-seeking enjoyment that is still prevalent in our society today. This
subculture of riotous and criminal behavior in Elizabeth’s realm, however, was becoming more problematic to
this emerging Protestant nation. As a kingdom that was swiftly moving forward technologically, ideologically
and militarily, England could no longer afford an entire populace of criminals and drunkards roaming the city
and country unhindered. Tavern life and Falstaff’s lifestyle are seemingly celebrated in Henry IV, Part 1, though
they are soon to be rejected and dismissed in Henry IV, Part 2. Just as England can no longer afford the
wasteful hours and days spent in alehouses and taverns, Hal can no longer afford wasting time with Falstaff.
His tavern education is complete, and he must move on to lead his country, just as Elizabethan England will
move on to lead the world.

The Dream of Escape

By Stephen Greenblatt
In Henry IV, Part 2, the burdens of the crown hinted at disease. He has the maternal power to smother life as
in Henry IV, Part 1 begin to bear down with ever well as to nurture it. Falstaff may be a genius,
intensifying weight. The King, who dreams of escaping Shakespeare seems to be saying, but a debauched
to the Holy Land to fight in a crusade, is plagued with genius, a fathomlessly cynical, almost irresistible
sleeplessness. As he seems to know, his deposition confidence man; a diseased, cowardly, seductive,
and execution of a sitting king in Richard II form a lovable monster; a parent who cannot be trusted.
primal crime that must be answered for...Hal’s plot Perhaps this is why Falstaff and Hal’s intimacy curdles
also enacts the dream of an escape: the dream of so easily into antipathy.
another father who will nurture rather than discipline
him, who stands for pleasure rather than ambition. It is The drunkenness in Falstaff is inextricably linked to
a dream, in other words, of Falstaff. Falstaff embodies gaiety, improvisational wit, noble recklessness—a
those qualities lacking elsewhere in the world of these celebration of the commonwealth in all of its human
plays: generosity, idleness, playfulness, appetite, wit. variety. But it is disclosed at the same time to be part
His spirit seems to replenish the community of men. “I of a strategy of cunning, calculation, and ruthless
am not only witty in myself,” he remarks at one exploitation of others. Invariably, it is a failed strategy:
moment, “but the cause of that wit is in other men” (act the grand schemes, the imagined riches, the fantasies
1, scene 2). about the limitless future – all come to nothing,
withering away in an adult son’s contempt for the
There are problems, however, with this dreamed-of symbolic parent who has failed him.
escape. Falstaff also embodies danger, betrayal and
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“God save thee, my sweet boy!” exclaims Falstaff at appearance as official truth. Called away from the
the end of the play, when he sees Hal in triumph in tavern to the court, Falstaff turns to Doll and Mistress
London. “I know thee not, old man,” Hal replies, in one Quickly and proclaims sententiously: “You see, my
of the most devastating speeches Shakespeare ever good wenches, how men of merit are sought after. The
wrote. Yet all along the relationship between Hal and undeserver may sleep when the man of action is
Falstaff has conjoined an unusually intimate and called on” (act 2, scene 4). Seconds later this
personal energy with an unusually intimate and rhetoric—marked out as something with which to
personal betrayal. impress whores—recurs in the speech, soliloquy and
innermost thoughts of the king.
Indeed, betrayal is the great principle of Henry IV, Part
2. Part 1 had offered a tantalizing illusion that the At such moments Henry IV, Part 2 seems to be
commonwealth had distinct realms, each with its own confirming an extremely disturbing hypothesis about
system of values, its soaring visions of plenitude and the nature of monarchical power in England: that its
its bad dreams. Now there is only a single system, one moral authority rests upon a hypocrisy so deep that
based on predation and betrayal. All of the ideal the hypocrites themselves believe it. “Then (happy)
visions and dreams of Part 1 are betrayed in Part 2. low, lie down! / Uneasy lies the head that wears a
crown” says the king in act 3, scene 1: so the old
When, in Henry IV, Part 1, Hal boasts of his mastery of saying goes. But the king actually seems to believe
tavern slang, we are allowed to imagine that we are this old saying, just as he may believe that he never
witnessing a social bond, the human fellowship of the really sought the crown. We in the audience, who have
extremest top and bottom of society in a homely ritual privileged knowledge of the network of state betrayals,
act of drinking together. This ritual forms what the and privileged access to Falstaff’s cynical wisdom, can
anthropologist Victor Turner calls communitas – a make this opaque hypocrisy transparent.
union based on the momentary breaking of the
hierarchical order that normally governs a community. The mood at the close remains, to be sure, an
In Part 2 that apparent community is in fact an illusion, unpleasant one—the rejection of Falstaff has been one
one that will be betrayed as the state coalesces into a of the nagging “problems” of Shakespeare criticism,
hierarchical chain of command…Over the course of like the forced conversion of Shylock or the madness
the two parts of Henry IV and in Henry V, of Hamlet—but the discomfort only serves to verify
Shakespeare takes us from a late medieval world of Hal’s claim that he has turned away from his former
distinct realms and thriving communities and toward self. Hal’s dream of escape has been replaced by the
something much more contemporary, a constricted dark and diseased images of political reality. In the
and claustrophobic world that closely resembles the years that followed the two parts of Henry IV and its
Elizabethan security state of Shakespeare and his closing chapter, Henry V, Shakespeare made no
audience. attempt to surpass them. It is as if he understood that
he had gone as far as he could to capture the nature
The world of Henry IV, Part 2 is a world of spying, of the modern state.
secrecy and betrayal. In this play, even more cruelly
than in Part 1, moral values – justice, order, civility – DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
are secured through the creation of a newly dejected
criminal underclass. The dream of communitas is  Does your community have rituals? Have you ever
subjected to the cold light of day, and out of the seen those rituals break? What’s the effect?
betrayals that preserve the state emerges the “formal  Is hypocrisy found in all who are in power?
majesty” of the modern political state.  Do you have sympathy for those in power or
leadership positions? Why?
As elsewhere in Shakespeare, this formal majesty is
embodied literally, in the body of the ruler.
By the close of Henry IV, Part 2, physical limitations
have been absorbed into the justification of kingship.
Perhaps in a society in which the overwhelming
majority of men and women had next to nothing, the
few who were rich and powerful did lie awake at night.
The sufferings of the great are one of the familiar
themes in the history plays of the sixteenth century.

As so often in these plays, Falstaff parodies this

ideology, presents it as humbug before it makes its
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Shakespeare’s Language
William Shakespeare was STUDENT REFLECTION
writing scripts for specific Ask your students to think about how they change
actors in his own acting their language in different situations:
company when he created Do you speak differently and choose different words
his plays. He purposely wrote when you talk to your friends versus when talking to
lines in two different ways to your parents or teachers? Would you speak
communicate information differently at a job interview versus a family
about the characters to his gathering?
actors. Additionally, he How does our language change in these situations?
wanted characters to sound Why does our language change in these situations?
different from one another
Just like we change our language depending on our
and to adapt their language to new situations, the
situation, so do the characters in Shakespeare’s
way people do in real life. The two ways he writes
plays.
are called prose and verse.

PROSE VERSE
The ordinary form of written or spoken Another word for poetry. It’s writing that has a
language, without metrical structure. Prose can be rhythmic structure. We refer to the rhythm as meter.
very descriptive, but it follows the rules of grammar.
Essays, news articles and novels are examples of Meter: a recognizable rhythm in a line of verse
written prose. consisting of a pattern of regularly recurring
unstressed and stressed syllables.
Iambic Pentameter: the name of the rhythm
If a character’s lines are written in PROSE we assume Shakespeare uses.
the following information:
 The character is most likely from the lower class If a character’s lines are written in VERSE we assume
and not very wealthy the following information:
 The character is most likely uneducated  The character is most likely from the upper class
and/or nobility and very wealthy
For example, in Henry IV, Part 2 the group of  The character is most likely formally educated
characters who meet at Boar’s Head Tavern in  The character may be experiencing a strong
Eastcheap are lower class characters. They include emotion like love or jealousy and needs to use poetry
Falstaff and his band of followers, Poins, Bardolph and
Mistress Quickly, the tavern’s hostess. All of these For example, in Henry IV, Part 2 all of the upper class
characters lines are written in prose to reflect their characters’ lines are written in verse. The only
social status. exception is Prince Hal, who switches between verse
and prose depending on his situation.
How can I tell if it’s prose? You can tell when lines
are written in prose because they look like a regular How can I tell if it’s verse? You can tell when lines
paragraph. Here’s an example: are written in verse because every line begins with a
capital letter and the lines are all different lengths on
the page. This is because each line is written with a
MISTRESS QUICKLY metrical structure. Here’s an example:
By my troth, this is the old fashion; you two never meet
but you fall to some discord: you are both, i' good truth, KING HENRY IV
as rheumatic as two dry toasts; you cannot one bear Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose
with another's confirmities. What the good-year! one To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude,
must bear, and that must be you: you are the weaker And in the calmest and most stillest night,
vessel, as they say, the emptier vessel. With all appliances and means to boot,
(Act 2, Scene 4) Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down!
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
(Act 3, Scene 1)

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Shakespeare’s Language
When and Why do Shakespeare’s characters switch from verse to prose?

Public = Verse Noble characters in public situations must present their most formal self and speak in
verse as a means to do so. Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part 2 speaks prose when he’s
hanging out with his fellow soldiers at the pub, but uses verse at court and when
speaking to his father, the King.

Private = Prose Upper-class characters use verse in public settings, but may use prose in private
settings when they are talking to family or close friends.

Love = Verse Shakespeare always uses verse when characters fall in love, regardless of their
status. For example, in As You Like It, Silvius and Phoebe are both shepherds who
live in the forest of Arden. However, even though they are lower class, both of these
characters are in love and they express it through verse.

Respect = Verse Upper-class characters use verse as a form of respect. To use prose with a King or
Duke or parent would be disrespectful. For example, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark,
has very eloquent verse for his soliloquies. But because he is angry at his mother
Gertrude and his uncle Claudius, the new king, Hamlet often speaks to them in prose.

Disguise = Prose Upper-class characters use prose as part of their disguises, when pretending to be
someone else. They are usually disguised as a lower-class character. King Henry V
disguises himself as a common foot soldier the night before the battle of Agincourt to
find out the true thoughts and feelings of his men. In disguise he speaks in prose, the
language of the common men.

Madness = Prose If a character descends into madness, then they have literally “lost their wits” and no
longer have the capacity to speak in verse. Both Lady Macbeth and Ophelia speak in
verse until they go mad. Once madness sets in, all their lines are in prose.

ACTIVITY
Follow the character of Prince Hal through the play. Make note of when he switches from verse to
prose and discuss why he shifts.

Key scenes: Act 2, Scene 2 & Act 4, Scene 5

SUMMARY VS. PARAPHRASE KING HENRY

Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose
Paraphrasing is an important tool that actors use to To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude,
understand what their lines mean and how their And in the calmest and most stillest night,
character feels. Using this passage, explore the With all appliances and means to boot,
difference between summarizing and paraphrasing: Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down!
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
Summarizing–Concisely stating what a passage (Act 3, Scene 1)
says. A summary is usually stated in third person. Paraphrase
Paraphrasing–Restating each line in your own Can you, accommodating sleep, give rest
words. Paraphrasing should be done in first person. To a soaked sailor in a storm,
And on the most peaceful and quiet of nights,
Summary With sleep-meds and other necessities thrown into the
King Henry is upset that he can’t sleep. He vents his bargain,
frustration that people of lesser status get to go to bed, Refuse to work on a King? Then happier poor people
while his responsibilities as a ruler keep him awake. go to bed!
The head that wears a crown can’t stop worrying.

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Shakespeare’s Language
Iambic Pentameter
Iambic pentameter is the main rhythmic structure of Shakespeare’s verse, meaning the majority of
Shakespeare’s verse is written in this rhythm. One line of iambic pentameter has 10 syllables, which we divide
up into five units of meter called feet. Each foot of the verse contains two syllables. Illustrate this on the board:

A foot = 2 syllables
Pentameter = a line with 10 syllables which we divide into 5 feet
But soft! / What light / through yon / der win / dow breaks?

Iambic refers to the rhythm of the line. When the first syllable is unstressed and the second syllable is stressed,
as in the word Hello, it is called an iamb. Iambic means push, persistency or determination. The prefix penta
means five, as in pentagon, a five sided shape. Therefore, iambic pentameter is one line of poetry consisting of
five forward-moving feet.

Iambic = unstressed stressed rhythm

Identifying the rhythm of a line is called scansion. Actors scan their lines so we know how Shakespeare
wanted us to say them. We mark unstressed syllables with this symbol ͝ and stressed syllables with a slash /

͝ / ͝ / ͝ / ͝ / ͝ /
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

When learning iambic pentameter, many students make the mistake of unstressing & stressing every other
word instead of every other syllable. To address this, you need to get the students saying all of the lines out
loud, with energy and feeling the rhythm. You can explore having them say their names out loud and figure out
what syllable is stressed. You can also explore saying the lines giving every syllable the same stress so they
discover how slow & robotic it feels or have them say it with the opposite rhythm to see how unnatural it feels.
Have students say this rhythm out loud several times. They should clap lightly on da and clap harder on DUM.

Clap the rhythm of iambic pentameter. Without specific words, the rhythm of iambic pentameter is:
da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM

The rhythm of Iambic pentameter is similar to the human heartbeat, a horse gallop, or the beat underneath a
piece of music. Iambic pentameter drives and supports Shakespeare’s verse, moving the language along in a
forward flow that imitates natural speech patterns.

SCANSION Give even way unto my rough affairs:

Put not you on the visage of the times
Actors scan the verse for a few different reasons. And be like them to Percy troublesome.
First, we want to see if it’s a regular line of iambic
(Northumberland, 2.3)
pentameter. (Sometimes, Shakespeare writes in
different rhythms.) Second, we want to make sure we How I came by the crown, O God forgive;
are pronouncing the words correctly. Third, we want to And grant it may with thee in true peace live!
determine which words Shakespeare wants us to put (King Henry, 4.5)
emphasis on. To scan a piece of text mark the un-
stressed syllables with a ͝ symbol and the stressed When thou dost hear I am as I have been,
syllables with a / symbol. Here are examples of regu-
Approach me, and thou shalt be as thou wast
lar iambic pentameter from Henry IV Part 2 that you
(Prince Hal, 5.5)
can do together as a class.

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Shakespeare’s Language
OPERATIVE WORDS Lady Percy (Act 2, Scene 3)
Operative words are the words the audience needs to O yet, for God's sake, go not to these wars!
hear to understand the story. They are the words that The time was, father, that you broke your word,
When you were more endeared to it than now;
communicate images and emotions. Usually they are
When your own Percy, when my heart's dear Harry,
the classic who-what-where-when-why-how words—
Threw many a northward look to see his father
nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Actors give Bring up his powers; but he did long in vain.
extra emphasis to operative words when they perform. Who then persuaded you to stay at home?
There were two honours lost, yours and your son's.
TEXT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY For yours, the God of heaven brighten it!
Step 1: Select one of the speeches below and read it out For his, it stuck upon him as the sun
In the grey vault of heaven, and by his light
loud for meaning.
Did all the chivalry of England move
Step 2: Look up unknown words.
To do brave acts: he was indeed the glass
Step 3: Paraphrase each line of text. (put it into your Wherein the noble youth did dress themselves:
own words) He had no legs that practised not his gait;
Step 4: Underline the operative words in each line. And speaking thick, which nature made his blemish,
(nouns, verbs & adjectives/adverbs) Became the accents of the valiant;
Step 5: Perform the speech out loud. For those that could speak low and tardily
Would turn their own perfection to abuse,
King Henry (Act 4, Scene 5) To seem like him: so that in speech, in gait,
Come hither, Harry, sit thou by my bed; In diet, in affections of delight,
And hear, I think, the very latest counsel In military rules, humours of blood,
That ever I shall breathe. God knows, my son, He was the mark and glass, copy and book,
By what by-paths and indirect crook'd ways That fashion'd others. And him, O wondrous him!
I met this crown; and I myself know well O miracle of men! him did you leave,
How troublesome it sat upon my head. Second to none, unseconded by you,
To thee it shall descend with better quiet, To look upon the hideous god of war...
Better opinion, better confirmation;
For all the soil of the achievement goes Prince Hal (Act V, Scene 5)
With me into the earth. It seem'd in me I know thee not, old man: fall to thy prayers;
But as an honour snatch'd with boisterous hand, How ill white hairs become a fool and jester!
And I had many living to upbraid I have long dream'd of such a kind of man,
My gain of it by their assistances; So surfeit-swell'd, so old and so profane;
Which daily grew to quarrel and to bloodshed, But, being awaked, I do despise my dream.
Wounding supposed peace: all these bold fears Make less thy body hence, and more thy grace;
Thou see'st with peril I have answered; Leave gormandizing; know the grave doth gape
For all my reign hath been but as a scene For thee thrice wider than for other men.
Acting that argument: and now my death Reply not to me with a fool-born jest:
Changes the mode; for what in me was purchased, Presume not that I am the thing I was;
Falls upon thee in a more fairer sort; For God doth know, so shall the world perceive,
So thou the garland wear'st successively. That I have turn'd away my former self;
So will I those that kept me company.
When thou dost hear I am as I have been,
Approach me, and thou shalt be as thou wast,
The tutor and the feeder of my riots:
Till then, I banish thee, on pain of death,
As I have done the rest of my misleaders,
Not to come near our person by ten mile.
For competence of life I will allow you,
That lack of means enforce you not to evil:
And, as we hear you do reform yourselves,
We will, according to your strengths and qualities,
Give you advancement. Be it your charge, my lord,
To see perform'd the tenor of our word. Set on.

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Classroom Activities
Royal Family Tree
The family dynamics of Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2 are complex and can often prove confusing for students who are
exploring the plays for the first time. Taking the time to understand the family relationships and how they relate
to certain characters and families claim to the thrown is essential to understanding the plot. To help with this,
we suggest taking the time as a class to create three poster-size family trees before you start reading the
plays.
Begin by splitting the class into three groups and giving each group a large piece of butcher paper along with
colored pencils, markers, or crayons. Using the “Who’s Who” sections provided in this Folio, ask each group to
recreate one of the following groups on their piece of butcher paper: Allies to the King, Tavern Folk, and
Members of the Rebellion. Be sure to illustrate the relationships between the characters: family, friend, love
interest, or enemy.
Students do not have to copy the exact same images and text used in the Folio, but instead use their imagina-
tion and creativity to make a document that is easy for them to follow. For example, students may want their
Henry IV image to be of a man wearing a suit and holding an iPad. Perhaps Prince Hal is in a graphic tee with
Beats headphones on. As long as the family relationships and dynamics remain intact, students should feel
free to allow their creativity to run wild.
When the groups finish, hang the family trees up and compare them.
 Do any of the characters belong in more than one group?
 Which characters have relationships with characters in other groups? What are they?
 How do you think these groups will interact throughout the play? Why?

You can leave the posters up as a reference throughout your unit on Henry IV.

Angel and Devil

A large portion of Prince Hal’s struggle throughout Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 is over the choices he is forced to
make as he grows into an adult. Hal is torn between a desire to relax and connect with his friends and an
obligation to study and concentrate on matters of state. “Angel and Devil” is a fun way for your students to
experience what it is like to be pulled in two different directions and forced to make hard choices.

 Choose six students to be part of an improv scene to be performed in front of the class. Two will play
Angels, two students will play Devils, and two students will play the Main Characters in the scene.
 The class will come up with who the Main Characters are, where their scene is taking place, and what
conflict they are trying to resolve.
 The two Main Characters will each have an Angel and Devil standing on either side of them throughout the
improv. The scene will begin and at any time the Facilitator/Teacher may call out “freeze” and ask the
Angel and Devil what they think their character should do next. The Angel will come up with an idea
that would help resolve the conflict, and the Devil will come up with an idea that will further the conflict.
 Once both ideas are on the table the Main Characters will decide which idea they want to accept and
continue the improv.
 The students must eventually bring the scene to a conclusion.

Encourage students to accept offers from both the Angel and the Devil throughout the scene. Once a few
students have explored this activity ask the class what was more fun to play, the Angel’s ideas or the Devil’s?
Whose ideas helped the Main Characters bring the scene to an end? If students are really enjoying the activity
challenge them to play it again using situations that Hal finds himself in throughout Henry IV Part 1 or 2.

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Classroom Activities
The History of My Morning
Shakespeare’s history plays can be read as a window into English history and culture; however, they should
not be taken as strict historical fact. Shakespeare shaped history into fiction, fabricating scenes and altering
character details to fashion a more dramatic account of history. In his article “The Historical Background of the
History Plays”, Peter Saccio writes:
Above all, Shakespeare personalizes. Whether or not history is really governed by the characters and
the choices of individual men and women, the dramatist can only write as if it were. Social conditions,
cultural habits, economic forces, justice and the lack of it, all that we mean by ‘the times,’ must be
translated into persons and passions if they are to hold the stage.
Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 are certainly two plays that are “based on a true story” but not 100% historically accurate.
Shakespeare took liberties with Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 in order to make the story more engaging for his
audience. He did keep the major historical points and outcomes, like who wins the war and who holds the
crown. In “The History of My Morning” students will get a chance to see how embellishing on actual events can
make them more dynamic to watch, but less accurate.

 Put students into four or five groups and ask each group to share stories about what happened to them this
morning before they arrived at school. Once everyone has shared, the groups will choose one story to
perform in front of the class. Each performance should end with the students arriving at school.
 Give students a few minutes to rehearse. Encourage students to create a performance that is as close to
what actually happened as possible; it’s OK if the story isn’t very interesting. Once everyone has rehearsed
ask each group to perform their scene in front of the class.
 Once all the groups have had a chance to perform ask everyone to rework the scenes. This time they
should embellish their stories. The main character in the story (the student whose story it is), and the
ending of the story (the student arriving at school) should remain the same; everything else can be
heightened or manipulated. Encourage students to try to keep the essence of the story intact and only add
fictional elements that will enhance the story for the audience.
 Once students have had a chance to devise and rehearse, ask the groups to share their new versions of
the scene with the class.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
 What were some of the more engaging changes groups made to their scenes?
 Did the changes make the stories more entertaining to watch? Easier to follow?
 Which version of the story was more fun to rehearse and perform?
 What was it like to see your own story told with false elements added?
 Did any of the changes alter your view of the story’s ending? Of the characters?

Historical Characters: Research & Writing

Distribute the names of characters in Henry IV, Part 2 from the court and the rebels, repeating characters if
necessary so that each student has one character. Have them write a character sketch/biography, describing
the character’s personality, lineage, relationship to the throne, good and bad deeds, etc. using Shakespeare’s
play as the sole source. Then allow time for students to research the characters from a selection of historical,
non-fiction sources from various time periods. Have them write another character sketch/biography using only
their historical research. Compare the two biographies; did students get the same view of the character from
the play as their historical sources?

QUESTIONS FOR DICUSSION:

 Why might Shakespeare have omitted or changed certain historical facts? How does it change your view of
the character?
 What are some modern examples of writers embellishing or changing historical fact for dramatic effect?

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Classroom Activities

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

 Analyze Lady Percy’s speech to her father-in-law. What are the points she makes? Do you agree
with her? Why or why not? Why do you think Northumberland chooses not to fight on behalf of his
son?

 John of Lancaster tricks the rebel leaders into believing they’re forgiven and then attacks them
when they don’t expect it. What do you think of this strategy? Was it effective? Was it noble?

 Why are Justices Shallow and Justice Silence in the play? Why do you think Shakespeare
includes them?

 Do you think leaders today feel the same type of pressures and worries described by Henry IV in
his soliloquy? If so, how does his experience as a leader compare to leaders today?

 Does Falstaff do anything that is truly hurtful? If so, who does he hurt and how?

 What does Hal learn from his father before he dies?

 Why does Hal treat the Lord Chief Justice with so much reverence at the end of the play? What
has he learned from the Lord Chief Justice?

 Why does Hal rebuke and reject Falstaff once he becomes King? When do you think he makes
this decision?

 Do you agree with Hal’s decision to reject Falstaff? Why or why not? Does he treat Falstaff fairly?

 Do you think Hal will be a good King? Why or why not?

The cast of Henry IV, Part 2 at

Shakespeare Theatre
Company.

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Resource List
Shakespeare Dictionaries
 Schmidt, Alexander. Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary. Dover, 1971.
 Onion, C.T. A Shakespeare Glossary. Oxford University Press, 1986.

Books on Shakespeare
 Asimov, Isaac. Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare. Doubleday, 1978.
 Cahn, Victor L. The Plays of Shakespeare: A Thematic Guide. Greenwood Press, 2001.
 Epstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakespeare. Penguin Books, 1993.
 Fallon, Robert Thomas. A Theatregoer’s Guide to Shakespeare. Ivan M. Dee, 2001.
 Gibson, Janet and Rex Gibson. Discovering Shakespeare’s Language. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
 Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World. W.W. Norton, 2004.
 Holmes, Martin. Shakespeare and His Players. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1972.
 Kermode, Frank. Shakespeare’s Language. Allen Lane, The Penguin Press, 2000.
 Linklater, Kristin. Freeing Shakespeare’s Voice. Theatre Communications Group, 1992.
 McDonald, Russ. The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction with Documents.
Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press,1996.
 Pritchard, R. E. Shakespeare’s England. Sutton Publishing Limited, 1999.
 Papp, Joseph and Elizabeth Kirkland. Shakespeare Alive. Bantam Books, 1988.

Books on Teaching Shakespeare

 Gibson, Rex. Teaching Shakespeare. Cambridge University Press, 1998.
 Reynolds, P. Teaching Shakespeare. Oxford University Press, 1992.
 Rosenblum, Joseph. A Reader's Guide to Shakespeare. Salem Press, Inc., 1998.
 Toropov, Brandon. Shakespeare for Beginners. Writers and Readers Publishing Inc., 1997.

Websites
 Shakespeare Theatre Company—http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/education
ON SHAKESPEARE: Articles and information about Shakespeare’s life and world
 In Search of Shakespeare: Shakespeare in the Classroom—http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/educators/
The companion website to Michael Wood’s four-part PBS series In Search of Shakespeare, this site
includes extensive research about Shakespeare’s life and works, as well as interactive features.
 Folger Shakespeare Library—http://www.folger.edu
Includes excellent resources for further reading about Shakespeare, as well as fun games and
information designed specifically for students and teachers.

Standards of Learning
The activities and question sequences found in the Folio supports grade 8-12 Common Core standards in
English Language Arts. Primary content areas addressed include but are not limited to:

READING LITERATURE WRITING

 Key Ideas and Details (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-12.2 )
 Craft and Structure
 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas SPEAKING AND LISTENING
(CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8-12.1 )
 Range of Reading and Complexity
LANGUAGE
(CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-12.3,4, 4 )

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Theatre Etiquette
The phrase “theatre etiquette” refers to
the special rules of behavior that are called
for when attending a theatre performance.

Above all, it is important to remember that

the actors on stage can see and hear you
at the same time you can see and hear
them. Be respectful of the actors and your
fellow audience members by being attentive
and observing the general guidelines
below:

Before you go:

 Henry IV, Part 1 takes place before

cell phones and other fun
technology existed. Please help us
create the environment by turning Students at a SHAKESPEARIENCE production of Cymbeline.
off your cell phone and other Photo by Nicole Geldart.
electronic devices (iPods, games,
etc.). Not only will it be historically inaccurate, but it can be very distracting, not to mention embarrassing,
when a cell phone goes off during a performance. The lights from cell phones and other electronic
devices are also a big distraction, so please no text messaging.

 We’re sure that you would never stick your gum underneath your chair or spill food and drinks, but
because this theatre is so new and beautiful, we ask that you spit out your gum before entering the
theatre and leave all food and drinks in the lobby or the coat check.

 We don’t want you to miss out on any of the action of the play, so please visit the restroom before the
performance begins.

During the performance:

 Please feel free to have honest reactions to what is happening on stage. You can laugh, applaud and
enjoy the performance. However, please don’t talk during the performance; it is extremely distracting to
other audience members and the actors. Save discussions for intermission and after the performance.

Thoughts about the importance of being an audience

member from Shakespeare Theatre Company Artistic
Director Michael Kahn

“When you go to the theatre, you are engaging with other living, breathing human
beings, having an immediate human response. In the theatre you sense that all of
this may never happen again in this particular way.

As a member of the audience, you are actually part of how that’s developing—you
have a hand in it … You are part of a community where you are asked to be
compassionate, perhaps to laugh with or grieve as well as to understand people,
lives and cultures different from your own.”

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