The role of comedy in William Shakespeare's "Henry IV"
Michael Miller
Essay from the year 2007 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: A-/B+, Brown University, course: Introduction to Shakespeare, language: English, abstract: Set in bars, castles, and battlefields, Shakespeare’s Henry IV is presents a peculiar
version of chivalry. Upon first inspection, this play reads as a boy’s tale of mischief, kingly growth, and knightly success. Shakespeare, however, proves too elusive a dramatist to offer so simple a play. Although a history, Shakespeare also has saturated the work with qualities of another genre: the Comedy. In this play, readers see the comedic in both plot and character. In regard to plot, Shakespeare employs a block comedic in both senses of the word on a very strange case of unrequited love: King Henry’s affection for Hotspur.
Fittingly, Shakespeare also removes that block—which makes the play comedic, not
tragic—in an equally unconventional way. In Hal’s slaying of Hotspur, Hal replaces King
Henry’s desire as Hal emerges as a deserving successor. Numerous comedic foils and aids interact with this block; however, one character in particular, Falstaff, is bound
exceptionally tightly to this play’s comedic tone. The unofficial jester of King Henry’s
court, Falstaff serves as this play’s emblem of comedy. Falstaff not only offers a comedic disposition but also drives the play’s larger comedic plot by aiding in Hal’s development as a successor. Henry IV, although a history, is irrevocably tied to the comedic both in jest and in structure.
