King Henry IV
The ruling king of England. Henry is not
actually all that old, but at the time the play opens, he has been worn down
prematurely by worries. He nurses guilty feelings about having won his throne
through a civil war that deposed the former king, Richard II. In addition, his
reign has not brought an end to the internal strife in England, which erupts
into an even bigger civil war in this play. Finally, he is vexed by the
irresponsible antics of his eldest son, Prince Harry. Regal, proud, and
somewhat aloof, King Henry is not the main character of the play that bears his
name but, rather, its historical focus. He gives the play a center of power and
a sense of stability, though his actions and emotions are largely secondary to
the plot.
Prince Harry
King Henry IV’s son, who will
eventually become King Henry V. Harry’s title is Prince of Wales, but all of
his friends call him Hal; he is also sometimes called Harry Monmouth. Though
Harry spends all his time hanging around highwaymen, robbers, and whores, he
has secret plans to transform himself into a noble prince, and his regal
qualities emerge as the play unfolds. Harry is the closest thing the play has
to a protagonist: his complex and impressive mind is generally at the center of
the play, though Shakespeare is often somewhat ambiguous about how we are meant
to understand this simultaneously deceitful and heroic young prince.
Hotspur
The son and heir of the Earl of Northumberland
and the nephew of the Earl of Worcester. Hotspur’s real name is Henry Percy (he
is also called Harry or Percy), but he has earned his nickname from his
fierceness in battle and hastiness of action. Hotspur is a member of the
powerful Percy family of the North, which helped bring King Henry IV to power
but now feels that the king has forgotten his debt to them. In Shakespeare’s
account, Hotspur is the same age as Prince Harry and becomes his archrival.
Quick-tempered and impatient, Hotspur is obsessed with the idea of honor and
glory to the exclusion of all other qualities.
A fat old man between the ages of about fifty
and sixty-five who hangs around in taverns on the wrong side of London and
makes his living as a thief, highwayman, and mooch. Falstaff is Prince Harry’s
closest friend and seems to act as a sort of mentor to him, instructing him in
the practices of criminals and vagabonds. He is the only one of the bunch who
can match Harry’s quick wit pun for pun.
A nobleman and military leader who is a close
companion and valuable ally of King Henry IV.
The younger son of King Henry
and the younger brother of Prince Harry. John proves himself wise and valiant
in battle, despite his youth.
Sir Walter Blunt
A loyal and trusted ally of the king and a
valuable warrior.
Hotspur’s uncle. Shrewd and
manipulative, Worcester is the mastermind behind the Percy rebellion.
Henry Percy, Earl of
Northumberland
Hotspur’s father. Northumberland conspires and
raises troops on the Percy side, but he claims that he is sick before the
Battle of Shrewsbury and does not actually bring his troops into the fray.
The Welsh rebel Owain Glyndwr’s son-in-law.
Mortimer is a conflation of two separate historical figures: Mortimer and the
Earl of March. For Shakespeare’s purposes, Mortimer matters because he had a
strong claim to the throne of England before King Henry overthrew the previous
king, Richard II.
The leader of the Welsh rebels and the father
of Lady Mortimer (most editions of 1 Henry IV refer to him as Owen
Glendower). Glyndwr joins with the Percys in their insurrection against King
Henry. Well-read, educated in England, and very capable in battle, he is also
steeped in the traditional lore of
Wales and claims to be able to
command great magic. He is mysterious and superstitious and sometimes acts
according to prophecies and omens.
The leader of the large army
of Scottish rebels against King Henry. Usually called “The Douglas” (a
traditional way of referring to a Scottish clan chief), the deadly and fearless
Douglas fights on the side of the Percys.
Sir Richard Vernon
A relative and ally of the Earl of Worcester.
The Archbishop of York
The archbishop, whose given name is Richard
Scrope, has a grievance against King Henry and thus conspires on the side of
the Percys.
Ned Poins, Bardolph, and
Peto
Criminals and highwaymen. Poins, Bardolph, and
Peto are friends of Falstaff and Prince Harry who drink with them in the Boar’s
Head Tavern, accompany them in highway robbery, and go with them to war.
Another highwayman friend of Harry, Falstaff,
and the rest. Gadshill seems to be nicknamed after the place on the London
road—called Gad’s Hill—where he has set up many robberies.
Hostess of the Boar’s Head Tavern, a seedy
dive in Eastcheap, London, where Falstaff and his friends go to drink.
No comments:
Post a Comment