‘Presume not that I am the thing I was, for heaven doth know - so shall the world perceive - that I have turned away my former self….’.

So says Prince Hal in Henry lV part 2

This play is only partly about Henry the IV, mostly it is about leaving youth behind and taking on the cares of an adult/ a king. I thought it was a sad play about leaving, loss and growing apart. Also about the overbearing responsibilities of being a king.

‘uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’.

Prince Hal becomes King Henry V near the end, everything about his life changes. But the whole play is building up to this moment like a gathering storm.
There is hope at the end for England but it is hard to shake off the sadness in this play. There is a heart breaking speech by a widow when her father in law makes to set off for war and possibly the same end as his son. So many sad parts. Maybe this was the beginning of Hamlet?

Anyway, although Shakespeares history plays are not altogether an accurate telling of history