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Teaching Henry IV Part 2

Henrier and Henrier...

Activities: 13
Quiz Questions: 253

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Description
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Henry IV, Part 2 is a Shakespearian history play that continues the story of the reign of King Henry IV, ending with his death and the succession of his son, King Henry V (a.k.a. Hal). Prince Hal comes to terms with his father's death and prepares to leave behind his rowdy old friends before becoming the king who will uphold justice and restore civil order in England.

Like Prince Hal, we've all made mistakes—and most of us also know what it's like to feel as though we've disappointed or let down those whose opinions matter the most. Even if we think Prince Hal sometimes acts like a brat, we can't help but root for him. We're even guessing this resonates for you as a high school teacher. Wink.

In this guide, you'll find

an analysis of the merit of sequels, and whether Henry IV holds its own.
an exploration of how rumors and deception fuel the play's plot.
a deep dive into the theme of redemption in the play and the road that Hal must travel to prove himself worthy to be the King.

Prove that the second time around can be twice as nice with Shmoop's guide to Henry IV, Part 2.

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13 – 18 Common Core-aligned activities to complete in class with your students, including detailed instructions for you and your students.
Discussion and essay questions for all levels of students.
Reading quizzes for every chapter, act, or part of the text.
Resources to help make the book feel more relevant to your 21st-century students.
A note from Shmoop’s teachers to you, telling you what to expect from teaching the text and how you can overcome the hurdles.

Want more help teaching Teaching Henry IV Part 2?

Check out all the different parts of our corresponding learning guide.

Instructions for You

Objective: No one likes to talk bad about Big Willy Shakes, especially us at Shmoop. We love the guy. Lots of great plays and poetry—really top-notch stuff. But give us a break: why did we need a sequel to Henry IV, Part I? It could have just been Henry IV: the prince wins the battle at the end, kills the traitor, makes nice with his father, the king, and we are all set for Henry V. Is Shakespeare the reason we have multiple Twilights, Hunger Games and Harry Potters? Hmmm, he may have influenced this.

It's a commonly held belief that Shakespeare, who had a tremendous success on his hands with Henry IV, Part I because of the character of Falstaff, writes Henry IV, Part II, in order to capitalize on everyone's favorite rotund and flamboyant drunk. While the play has definite merit in showing us that reputation takes time to repair, it clearly fails to live up to Shakespeare's traditional plot developments and very much feels like a retread of its predecessor. This exercise is designed to have the students lend a critical eye to the text; simply because it is written by Shakespeare doesn't mean it is a masterpiece. Even the Bard had a bad day or two.

Materials Needed: Access to the Rolling Stone article "Reader's Poll: The 20 Most Disappointing Sequels"

Timing: Steps 1 – 3: 30 minutes, Step 4: 15 minutes, Step 5: 30 minutes, Step 6: homework

Step 1: As series and sequels are more the rule than the exception anymore, the concept of "part II" will be easy for the class to relate to. Engage the entire class in a group discussion (for just a few minutes) to introduce the topic of sequels. Consider the following questions as possibilities:

Name me some famous sequels—this can be books, movies, video games.
Why do you think the creators decided to write/film a sequel? What might be some reasons?

Some answers you're looking for:

The story is too complex to tell in one piece, so it's extended into a couple of different parts.
Show me the money! The original killed at the box office or best-seller list and made a lot of money; they know a second installment will make them a ton of dough.

Step 2: Connect the conversation to Henry IV, Part II. You might consider saying something like this:

Great examples and great thoughts on why sequels are created. It wasn't so different during the Renaissance when Shakespeare wrote. Perhaps he wanted to tell a bit more of the story about Henry IV, but he also wanted to make a bit more green by capitalizing on the popularity of Falstaff. That guy was a hit and Shakespeare put him in three different plays because people wanted to see more of him. He's like Iron Man, Transformers, and Katniss rolled into one.

You could also ask the eternal question: do sequels typically live up to the original?

Step 3: Have the students independently read the 2014 article from Rolling Stone, "The 20 Most Disappointing Sequels." The article is quick, uses some witty and mean-spirited writing, and has lots of clips and trailers.

While reading the article, have them think about the following question:
Are the criticism mentioned in the article similar to the problems with sequels the class identified as a group? Are there additional ones mentioned in the article that we did not identify as a class? Note them.

Step 4: Now that you've warmed up their critical thinking and evaluation skills, time to apply them to Henry IV, Part II.
If they are reading Henry IV, Part II, they probably read Henry IV, Part I. However, just on the chance that they didn't, have them Shmoop it up by reading the synopsis of Henry IV, Part I. Then:

Divide the class into groups of four.
Each group should go through the play to identify examples where the play fails to make a successful sequel. You may want to review some of the items from the list or give them a few specific issues with this play. Here are a few suggestions:
- Half the play involves Fallstaff and his antics, even though most of the scenes do not advance the action of the play or provide any character development. (It's called Henry IV, Part II—so it should probably be about Henry IV, and he's hardly in it.)
- It feels like a retread of the same story from Part I. For example, the King and Hal make amends at the end of Part I yet they're at odds again throughout Part II, only to reconcile at the end again in Part II. (There are tons of examples.)
- The Epilogue clearly asks for forgiveness if the play was not up to usual standards. We can just call that a big red arrow.
Suggestion: So that all groups just don't focus on the first act, you may consider assigning half the class the Induction through Act III, Scene I, and the other half of the class can work through Act III, Scene II through the Epilogue.
After 30 minutes, have the class share their examples.

Step 5: Let's bring all of this together with an assignment: You are an intrepid reporter for the Renaissance Review, and you have just attended the opening of Henry IV, Part II at the Globe Theater (or should it be theatre since you're probably in England...)

Write a review of Henry IV, Part II. The review should answer some or all of these questions: How did the groundlings react? How did the nobility react? How did it compare to Henry IV, Part I? What merits did it have on its own?

The rules:

The article should be approximately 500 – 600 words.
Spend no more than 50 – 75 words providing a synopsis of the story.
Balance the good with the bad.
Use at least one quote and one detailed example to support your point.

Instructions for Your Students

No one likes to talk bad about Big Willy Shakes, especially us at Shmoop. We love the guy. Lots of great plays and poetry—really top-notch stuff. But give us a break; why did we need a sequel to Henry IV, Part I? It could have just been Henry IV: the prince wins the battle at the end, kills the traitor, makes nice with his father, the king, and we're all set for Henry V. Is Shakespeare the reason we've got multiple Twilights, Hunger Games and Harry Potters? Hmmm, he may have influenced this.

In this exercise, you're going evaluate and critique the play. Simply because it's written by Shakespeare doesn't mean it's a masterpiece. Even the Bard had a bad day or two.

Step 1: As a class, share ideas on the following questions:

Name some famous sequels.
Why do you think the creators decided to write/film a sequel?

Step 2: The impulse to write a sequel wasn't so different during the Renaissance when Shakespeare wrote. Perhaps he wanted to tell a bit more of the story about Henry IV, but he also wanted to make a bit more green by capitalizing on the popularity of Falstaff. That guy was a hit and Shakespeare put him in three different plays because people wanted to see more of him. He's like Iron Man, Transformers, and Katniss Everdene rolled into one.

Have some fun and read the 2014 article from Rolling Stone, "The 20 Most Disappointing Sequels" to yourself. It's fun, quick, and has lots of great clips.

As you're reading, think about the following questions:
Are the criticism mentioned in the article similar to the qualities of sequels the class identified as a group? Are there additional ones mentioned in the article that we didn't identify as a class? Note them.

Step 3: Now that you warmed up your critical thinking and evaluation skills, time to apply them to Henry IV, Part II.

In groups of four, identify examples where the play falls short and isn't as good as the original. You may want to review some of the qualities the class came up with earlier. You have 30 minutes to complete this activity, and then you'll share your ideas with the class.

Step 4: Let's bring all of this together with an assignment: You're an intrepid reporter for the Renaissance Review, and you have just attended the opening of Henry IV, Part II at the Globe Theater (or should it be theatre since you're probably in England...)

Write a review of Henry IV, Part II that answers the following questions: How did the groundlings react? How did the nobility react? How did it compare to Henry IV, Part I? What merits did it have on its own?