Henry IV (part 2)

Characters:

• King Henry IV
• dies before end of play, never fulfilling dream of leading Crusades in Jerusalem
• Prince Hal/ Harry
• son of King Henry, eventually becomes Henry V
• Prince John, Duke of Lancaster; Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester; Thomas, Duke of Clarence
• sons of King Henry IV, younger brothers of Prince Hal
• The Lord Chief Justice
• most powerful official of law in England
• close advisor to King Henry IV
• becomes advisor and father figure for Prince Hal after Henry IV's death
• Earl of Warwick, Earl of Surrey, Earl of Westmoreland, Gower, Harcourt, Sir John Blunt
• Noblemen who are King Henry IV's advisors
• Sir John Falstaff
• pretends to have killed Hotspur at the Battle of Shrewsbury, and for this reason everyone respects Falstaff more than he deserves
• Page
• carries Falstaff's sword and runs his errands
• Poins, Peto, Bardolph
• former highwaymen and robbers who have gained money and prestige since the Battle of Shrewsbury
• Bardolph is an insatiable drinker with a bright red nose
• Ancient Pistol
• ensign who serves under Falstaff and is extremely aggressive and prone to fighting
• Mouldy, Shadow, Wart, Feeble and Bullcalf
• army recruits Falstaff inspects in Gloucestershire
• only Shadow, Wart and Feeble come with him to war; the others bribe their way out
• Archbishop of York
• powerful northern clergyman who leads rebellion against King Henry IV
• Mowbray and Hastings
• lord who conspire with Archbishop of York
• Lord Bardolph
• ally of Northumberland who brings him false news of Hotspur's sucess
• Doll Tearsheet
• Falstaff's favorite prostitute
• Fang and Snare
• incompetent officers of law whom Mistress Quickly calls to arrest Falstaff
• Justice Shallow and Justice Silence
• middle-class country landowners
• also minor local law officers
• Shallow is old school friend of Falstaff's
• both live up their names

Plot summary

• King Henry has recently become ill
• Falstaff is now an army captain traveling around the countryside recruiting young men
• Prince Hal spends less time with his criminal friends
• The rebel leaders gather forces against the king at the Forest of Gaultree
• The Earl of Northumberland refuses to offer aid 
• Prince John, the king's second son, leads the king's army to meet them, and agrees to meet their demands. However, as soon as the rebel leaders send their soldiers home, he arrests and executes them for treason.
• King Henry becomes increasingly ill. Prince Hal comes to court and vows that he will be a responsible king. King Henry forgives him and dies. Prince Hal, now King Henry V, begins to view the Lord Chief Justice as a father figure.
• After the execution of the rebels, Hal is formally crowned King Henry V. When Falstaff and his lowly friends greet him in the street, he rejects them and tells them they must never come within 10 miles of the king or court again. He nonetheless offers them a pension. The young king then goes to court to plan an invasion of France.