William Shakespeare
In The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, Shakespeare deepens the political and personal drama begun in Part I. As King Henry IV’s health fails, rebellion stirs in the north, and Prince Hal must confront the consequences of his riotous youth. Falstaff revels in wit and corruption, even as the old order shifts around him. Balancing comedy with sober meditation on power and identity, the play charts the final trials before Hal’s transformation into King Henry V.