Henry IV, Part I

One of Shakespeare’s most beloved histories follows Prince Hal as he drifts between the tavern world of Eastcheap and the duties waiting for him at court. His father, King Henry IV, faces a rebellion led by the fiery Harry Percy, called Hotspur, while the prince wastes his hours drinking and joking with the fat, quick-witted knight Sir John Falstaff. As the revolt builds toward the battle of Shrewsbury, Hal must finally decide who he means to become. The play mixes broad comedy and hard political drama with rare ease, and Falstaff endures as one of the great comic creations of the English stage. Read the complete play in this free PDF and EPUB edition.