Not only does he deprive the travelers of horses but capitalizes on this necessity by having Hal and Poins deprive Falstaff of his horse. Obviously, Shakespeare, actor and shareholder in his company, was the practical man of the theater stage entries on horseback were impractical. One may wonder how it happens that the travelers, including the well-heeled franklin, are not mounted and proceed afoot. The thought of the corpulent Falstaff footing it all the way to London delights Hal and Poins. Bardolph and Peto take to their heels at once Falstaff remains only to strike a blow or two and then runs off, leaving the loot. The thieves are about to share the loot when the disguised Hal and Poins set upon them. Rendered helpless, perhaps chiefly by the verbal explosions of Falstaff, the travelers are quickly robbed and bound. Hal and Poins leave to put on the disguises which will serve their purpose later. Falstaff has a moment of trepidation but agrees to stand fast. Prince Hal instructs all but Poins to confront the travelers in the narrow lane, while he and Poins wait farther down the hill, ready to waylay their victims if they escape the first encounter. The victims of these robbers are now coming down the hill all must put on their masks and be ready for them. When Hal refuses to serve as Falstaff's groom - that is, get his horse for him - the knight unrestrainedly and wittily excoriates him. When the prince returns, Sir John is no less voluble in his denunciation of anyone who would so "colt" (fool) him. Hal offers to find Poins, and Falstaff is left alone to complain about Poins' perfidy. Poins has succeeded in depriving Falstaff of his horse, and the fat knight himself arrives calling for Poins, who has withdrawn into the darkness. Carriers, Ostlers, Chamberlain, Travelers, Sheriff, Servants, Lords, Attendants, Messengers, SoldiersĮxplore the curated image group for Henry IV, Part 1 in the Folger digital image collection.Prince Hal and Poins appear together on the highway near Gadshill.Hostess of the tavern (also called Mistress Quickly).Poins (also called Edward, Yedward, and Ned).Sir Michael, a priest or knight associated with the archbishop.Archbishop (Richard Scroop, archbishop of York).Owen Glendower, a Welsh lord, father of Lady Mortimer.Lady Mortimer (also called “the Welsh lady”).Earl of Worcester, Thomas Percy, Hotspur’s uncle.Lord John of Lancaster, younger son of King Henry.Prince Hal, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne (also called Harry and Harry Monmouth).King Henry IV, formerly Henry Bolingbroke.In popular culture Translations Performance materials Characters in the Play Henry IV, Part 1 can be read online with Folger Digital Texts and purchased from Simon and Schuster. Scholars believe that Shakespeare wrote Henry IV, Part I in 1596-97. Brothers, cousins, and nephews fought for the tantalizing prize of the crown. The emphasis on relationships also reminds us that the wars for control of England, Scotland, and Wales in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were basically family struggles. This rewriting and the resulting focus on relationships pulls us in: rather than distant historical figures, Henry, Hal, and Hotspur become characters caught up in relationships that resemble family situations today. Several of the details in the play that make these relationships prominent were created by Shakespeare they are not found in the chronicles of English history that provide the play’s historical narrative. Hotspur, in declaring war on Henry, sees himself as fighting for Mortimer, his wife’s brother. King Henry pronounces Mortimer a traitor whom he will not ransom. Mortimer, who fought against the Welsh magician Owen Glendower, was defeated and captured and has married Glendower’s daughter. Hotspur’s stand against Henry focuses on Hotspur’s brother-in-law, Mortimer. Meanwhile, Hal has entered into a quasi-father-son relationship with a disreputable but amusing knight, Sir John Falstaff.Īnother strand of action centers on still more family relationships. The father-son pair of Hotspur (Lord Henry Percy) and his father, the Earl of Northumberland, is in seeming contrast the king envies Northumberland “his Harry,” wishing he could claim the gallant Hotspur as his own. King Henry IV and Prince Hal form one major father-son pair, with Henry in despair because Hal lives a dissolute life. For other uses, see Henry IV, Part 1 (disambiguation).įamily relationships are at the center of Henry IV, Part 1, one of William Shakespeare's plays. This article is about Shakespeare's play.