King Henry IV: The Usurper's Burden
First appears: Act 1, Scene 1
King Henry IV has a problem he cannot solve. He knows how he got the throne: by deposing Richard II, which means his claim is built on exactly the kind of rebellion he is now fighting to suppress. The Percy family, Glendower: they are using arguments he himself once used.
His confrontation with Hal in Act 3, Scene 2 is the play's most formally written scene. He lists Hal's failings methodically, then uses Richard II as a cautionary example: a king who made himself too available to ordinary people. The irony is that Henry himself was one of those ordinary people, building popular support against Richard. He cannot quite say this.
At Shrewsbury, Hal saves his life (several men wearing his armour have been killed to protect him) and the battle is won. Henry wins the fight. The instability he created by seizing the throne will last two more plays.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“So shaken as we are, so wan with care, find we a time for frighted peace to pant.”
King Henry IV — Act 1, Scene 1
“Those holy fields over whose acres walk'd those blessed feet which fourteen hundred years ago were nail'd for our advantage on the bitter cross.”
King Henry IV — Act 1, Scene 1