Henry IV, Part I: The New Oxford Shakespeare (Oxford World's Classics)

'What is honour? A word. What is in that word 'honour'? What is that 'honour'? Air.'

A history play that combines a coming-of-age narrative with a tale of power, rebellion, friendship, and betrayal, Henry IV, Part I has been a perennial favourite from Shakespeare's time to the present. What has ensured its popularity is above all the towering figure of Falstaff, Shakespeare's greatest comic creation. The ebullient, unabashedly pleasure-seeking and brilliantly witty character has proved as irresistible for audiences as he was for his protégé, Prince Hal. This introduction discusses their relationship within the framework of the play's historical, cultural, and performative setting. At the same time, it explores the question of why the play has proved so enduringly attractive to audiences today.

The New Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative editions of Shakespeare's works with introductory materials designed to encourage new interpretations of the plays and poems. Using the text from the landmark The New Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works: Modern Critical Edition, these volumes offer readers the latest thinking on the authentic texts (collated from all surviving original versions of Shakespeare's work) alongside innovative introductions from leading scholars. The texts are accompanied by a comprehensive set of critical apparatus to give readers the best resources to help understand and enjoy Shakespeare's work.