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Very in depth 3 page paper on Henry IV with a great thesis statement with examples from the poem and other Shakespeare books
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Henry VI and the Coming of Age of English Monarchy
Henry IV, Part 1 is the second play in one of Shakespeare's historical tetralogies or
series of four historical plays, based on medieval English history (Bevington). In particular, it
presents a continuation of events recounted in Richard II, and is itself continued by plays Henry
VI, Part 2, and Henry V. The first tetralogy, though set in a later time period, was finished a
year before Richard II was started (Chopoidalo 2014). It included the plays Henry VI, Part 1,
Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3, and Richard III (Bevington). Thus, Henry IV may be
interpreted, firstly, in the context its own tetralogy, and, secondly, in the context of both sets of
Shakespeare's historical plays. The tetralogy to which Henry IV belongs narrates the evolution
of the character of England's ruler, traced through the personal evolutions of several individual
rulers, and reaching its peak in the events of Henry V. Henry IV narrates a transitional part of
this evolution, where a troublesome past still claims its own, while the ascendant heir to the
throne is free from the heaviest burdens born by his predecessors.
Both Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 trace the process of maturation of a future king.
In both plays, the coming of age of the younger man is shown against the backdrop of an older
sovereign, who does not change much and is burdened by the weight of past mishaps, including
his own crimes. Henry...
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