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King Henry IV,
Part 1
Study
Guide
Act 1
Scene 1
1.
The king opens the play by referring to the past.
What has been the principal feature of his reign?
2.
He makes plans for a crusade. What
are his political motives? What
does this tell us about him?
3.
How can you tell that Henry is
a) a king with problems:
b) a father with problems:
4.
Who is King Henry IV talking to in this scene?
5.
What does he mean when Henry says, "No longer shall we water our native
soil with the blood of our fellow countrymen."?
6.
Why does Henry IV decide to postpone his plans for a crusade?
7.
Who has beaten the Earl of Douglas, a Scottish leader?
9.
Westmoreland identifies Worcester as the king's enemy.
What does he accuse him of?
10.
"So shaken as we are, so wan with care"
(lines 1-33) In this speech, what 3 unnatural and undesirable experiences does the king
say the soil of England has experienced?
11.
Identify examples of personification, simile, and metaphor and explain
how they contribute to the effectiveness of the speech.
Act 1 Scene
2
1.
"I know you all, and will awhile uphold" Why is the prince's soliloquy
in blank verse, whereas the rest of the scene is in prose?
2.
What impressions of Prince Hal do we gain from the first reference to him
in the play? Does his
first appearance in the play confirm what has been said about him?
3.
Find examples of:
Prince Hal's sense of humor:
His skill in wordplay:
his knowledge of low life:
his pleasure in provoking Jack Falstaff;
4.
Falstaff invites the prince to join him in a highway robbery.
What is the prince's instinctive response?
What makes him change his mind?
What is his explanation for his lifestyle as expressed in the soliloquy
at the end of
this scene, and what does
this tell us about his character?
5.
The banter between the prince and Falstaff in this scene contains a
catalogue of references to the latter's vices.
List as many of them as you can find.
6.
Give examples of Falstaff's:
skill in wordplay:
skill in punning:
skill in turning vice into apparent virtue:
7.
Why is Falstaff's roguish way of life amusing here rather than
blameworthy?
8.
At the scene of the Gad's Hill robbery, Falstaff is, as usual, the butt
of insults and jokes. Read his
soliloquy at the beginning of the scene, and the dialogue immediately following.
Choose examples of:
comic exaggeration:
comic explanation:
his allusions to age:
1.
We see the king in the Council Chamber, dealing with a subject who has
been described earlier as "malevolent."
In his opening speech, what does the king accuse himself of?
2.
Henry says he will change. In
what way?
3.
In his handling of Northumberland and his son, Hotspur:
what makes Henry angry:
4.
Hotspur calls Henry "this unthankful King,"
"this ingrate," "this forgetful man," and early in
the scene Worcester reveals the reason for the allegation.
Explain it.
5.
What does Worcester say towards the end of the scene which shows he is in
agreement with Hotspur?
6.
Why is Hotspur at cross-purposes with the king, and what word in
particular goads him into an angry outburst?
What do we learn from this exchange of words about Hotspur's behavior
when provoked?
7.
What evidence is there that Worcester and Northumberland know how to lead
him on?
8.
What is Hotspur's attitude toward honor?
9.
Hotspur is demanding something before he turns over
his 1000 prisoners-of-war to
Henry IV. What is it?
10.
What is Henry's response to the ransom demand?
11.
Why does Henry IV think of Mortimer as a threat?
12.
What plan does Northumberland tell Hotspur about?
Act 2
Scenes 1-2
1.
What two people disguise themselves and why?
2.
Find a speech in Act 2, Scene 2 which sums up in a single sentence the
reason why the prince is involved in the robbery at Gad's Hill.
3.
What further evidence is there at the close of this scene that the
prince's main object is something other than money?
4.
Cursing and swearing oaths in common in the prose scenes.
What is the purpose of this?
5.
Falstaff often pretends that he is the victim of conspiracies to corrupt
or influence him. What is the instance of this in scene 2?
6.
Falstaff often indulges in exaggeration.
Where does he exaggerate in scene 2?
What is his purpose?
Act 2 Scene 3
1.
Who is Kate?
2.
Who is Kate's brother?
3.
How does Hotspur show his humorous side with Kate?
4.
Why won't Hotspur tell Kate where he is going?
5.
Hotspur is alone, at first, reading a letter and commenting on its
contents. What do we learn of his
character from his remarks?
Act 2 Scene
4
1.
The scene in the Boar's Head Tavern after the robbery shows the prince in
the merriest of moods. He says that
he has "sounded the very base-string of humility."
What does he say he has learned, and how does this distinguish him from
his father at the same age?
2.
Explain the practical joke he plays on Francis
3.
Explain how he obtains the maximum of fun out of Falstaff's version of
the robbery.
4.
Trace the comic element in Falstaff's narrative account of the Gad's Hill
robbery. Identify his:
boasts:
lies:
exaggerations:
evasions:
excuses:
5.
When pretending to be the prince, Falstaff is comically innocent.
Which line shows that he knows how to handle the prince's eloquent abuse?
6.
At which point in this tavern scene does the real world of serious
politics enter into the revelry?
7.
How does the prince react to the news?
8.
How might his drinking companions be misled by his manner at this time?
8.
The comedy of playacting in the tavern scene involved irreverence to the
king, who is impersonated. Re-read
the episode carefully and decide whether the laughter is ever at the king's
expense or whether the prince is careful to see that the subject of the mockery
is always Falstaff.
9.
How does the mood of the prince change after the entry of the sheriff?
Give examples of his responsible manner.
10.
How did Peto and Bardolph fight?
11.
How did Peto and Bardolph get blood on their clothes?
12.
What 3 enemies does Falstaff tell Prince Hal to worry about?
Act 3 Scene
1
1.
Hotspur's first words in this scene, in which the rebels meet to discuss
their plans, are typical of him. Why?
2.
What does Mortimer realize about Glendower that Hotspur does not?
3.
What is the setting for this scene?
4.
What does Owen Glendower imply about his birth?
5.
What further claims does Glendower make which suggest that he is no mere
braggart?
6.
What evidence is there to show that Glendower is willing to control his
feelings for the sake of unity?
7.
Mortimer defends Glendower. What
does he say are Glendower's virtues?
8.
How are the men planning to divide England after their victory?
9.
Worcester considers Hotspur's positive
and negative points. What are they?
Act 3 Scene
2
1.
Why has Hal lost his membership on the king's council?
2.
Why is the king worried about Prince Hal mixing with the commoners?
3.
What are the many reasons that the king is displeased with Prince Hal?
4.
What 5 men now oppose King Henry IV?
5.
How does Prince Hal plan to redeem himself in his dad's eyes?
6. How
will the king finally divide his troops and their leadership?
Act 3
Scene 3
1.
What does Falstaff owe Hostess Quickly for?
2.
Who takes the blame for picking Falstaff's pockets?
3.
How does the prince's handling of the hostess/Falstaff quarrel show the
fruit of Hal's promise to behave responsibly?
4. How
does Hal handle the matter of the robbery?
5.
What type of military assignment does Prince Hal give Falstaff?
Act 4
Scene 1
1.
What is the problem with Hotspur's father?
2.
How does Hotspur FIRST respond to the news of his father's sickness?
3.
What are his SECOND thoughts and his supporting arguments?
What do the latter tell us of his thought processes?
4.
Comment on Hotspur's response to Sir Richard Vernon's news.
5.
How does Vernon describe Prince Hal at the end of this scene?
6.
What has happened to Glendower and his troops?
7.
From reading the evidence of the closing speeches of this act, decide
what is Hotspur's instinctive reaction to bad news and whether he is confident
of victory.
Act 4
Scene 2
1.
Falstaff stops for refreshment and speaks of his "misuse of the
King's press." What do we
learn from this of Elizabethan methods of army recruitment?
2.
Who does Falstaff recruit at first?
3.
Describe the group of soldiers he has ended up with:
4.
How does Falstaff plan to clothe them?
5. How
does Falstaff see his troops being used?
Act 4
Scene 3
1.
Why does Blunt come to see Hotspur?
2.
What would be your reason for trusting Henry after hearing Blunt's
message?
3.
What would be your reason for being suspicious of Henry after hearing
Blunt's message?
4.
Sir Walter Blunt invites Hotspur to name his grievances.
What is the nature of Hotspur's reply?
5.
What is significant about Hotspur's postponement of a decision?
ACT 5
Scene 1
1.
Re-read what Worcester says to the king in this scene.
Do you agree or disagree with Worcester's opinion?
Why?
2.
Hal explains that he has been a "truant to chivalry."
What does this mean?
3.
What challenge does Hal offer to Hotspur?
Why does Hal make this offer?
4.
Falstaff debates honor. What
conclusion does he arrive at?
Act 5
Scene 2
1.
Re-read the reasons Worcester decides not to pass on the "liberal
kind offer of the king." To
what extent does he correctly portray his nephew?
2.
Consider Hotspur's first question on
hearing of Prince Hal's challenge. Why
is the answer important to him?
3.
The answer provokes a significant comment.
How does it distinguish Hotspur's character from that of Prince Hal?
4.
What is significant about the way in which Hotspur deals with the
messenger who comes with the letters?
Act 5
Scene 3
1.
In this scene, Hotspur says, "The King hath many marching in his
coats." What does he mean?
2.
What does this tell us about the strength of support for Henry IV as
king?
3.
Who loses his life as a consequence?
4.
Falstaff is present at the Battle of Shrewsbury.
What does he carry in his pistol case?
5.
What is Prince Hal's manner with Falstaff when they meet in the midst of
the battle?
Act 5
Scene 4
1.
What is the king's attitude about fighting during the battle?
2.
Why does he want Prince Hal to get off the battlefield?
3.
Describe Hal's younger brother John in this scene:
4.
How is Henry IV saved in the sword fight with Douglas?
5.
What does Hal's action against Douglas show?
6.
What two stars cannot occupy the same orbit?
Why not?
7.
Who mortally wounds whom in this scene?
8.
What concerns Hotspur in his dying moments?
9.
What qualities does the prince emphasize in his farewell to Hotspur?
10.
Falstaff's adventures on the battlefield are depicted in this scene.
How is his conduct in the encounter with Douglas consistent with his
philosophy and character?
11.
In what way does the prince's farewell identify the essence of Falstaff's
appeal as a human being?
12.
Falstaff's resurrection, subsequent actions, and dialogue with the
princes show him to be incorrigible. How
so?
13.
Who says, "The better part of valor is discretion." ?
What does this mean? Why
would he say it?
14.
What evidence is there that Prince Hal is modest in regard to his
personal achievements?
ACT 5
Scene 5
1.
What is the king's declared reason for calling Worcester
"ill-spirited" ?
2.
Is Worcester's reply consistent with the facts?
3.
What is Worcester's fate? Vernon's?
4.
In this last scene, Prince Hal performs two generous acts.
What are they?
5.
Which of these acts indicates that Hal possesses shrewd political wisdom?
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