Teaching Henry IV Part 1

Instructions for You

Objective: So if you haven't quite recognized that there are a few wars being waged in this play, you probably aren't reading Henry IV, Part I. War serves as the backdrop for one storyline and definitely intrudes upon the other; the wars are being waged because the King stole the crown. Oh yeah, and all of this is based on actual events. However, chances are your students aren't going to understand the historical context of the play and why all these earls and dukes and bishops are running about.

The objective of this activity is twofold: 

• First, to make a historical connection to the play by reviewing the War of the Roses and provide a backdrop for the setting of the play.
• Second, to help the students create a simple grid that will enable them to keep the political characters straight. Many people with the same family name, allegiances constantly shifting and different titles being tossed about can create quite a bit of confusion. If we want the students to understand the play, they need to understand the most basic element of the play: who's who.

Materials Needed: 

• Shakespeare Theatre is a great resource for teachers. Download the Henry IV, Part I PDF. It provides all the background information on the War of the Roses to share with the students.
• Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare is also a great resource for the history plays. He does a nice job of explaining the historical context as well as pointing out any anachronisms that might be present.

Step 1: Tackle the first scene in class, throwing the students right into the middle of the action. If you have a quality recording, play it for them. It's good to listen to someone with a British accent read Shakespeare—it just sounds better. If not, let the students grapple with the text right off the bat and assign students different roles to read. They can try British accents if you like—probably not as good as the recording, though. In about 100 lines, the setting is quickly established, as is the cast of characters they'll need to keep straight.

Step 2: Take a few minutes and hold a discussion on what occurred in the scene. In this first scene, the students learn:

• Lots of civil war is going on—other areas of country question Henry IV's claim to the crown. Smelling blood in the water (He is perceived as being weak right now because they don't believe he's the rightful King), different factions are staging rebellions.
• Henry wants to show people he's the legitimate king by waging a Holy War (God will let the rightful king win); however, because of internal troubles, he will need to put that on hold for a while.
• Glendower is waging war in Wales and has captured Mortimer, an ally of the King.
• Harry Percy (Hotspur) and Archibald (both allies to the King) fought a rebellion in Scotland and won. Hotspur took many prisoners but refused to give them to the King.
• Henry's advisor, Blunt, believes Hotspur's uncle (Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester) does not like the King and is counseling Hotspur to oppose him.

Discuss the following questions:

• If you were the King, would you feel your people were supporting you? Would you feel safe? Why or why not? Explain.
• Where  do we get a sense that a lack of loyalty exists in the kingdom? Give examples.

Step 3: Now that the students have heard many of the names, time to provide the background information and historical context. The Shakespeare Theatre provides a great resource on the War of the Roses (pages 16 – 18) and the succession of the crown. Have the students read the two pages on the War of the Roses and the lineage on the third page.

Step 4: Have a quick discussion on the current state of Henry's kingdom:

• Considering the history of the Divine Right of Kings, why do you think Henry is fighting so many civil ways?
• In addition to those people who have a legitimate claim to the throne, who else might be interested in fighting the King and why? Why would this be a good time to try to overthrow him?

Step 5: Using the first scene of the play, the students can begin to create a grid of characters: names along the left side, descriptions along the top. If the students are writing in a notebook, advise them to leave a couple of lines per character. As two sets of eyes can probably catch more details than one pair, it's a great activity to have the students work in teams of two.

While Act I, Scene I will provide many of the characters, it will be difficult to describe them fully right at the very beginning. As the students continue to read, they can add new characters and new details about those they've already listed. Additionally, they only need to list the political characters, and shouldn't worry themselves about the tavern folk. Below are the ten characters, in order of appearance, that they should identify from the first scene:

• King Henry IV
• Earl of Westmoreland
• Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March
• Owen Glendower
• Henry Percy, (Hotspur) son to Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
• Archibald, Earl of Douglas
• Sir Walter Blunt
• Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
• Prince Henry (Hal)
• Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester

The categories along the top of their grid should include at least the following: 

• Character
• Who does this person have an allegiance with?
• What's his motivation? What does he want?
• What role does he play in the War?
• Any distinguishing qualities (i.e., hot-tempered)

This information becomes foundational for the students' understanding of the basic actions in the play, as well as an added resource as they begin to explore some common themes such as father/son relationships, the concepts of honor and courage, and the idea of responsibility. Voila.

Instructions for Your Students

Readin' another play by Big Willie Shakes, and you know what that means—lots of dukes and earls and kings and queens. Way too many people to keep track of. Yup, you're right. Lots of people in this play and many of them have the same last name, which can make it even more confusing.

However, the characters in this play are awesome. They're very complex, just like real people. Oh, wait. They were real people who lived and fought and struggled in the 1300s. Plus, we get a glimpse into the teenage years of one of the greatest monarchs in English history, and it probably is not what you expect.

We've got you covered to make this cast of characters a bit easier. You're going to make a grid of the political characters: names down the left side of the sheet, descriptors across the top. As you read the play, you can continue to add more characters and fill in more details about them. Additionally, you're going to take a look at who some of these people were in real life.

Step 1: Jump into the play. As a class, read the first scene of the play aloud. As you do that, look for answers to the following questions (you might want to write the answer down):

• What's the setting?
• What do you think the King means in the first four lines of Act I, Scene I?
• The King is waging lots of different battles. What might this say about his rule?
• What's the bad news for the King?
• What's the good news for the King?

Step 2: As a class, discuss the questions and make sure you caught everything that was important in the scene. 

Step 3: You've heard some of the names and have a general idea of what's going on. Time to take a look at some history. Read the "War of the Roses" handout. It's going to explain a couple of things: the Divine Right of Kings and some background on all of the monarchs. It's going to cover a bit more than what you need to know for this play, but that's okay. The article provides some important context.

Step 4: When you're done, partner up and prepare some thoughts around these two questions, which you'll discuss as a class:

• Considering the history of the Divine Right of Kings, why do you think Henry is fighting so many civil ways?
• In addition to those people who have a legitimate claim to the throne, who else might be interested in fighting the King? Why would this be a good time to try to overthrow him?

Ah, so Henry IV usurped (ooh, a good SAT word) the crown. Things are about to get interesting.

Step 5: It's time to begin sorting out who all these people are. Work in pairs or teams and create a grid of characters. If you're writing in a notebook, leave a couple of lines per character. 

• First, list the characters introduced in Act I, Scene I. There are ten total that need to be noted, and don't worry about listing the men taken for ransom.
• Across the top, list the following characteristics:
• Character
• Whom does this person have an allegiance with?
• What's his motivation? What does he want?
• What role does he play in the War?
• Any distinguishing qualities (i.e., hot-tempered)

Go back through the first scene and start filling in as much as you can. Since Shakespeare's awesome, he's introduced you to most of the really important folks in the first scene. There won't be too many more to add later. But you'll want to continue updating the grid as you learn more about each character. Trust us, this chart is going to come in super-handy as you continue your work on the play.