Quotes & Possible Essay Questions for Henry IV, Part 1

Quotations:

1. "So shaken as we are, so wan with care . . ." Henry IV (1.1)

2. "But I prithee, sweet wag, shall there be gallows standing in England when thou art king?" Falstaff (1.2)

3. "Thou hast done much harm upon me, Hal—God forgive thee for it!" Falstaff (1.2)

4. "Farewell, thou latter spring! Farewell, All-hallown summer!" Prince Hal (1.2)

5. "I know you all, and will awhile uphold / The unyoked humor of your idleness." Prince Hal (1.2)

6. "By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap, / To pluck bright honor from the pale-faced moon . . ." Hotspur (1.3)

7. "Have you any levers to lift me up again, being down?" Falstaff (2.2)

8. "They hate us youth!" Falstaff (2.2)

9. "That roan shall be my throne." Hotspur (2.3)

10. "There lives not three good men unhanged in England; and one of them is fat, and grows old." Falstaff (2.4)

11. "I shall think the better of myself, and thee, during my life—I for a valiant lion, and thou for a true prince." Falstaff (2.4)

12. "He that rides at high speed and with his pistol kills a sparrow flying." Prince Hal (2.4)

13. ". . . banish not him thy Harry's company—banish plump Jack, and banish all the world." Falstaff (2.4)

14. "I do, I will." Prince Hal (2.4)

15. "I can call spirits from the vasty deep." Owen Glendower (3.1)

16. "Why, so can I, or so can any man; / But will they come when you do call for them?" Hotspur (3.1)

17. "I had rather be a kitten and cry mew, / Than one of these same meter ballad-mongers . . ." Hotspur (3.1)

18. "And even as I was then is Percy now." Henry IV (3.2)

19. "Percy is but my factor, good my lord . . ." Prince Hal (3.2)

20. "A thousand pound, Hal! a million: thy love is worth a million; thou owest me thy love." Falstaff (3.3)

21. "I have misused the king’s press damnably." Falstaff (4.2)

22. "What is honour? a word." Falstaff (5.1)

23. "It is the Prince of Wales that threatens thee . . ." Prince Hal (5.4)

24. "But thought’s the slave of life, and life, time’s fool; / And time that takes survey of all the world, / Must have a stop." Hotspur (5.4)

25. "Death hath not struck so fat a deer today, / Though many dearer, in this bloody fray." Prince Hal (5.4)

26. "I look to be either earl or duke, I can assure you." Falstaff (5.4)

27. "For my part, if a lie may do thee grace, / I’ll gild it with the happiest terms I have." Prince Hal (5.5)

Possible Essay Questions:

1. Discuss the BBC version of Henry IV, Part 1. What view of the play does it present?

2. Discuss Chimes at Midnight as a version (or adaptation) of Shakespeare’s material. What elements has Orson Welles chosen to highlight in his reshaping?

3. Compare and contrast the Falstaffs in the BBC version of the Second Tetralogy and in Chimes at Midnight.

4. Discuss the relationship between Prince Hal and Falstaff, comparing the BBC and Welles versions and also going back to the text.

5. Ted Turner has asked you to direct Henry IV, Part 1 for TNT. Discuss the problems a director faces and indicate how you would solve them.

6. The BBC Second Tetralogy has been called a Henriad by its director, producer, and many critics. Is such a description justified? Why or why not?

7. Discuss Hotspur’s character and his place in Henry IV, Part 1. What points did Shakespeare make by including him?

8. Discuss Falstaff’s character and his place in Henry IV, Part 1. What points did Shakespeare make by including him?

9. A.D. Nuttall has described Prince Hal as a white Machiavel. Agree or disagree and support your position.

10. Discuss the use of humour and comic subplots in Henry IV, Part 1.

11. Discuss Henry IV, Part 1 as a history play, indicating how it adheres to the conventions of the genre.

12. Discuss Shakespeare’s view of power politics as evidenced in Henry IV, Part 1.

13. Discuss the English Shakespeare Company version of Henry IV, Part 1.