File:Edwin_Austin_Abbey_-_King_Henry_IV,_Part_I,_The_King_to_the_Prince_of_Wales,_“Thou_shalt_have_charge_and_sovereign_trust_herein.”,_(Act_III,_Scene_ii)_-_1937.1171_-_Yale_University_Art_Gallery.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Henry IV, Part 1
Sign in to saveAlso known as The First Part of King Henry the Fourth, First Part of King Henry the Fourth, Henry IV Part 1, 1 Henry IV, The First Part of Henry the Fourth, First Part of Henry the Fourth
play by Shakespeare
Wikidata facts
- Part of
- Henry IV
- Author
- William Shakespeare
- Genre
- historical play
- Country of origin
- England
- Followed by
- Henry IV, Part 2
- Image
- Henry IV 1 title page.jpg
Show 9 more facts
- Commons category
- Henry IV, Part 1
- inception
- 1597-00-00
- derivative work
- The Hollow Crown
- publication date
- 1597-00-00
- language of work or name
- English language
- copyright status
- public domain
- title
- The First Part of King Henry the Fourth
- form of creative work
- play
- described by source
- New International Encyclopedia
via Wikidata · CC0
~27 min read
Encyclopedic overview
King Henry IV, Part I: The King to the Prince of Wales: "Thou shalt have charge and sovereign trust herein." (Act III, Scene ii), by Edwin Austin Abbey (1905) Henry IV, Part 1 is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in the mid-1590s and first published in quarto in 1598. It was composed in the later years of the reign of Elizabeth I, when questions of succession and political stability were prominent. Set in England in the early 1400s during the reign of Henry IV, the play depicts rebellion against the crown alongside the development of Prince Hal, the future Henry V, and examines themes of leadership and the formation of the heir apparent.
The play was among Shakespeare’s most popular works in his own time, as indicated by multiple early printings and the success of the character John Falstaff. It has remained one of his most frequently performed plays, noted for its combination of political drama and comic scenes and for its treatment of leadership and public identity.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Henry IV, Part 1” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.