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Four Histories
This volume contains
Richard II
,
Henry IV Part One
,
Henry IV Part Two
, and
Henry V
. Each play possesses its own distinctive mood, tone and style, and together they inhabit the turbulent period of change from the usurpation of the throne of Richard II by Bolingbroke to the triumph of heroic kingship in Henry V.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
880 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1599
About the author
William Shakespeare
17.8k books48.7k followersWilliam Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and one of the world's pre-eminent dramatists. Often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"), he remains one of the most influential literary figures in history. His surviving works, including collaborations, comprise approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and several other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more frequently than those of any other playwright. His works continue to be studied, performed, and reinterpreted around the world.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he established a successful career in London as an actor, playwright, and shareholder in a theatrical company known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Following the accession of King James VI and I to the English throne in 1603, the company became known as the King's Men. Around 1613, at approximately 49 years of age, Shakespeare appears to have retired to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he died three years later. Relatively few records of his private life survive, giving rise to considerable speculation about his appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and other aspects of his personal life. Various theories have also questioned whether he was the actual author of the works attributed to him, although these claims are not accepted by mainstream Shakespeare scholarship.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between approximately 1589 and 1613. His early plays consisted primarily of comedies and histories, and are widely regarded as among the finest examples of their respective genres. He subsequently concentrated largely on tragedies, particularly between 1600 and 1608. These included Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered masterpieces of English literature. During the final phase of his career, he turned increasingly towards tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published during his lifetime in editions of varying quality and accuracy. A major milestone in preserving his dramatic works came in 1623, when John Heminges and Henry Condell, two of his fellow actors and close associates, published the First Folio. Officially titled Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, this posthumous collection contains 36 plays and remains one of the most important sources for the texts of his works. Its preface includes a commemorative poem by Ben Jonson, a fellow playwright and former rival, who famously praised Shakespeare as one "not of an age, but for all time".
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he established a successful career in London as an actor, playwright, and shareholder in a theatrical company known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Following the accession of King James VI and I to the English throne in 1603, the company became known as the King's Men. Around 1613, at approximately 49 years of age, Shakespeare appears to have retired to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he died three years later. Relatively few records of his private life survive, giving rise to considerable speculation about his appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and other aspects of his personal life. Various theories have also questioned whether he was the actual author of the works attributed to him, although these claims are not accepted by mainstream Shakespeare scholarship.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between approximately 1589 and 1613. His early plays consisted primarily of comedies and histories, and are widely regarded as among the finest examples of their respective genres. He subsequently concentrated largely on tragedies, particularly between 1600 and 1608. These included Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered masterpieces of English literature. During the final phase of his career, he turned increasingly towards tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published during his lifetime in editions of varying quality and accuracy. A major milestone in preserving his dramatic works came in 1623, when John Heminges and Henry Condell, two of his fellow actors and close associates, published the First Folio. Officially titled Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, this posthumous collection contains 36 plays and remains one of the most important sources for the texts of his works. Its preface includes a commemorative poem by Ben Jonson, a fellow playwright and former rival, who famously praised Shakespeare as one "not of an age, but for all time".
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 31, 2021
I’ve managed to put off reading this one for as long as I could, I was expecting this to be a difficult read.
Shakespeare history plays has a lot of characters, who tend to have more than one name, so keeping a track of who’s who and who is doing what to who is not easy.
To help me, I got this book on kindle – it has all 4 plays, and each each play has an Introduction essay, Notes, An Account of the Text and a list of Further Reading. Richard II, Henry IV part one and Henry V also have a genealogical table, and Henry IV part two includes a separate section for songs with sheet music. However, I knew it would not be enough, so I also listened to audio plays and listened to some lectures on YouTube.
With the number of resources there are available on the internet, this book is almost made redundant. I like reading, seeing the words on the page and trying to make sense of Shakespeare’s story layers myself, but this was tough, and reading the essays I could see there were points I missed (like Richard the II is drawn out as a character to sympathise with and in the end root for). Without the notes (and the understanding I’m slowly building of how to read Shakespeare plays) I would have struggled to connect with the comedy in Henry IV part one, and the suspense in Richard II. Henry IV part two would have been a tougher read if read alone, and Henry V wasn’t as a gripping read for me as reading the screenplay Film Script One: Henry V / The Big Sleep / A Streetcar Named Desire.
Thinking of how we read stories today, I was also puzzled by Henry IV’s minor role in two of these plays where the title is his name, fortunately, the one of the intro essays addressed this, pointing out that Henry IV has the same number of lines as his son Hal. What I liked the most about including all four plays is being able to follow Hal’s journey, where the themes that follow in the three Henry plays are foreshadowed in Richard II. I’m glad I read this book rather than the plays individually, I’m not going to say I understood it all but the additions in this book made it easier than it otherwise would have been.
Also, afterwards, I realised how little I know the history of the Plantagenets, where really I just about scrape by on Tudor History, so wanting to change this I listened to A History of Britain Vol 1 (At the Edge of the World? 3500 BC-AD 1603) and am currently reading The Plantagenets .
(side note: read dates showing when I started and finished reading this are an approximation as this was read sometime between July and August 2021)
Shakespeare history plays has a lot of characters, who tend to have more than one name, so keeping a track of who’s who and who is doing what to who is not easy.
To help me, I got this book on kindle – it has all 4 plays, and each each play has an Introduction essay, Notes, An Account of the Text and a list of Further Reading. Richard II, Henry IV part one and Henry V also have a genealogical table, and Henry IV part two includes a separate section for songs with sheet music. However, I knew it would not be enough, so I also listened to audio plays and listened to some lectures on YouTube.
With the number of resources there are available on the internet, this book is almost made redundant. I like reading, seeing the words on the page and trying to make sense of Shakespeare’s story layers myself, but this was tough, and reading the essays I could see there were points I missed (like Richard the II is drawn out as a character to sympathise with and in the end root for). Without the notes (and the understanding I’m slowly building of how to read Shakespeare plays) I would have struggled to connect with the comedy in Henry IV part one, and the suspense in Richard II. Henry IV part two would have been a tougher read if read alone, and Henry V wasn’t as a gripping read for me as reading the screenplay Film Script One: Henry V / The Big Sleep / A Streetcar Named Desire.
Thinking of how we read stories today, I was also puzzled by Henry IV’s minor role in two of these plays where the title is his name, fortunately, the one of the intro essays addressed this, pointing out that Henry IV has the same number of lines as his son Hal. What I liked the most about including all four plays is being able to follow Hal’s journey, where the themes that follow in the three Henry plays are foreshadowed in Richard II. I’m glad I read this book rather than the plays individually, I’m not going to say I understood it all but the additions in this book made it easier than it otherwise would have been.
Also, afterwards, I realised how little I know the history of the Plantagenets, where really I just about scrape by on Tudor History, so wanting to change this I listened to A History of Britain Vol 1 (At the Edge of the World? 3500 BC-AD 1603) and am currently reading The Plantagenets .
(side note: read dates showing when I started and finished reading this are an approximation as this was read sometime between July and August 2021)
October 19, 2026
I'm using this to log not just the second tetralogy (which this collection entails) but the Henriad as a whole. By this I mean the plays spanning both the second and first tetralogy from Richard II all the way to Richard III. I'm doing this so I can put it in my favourites as this series of plays more than deserves a spot.
And no Enzo, I have not marked this collection as an additional book that I read this year before you accuse me of statpadding. It does not go towards my reading challenge or my stats.
And no Enzo, I have not marked this collection as an additional book that I read this year before you accuse me of statpadding. It does not go towards my reading challenge or my stats.
August 22, 2019
It took me a while to get through this and did feel like a long slog. I have been rereading all of the Shakespeare plays that I own and this was the last one but I am looking forward to the break now.
I did quite enjoy Richard II, I thought it was a good play and would have given it 3 stars. I thought it had a lot of suspense.
For me, the other 3 plays (Henry IV Part 1 & Henry IV Part 2 & Henry V) were just a lot of battles and it got quite tiring.
I did quite enjoy Richard II, I thought it was a good play and would have given it 3 stars. I thought it had a lot of suspense.
For me, the other 3 plays (Henry IV Part 1 & Henry IV Part 2 & Henry V) were just a lot of battles and it got quite tiring.
July 3, 2022
These 4 books had me so invested. by far my favorite historical drama
Read
April 24, 2022Various dramatisations
June 12, 2024
Shakespeare's greatest plays, according to none other than Orson Welles, were these ones. Furthermore, Welles believed that Chimes at Midnight, the film adaptation of these plays, was his best work—even better than Citizen Kane.
Shakespeare's best works are those two plays, which can be seen as telling a single story. The plays that Falstaff appeared in are the plays that most people are more familiar with, which is why most people do not recognize them as such. (Apart from "Merry Wives," which is not quite as wonderful.)
Most people will ask, "Is not that the big fat guy who Shakespeare wrote about?" when you mention the name "Falstaff."
These plays only touch on a portion of Henry IV's turbulent reign, during which he usurped Richard II's throne. The real focus is on the coming-of-age of his eldest son, Prince Hal, the Prince of Wales, who was destined to someday become Henry V. The twist of the play is that — much to his Dad’s disappointment — young Hal prefers to hang out with Sir John Falstaff, a fat, drunk wastrel and a liar, but Falstaff is just so damn entertaining. So, Prince Hal hangs out with Falstaff rather than come to Court and study how to rule. Hal, later Henry V, becomes a great king against all odds.
Shakespeare's best works are those two plays, which can be seen as telling a single story. The plays that Falstaff appeared in are the plays that most people are more familiar with, which is why most people do not recognize them as such. (Apart from "Merry Wives," which is not quite as wonderful.)
Most people will ask, "Is not that the big fat guy who Shakespeare wrote about?" when you mention the name "Falstaff."
These plays only touch on a portion of Henry IV's turbulent reign, during which he usurped Richard II's throne. The real focus is on the coming-of-age of his eldest son, Prince Hal, the Prince of Wales, who was destined to someday become Henry V. The twist of the play is that — much to his Dad’s disappointment — young Hal prefers to hang out with Sir John Falstaff, a fat, drunk wastrel and a liar, but Falstaff is just so damn entertaining. So, Prince Hal hangs out with Falstaff rather than come to Court and study how to rule. Hal, later Henry V, becomes a great king against all odds.
June 20, 2009
All the lapidary dialogue that you would expect from Shakespeare, dosed with a surprising amount of early modern ethnic humor (those Welsh and their leeks, ha ha!) I also found the scenes with Falstaff and his fellow tavern denizens to be more grim then funny - on the page, Sir John comes across more like a scheming bully than a jovial buffoon, although it's easy to imagine an actor making the character more likeable onstage. The cycle as a whole doesn't quite stand up to all-time greats like Hamlet or Macbeth, but is still mightily impressive.
March 19, 2015
Richard II
Introduction
Further Reading
An Account of the Text
Genealogical Table
--King Richard the Second
Henry IV, Part One
Introduction
Further Reading
An Account of the Text
Genealogical Table
--The First Part of King Henry the Fourth
Henry IV, Part Two
Introduction
Further Reading
An Account of the Text
The Songs
--The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth
Henry V
Introduction
Further Reading
An Account of the Text
Genealogical Tables
--King Henry the Fifth
Introduction
Further Reading
An Account of the Text
Genealogical Table
--King Richard the Second
Henry IV, Part One
Introduction
Further Reading
An Account of the Text
Genealogical Table
--The First Part of King Henry the Fourth
Henry IV, Part Two
Introduction
Further Reading
An Account of the Text
The Songs
--The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth
Henry V
Introduction
Further Reading
An Account of the Text
Genealogical Tables
--King Henry the Fifth
Read
February 10, 2009I had to read this for a Shakespeare In Film class, and it was the first time I'd ever read any of his histories. I really fell in love, though. I was already a fan of the guy's, but I didn't expect so much from what I was sure would be tedious subject matter.
June 17, 2021
I want to meet more Henriad stans. As a complete package, it's up there with Hamlet for me. Bursting with heart, wit, wisdom, and scope. The poetry is divine, the characters are excellent, and it's possibly the first great coming of age story.
September 24, 2025
splendid way to begin renaissance summer. richard ii was TOO GOOD. henry iv was boring and confusing and like i guess falstaff was meant to be charming? and then henry v ending on a solid note but yeah lowkey richard ii was best
July 5, 2013
Kindof a placeholder for all Shakespeare's histories, which I spent the summer of 2010 reading. Individual reviews for most of them are...around here somewhere.
January 16, 2014
I cannot express how much I love Shakespeare's histories. Henry V has been my favorite for a while, but I thoroughly enjoyed all of them together.
April 4, 2017
This was my first time reading this Henriad straight through, and how well do the plays form a whole! Richard II was still not very impressive, though it is a necessary set up for what follows, where one sees the guilt of Henry IV in taking the crown and even how he embodies the same lust for the crown that Richard shows at the end of the first play, unable to renounce it peacefully. There is also more rhyme in Richard II than any other Shakespeare play, if I am not mistaken.
Then come the two parts of Henry IV. There are the hilarious dialogues between Falstaff and Hal, but things take a much more serious turn in Part II. Only this time did I appreciate how Falstaff signifies the flesh, in being both despicable and alluring. The moral excellence of Hal is seen, not so much in turning out his former friends, but most of all in his cautious approach to the crown. He is aware of the burden that comes with it, but assumes it well, exceeding expectations from the very beginning.
Then comes Henry V, in which the goodness of the King is almost overwhelming! Again, I think it is significant that Falstaff dies while Henry V is at his height. People love the St. Crispin's day speech, but I think his soliloquy on the worthlessness of ceremony cuts more deeply, taking the sentiments from his crown speech in 2H4 and improving them with experience. He is clever with punishing his traitors and then there is, perhaps the most beautiful scene, where he goes among his soldiers unknown, to strengthen them but also to suffer with them. This scene is reminiscent of a Henry VI play, where that king also walks around with his majesty unknown. Alas, it was not to such great effect for that latter king. One more excellent part of the play: the French scenes. I just skipped them entirely my first time reading Henry V, but this time I knew enough French to follow the meaning. The first one is Kate's attempt to learn English--this is nearly all in French, but as I read it, I recognized that it would be very intelligible on the stage, since gestures and the smattering of English words would indicate what is happening in the scene. The other two French scenes are clear enough.
Overall, I highly recommend reading these four plays as a unit! This Penguin edition was excellent, but the Folger Shakespeare or any other annotated edition would be fine. This edition in particular had the meaning of nearly every obscure word, and sometimes treated the reader with excerpts from Johnson's critique. There are also introductions to each play. I only skimmed these, but the one for 2H4 helped me pay closer attention than I would have.
Then come the two parts of Henry IV. There are the hilarious dialogues between Falstaff and Hal, but things take a much more serious turn in Part II. Only this time did I appreciate how Falstaff signifies the flesh, in being both despicable and alluring. The moral excellence of Hal is seen, not so much in turning out his former friends, but most of all in his cautious approach to the crown. He is aware of the burden that comes with it, but assumes it well, exceeding expectations from the very beginning.
Then comes Henry V, in which the goodness of the King is almost overwhelming! Again, I think it is significant that Falstaff dies while Henry V is at his height. People love the St. Crispin's day speech, but I think his soliloquy on the worthlessness of ceremony cuts more deeply, taking the sentiments from his crown speech in 2H4 and improving them with experience. He is clever with punishing his traitors and then there is, perhaps the most beautiful scene, where he goes among his soldiers unknown, to strengthen them but also to suffer with them. This scene is reminiscent of a Henry VI play, where that king also walks around with his majesty unknown. Alas, it was not to such great effect for that latter king. One more excellent part of the play: the French scenes. I just skipped them entirely my first time reading Henry V, but this time I knew enough French to follow the meaning. The first one is Kate's attempt to learn English--this is nearly all in French, but as I read it, I recognized that it would be very intelligible on the stage, since gestures and the smattering of English words would indicate what is happening in the scene. The other two French scenes are clear enough.
Overall, I highly recommend reading these four plays as a unit! This Penguin edition was excellent, but the Folger Shakespeare or any other annotated edition would be fine. This edition in particular had the meaning of nearly every obscure word, and sometimes treated the reader with excerpts from Johnson's critique. There are also introductions to each play. I only skimmed these, but the one for 2H4 helped me pay closer attention than I would have.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews