
The opening of this classic drama sets the stage in a war‑torn England where youthful ambition collides with seasoned swagger. Prince Henry, still a reckless heir, surrounds himself with boisterous companions, most famously the larger‑than‑life Falstaff, whose witty banter and love of good cheer mask deeper insecurities. Meanwhile, the fiery Hotspur, a proud and impulsive nobleman, charges head‑first into conflict, his bravado both admirable and absurd.
Amid these rivalries, the play blends tragedy and comedy, using sharp dialogue and exaggerated personalities to highlight the folly of youthful excess. The Welsh lord Glendower and the boastful Douglas add further color, each delivering lines that teeter between heroic posturing and comic self‑parody. Listeners will be drawn into a world where honor, folly, and laughter intertwine, offering a vivid portrait of a prince on the brink of becoming a legend.
Language
fr
Duration
~3 hours (196K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Paul Murray, Rénald Lévesque and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr).
Release date
2007-09-24
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1564–1616
Often called the greatest writer in the English language, this English playwright and poet created dramas and verses that still feel alive on the page and stage. His stories of ambition, love, jealousy, power, and loss continue to speak to readers centuries later.
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