The Second Part of King Henry IV, Part 2The author offers a new approach to the text of the Second Part of King Henry IV, which he sees as an unplanned sequel to the First Part, itself a remake of an old, non-Shakespearean play. The Second Part deliberately exploits the popular success of Sir John Falstaff, introduced in Part One; the resulting rich humor gives a comic dimension to the play that makes it a unique blend of history, morality play and comedy. Among modern editions of the play this is the one most firmly based on the Quarto. Professor Melchiori presents an eminently actable text, by showing how Shakespeare's own choices are superior for practical purposes to suggested emendations, and by keeping interferences in the original stage directions to a minimum, in order to respect, as Shakespeare did, the players' freedom. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
PUBLICATION AND DATE | 2 |
UNCONFORMITIES | 3 |
THE SOURCES AND THE FAMOUS VICTORIES | 7 |
THE HENRIAD AS REMAKE | 9 |
REWRITING THE REMAKE | 13 |
THE MORALITY STRUCTURE | 15 |
THE COMEDY OF HUMOURS | 18 |
TIME AND DISEASE | 28 |
PART TWO ON STAGE | 31 |
NOTE ON THE TEXT | 53 |
LIST OF CHARACTERS | 56 |
THE PLAY | 59 |
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS | 189 |
APPENDIXES | 203 |
2 SOME HISTORICAL AND LITERARY SOURCES | 217 |
CITY AND COUNTRY COMEDY | 21 |
LANGUAGE | 22 |
HISTORY | 23 |
PSYCHODRAMA | 25 |
3 THE FAMOUS VICTORIES | 226 |
4 TARLTON AND THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE | 239 |
240 | |
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Common terms and phrases
actors and't ARCHBISHOP Archbishop of York Bardolfe battle of Shrewsbury Bullcalf Bullingbrook Capell CLARENCE Colevile comedy conj crown Davy death disease Doll Tearsheet doth Duke earle earle marshall edition editors Enter Exeunt Exit Famous Victories father fear Folio foul papers Gaultree grace hand Harry HASTINGS hath haue Heauen F Henry the Fourth Holinshed honour HOSTESS humours Iohn Iudge Justice Shallow King Henry king's knight lines divided Lord Bardolph Lord Chief Justice Master Shallow Melchiori merry Morton Mouldy Mowbray noble Northumberland Oldcastle omission original passages peace Pistol play POINS pray prince's prose Proverbial Tilley quarto rascal Richard Richard II scene Shrewsbury sick Silence Sir John Falstaff Sir John Oldcastle sonne speech headings stage subst suggested thee Thomas thou art troth ur-Henry verse vnto vpon Walter Hodges WARWICK Westmoreland William Shakespeare words