The First Part of King Henry IV by Will Shakespeare (#13, Classic)

Can I begin by saying that I always secretly dreaded the day I would have to spend my precious time reading a Shakespeare history play? Well that day arrived with my Renaissance Bodies Seminar, and I was forced to read not one, but two history plays.

That said, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this play. It had me laughing out loud and I don't think any of the other Shakespeare plays I have read have garnered that response. But how could you not laugh at Falstaff? He is such a great character, and juxtaposed next to Prince Hal, well, it is a comic combination unparalled in any of his other plays--or at least the handful that I have read.

My seminar paper is going to make use primarily of this play, in conjunction with Castiglione's Book I of the Courtier, and will focus on constructions of the courtly, private body versus that of the laboring, public body. Prince Henry and Falstaff are perfect examples of each type of body, and the scenes where they perform the role of Prince Hal and King Henry underscore notions of performativity that can be found in the Courtier. Prince Hal can perform any role, but Falstaff, not of the nobility, not a courtier, cannot slide as easily into varied roles.

If I have bored anyone with my scholarly babble, I am sorry. Come back after May 12, and I promise to have a much more interesting selection of books and thoughts. But for now, I am on to Richard II, the other history play.