49 pages • 1 hour read
William ShakespeareHenry IV, Part 1
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1597A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Act IChapter Summaries & Analyses
Act I, Scene 1 Summary
King Henry IV delays his plan to wage a crusade in the Holy Land when he learns of unrest throughout his kingdom. The Earl of Westmorland informs him that nobleman Edmund Mortimer has been taken prisoner by the Welsh nobleman Owen Glendower after losing a thousand men in battle.
More positively, Henry Percy, nicknamed Hotspur, put down a rebellion in the North, taking prominent hostages in battle. The king praises Hotspur while lamenting that “riot and dishonor stain the brow” of his own son, also named Henry (1.1.84). However, Hotspur refuses to turn over the hostages to the king. The king calls a meeting at Windsor to assess the situation.
Act I, Scene 2 Summary
At a tavern, Prince Hal and Sir John Falstaff taunt each other. Falstaff and his companions are thieves, and Falstaff asks the prince to be merciful to thieves when he is king. Falstaff jokes that he would get a good reputation if he knew where to buy one. Ned Poins enters and informs them about a group of pilgrims bound for Canterbury; he suggests they rob them. Falstaff agrees and departs. Poins suggests he and Hal let Falstaff and his associates rob the pilgrims then rob them in turn. Hal agrees, and Poins exits. In a soliloquy, Hal vows to end his friendship with Falstaff and the others, reforming his behavior to appear all the more virtuous to his father and the court.
Act I, Scene 3 Summary
King Henry meets with Hotspur, the Earl of Northumberland (Hotspur’s father), the Earl of Worcester (Hotspur’s uncle), and Sir Walter Blunt over the hostage situation. Hotspur explains that he meant no insult to the king by not sending the hostages to him. At the time of the battle, he was insulted by the attitude of the man sent to collect the hostages, so he dismissed the demand. Hotspur says he will turn over the hostages if the king agrees to ransom Mortimer from the Welsh. The king refuses because Mortimer married Glendower’s daughter, throwing the nature of his “captivity” into question. (It is soon revealed that Mortimer has a claim to the English throne, and King Henry likely want to sideline him.) The king demands Hotspur send the hostages and departs.
Hotspur is in a rage. He hints at rebellion against the king, whom he views as illegitimate due to the circumstances of King Richard’s deposition and death. Northumberland reveals that before he was deposed, Richard named Mortimer as his successor. He suspects the reason Henry won’t ransom Mortimer is that he fears a challenge to his throne. Worcester proposes a plan. They will turn over the hostages to regain the king’s favor; meanwhile, they will unite the opposition against him. Worcester will write to Hotspur when the time is right to enact their plot to depose the king.
Act I Analysis
Henry IV, Part 1 begins with two storylines that eventually intersect: King Henry deals with dissent by the country’s nobility, while Prince Hal spends his days idly among thieves. The king’s story is framed by rebellion: King Henry’s rebellion against Richard in Richard II, and the Percy family’s rebellion against Henry. The play quickly shows the tenuous hold Henry has over his kingdom and calls into question The Qualities of a King. Henry won his throne by force of arms; and it will take violence to maintain his hold on the kingdom. These circumstances put great strain on Henry. He begins the play “wan” and “shaken,” but believing “No more the thirsty entrance of this soil / Shall daub her lips with her own children’s blood” (1.1.1, 5-6). King Henry embodies the state of his kingdom, wracked and shaken by the horrors of civil war and grateful for peace, though this will prove fleeting.
Henry initially uses Hotspur as an exemplar for conduct in his kingdom, contrasting him with Prince Hal. The two Harrys are foils to each other, and Hal must adopt Hotspur’s conduct in order to become more suitable to rule. Despite his honorable deeds, Hotspur has a rash nature and a bad temper—two qualities that set him at odds with the king and Hal. Hotspur’s refusal to turn over his hostages to the king was a major transgression at the time. Ransoming captives from conquered foes was a significant source of income for medieval kings. Hotspur denying Henry the captives unless he ransoms Mortimer from Owen Glendower is a major breach of the principles of his political system: He is essentially extorting the king.
Meanwhile, Prince Hal, heir to King Henry’s throne, wastes his time in taverns with thieves, rogues, and others unfit for respectable company. The prince’s prodigality is even acknowledged by Falstaff, who tells Hal that he has overextended his credit so much that he would not get away with it if he were not the heir apparent. Hal’s generosity makes him popular with the denizens of the tavern, particularly Falstaff. Falstaff takes liberties with Hal that would be dangerous with any other royal, even making fun of him and accusing Hal of corrupting him. On one hand, Falstaff hopes to maintain his friendship with Hal when Hal becomes king; on the other, he genuinely values the prince’s friendship in a way that Hal does not reciprocate. Act I, Scene 2 ends with Hal’s plan to redeem his honor: He will end his association with Falstaff and the others and perform some unnamed feat when he is most needed, elevating his esteem in the eyes of his father and the court. The Percy family’s rebellion will soon provide the opportunity he seeks.
Related Titles
By William Shakespeare
