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Henry IV - Part II

Henry IV, Part II follows King Henry IV’s victory at the battle of Shrewsbury. But the King’s health is failing, leaving his youngest son, Prince John, to fight the rebels while Prince Hal prepares himself to take the throne. Meanwhile, Hal’s friend, Sir John Falstaff, stirs up trouble in the kingdom.

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Play On Shakespeare > History > Henry IV – Part II
Henry IV - Part I
Henry VI - Part II

At a Glance

War • English Royalty • Family • Politics

Artists

Playwright

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Yvette Nolan

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Dramaturg

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Waylon Lenk

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Productions, Readings & Workshops

Henriad Plays Reading

April 20 – 30, 2023 | Shakespeare Dallas | Readings | Dallas, TX, USA
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Henry IV - Part 2

By William Shakespeare
Translation by Jeffrey Whitty

The two-part tale of King Henry IV, rewritten with new language for the twenty-first century.​

Shakespeare’s two Henry IV plays follow the exploits of King Henry IV after usurping the crown from his cousin Richard II. Featuring some of Shakespeare’s most recognizable characters such as Prince Hal and the roguish Sir John Falstaff, Henry IV, Part 1 delves into complicated questions of loyalty and kingship on and off the battlefield. Henry IV, Part 2 follows Prince Hal as he grapples with his eventual ascent to the throne and his increasingly strained relationship with Falstaff. As the king falls sick and Hal’s ascent appears imminent, Hal’s decisions hold significant implications for all those around him. Modernizing the language of the two plays, Yvette Nolan’s translation carefully works at the seeds sown by Shakespeare—bringing to new life the characters and dramatic arcs of the original.

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Production History

June 13, 2019

Play On! Festival NYC

Rehearsal and Staged Reading directed by Lavina Jadhwani with full cast as part of the Play On! Translation Festival in NYC.

Produced by:
Play On! / Classic Stage / Oregon Shakespeare Festival

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King Henry IV is preparing for war and is prepared to defend his crown. But his son, Prince Hal, is too busy languishing in taverns and brothels to bother with politics. Will Hal continue to live his lavish lifestyle or will he finally confront his duty to family and throne?

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Henry V dies, leaving behind his heir Henry VI to take up the throne. But Henry VI is still too young to govern England. The nobles fight for power in their effort to control Henry VI’s decisions, and the English are in the midst of a war with France. A play about power and control, what decisions will be made that impact Henry VI’s future rule of the kingdom?

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After an intense battle for power between the nobles in England, young Henry VI chooses for his wife Maraget of Anjou, a marriage arrangement that not only increases tensions between the factions of York and Lancaster, but also those between France and England. The Duke of York begins planning his claim to the throne.

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Henry VI does the unspeakable when he demotes himself of the crown and claims York as his heir, disinheriting his own son. Civil war breaks open as the factions between the houses of York and Lancaster fight for the throne. Queen Margaret takes up the mantle to fight for the Lancasters in this bloody tale of power and revenge.

Henry VIII

Henry VIII follows the story of the historical king and his forbidden love with Anne Bullen. In a battle for power and the need to produce an heir to the English throne, conspiracies arise throughout the kingdom, including the question of Henry’s marriages to both Katherine and Anne.

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After claims that King Philip of France’s nephew should be king instead, King John rejects the embassy and goes to war with France. In a play about war and compromise, which party will agree to compromise and who will take the English crown?

Richard II

After his exile of Henry Bolingbroke, Richard II seizes noble land and uses the money to fund wars in Ireland. But when Henry returns to England to reclaim his land, he gathers an army of those who oppose Richard. Only one can take the throne.

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Richard III will stop at nothing to place the crown upon his head, even to the detriment of his own family. Following the events in Henry VI, Part III, Richard III is a story about manipulation, deceit, and a drive toward power.