Henry IV is one of history's great plays on war and the way in which war can inflict its torment on a nation and a family. For aside being a play about war, it is also play about human relationships. Henry IV, part one in many respects is a play which demonstrates the bonds and difficulty between fathers and sons and fellow soldiers. Within this meditation of these complex characters,

He was their third son, but still a prince. His interest in navigation in general and Africa specifically began when his father conquered the Muslim port of Ceuta on the northern coats of Africa, across the Straits of Gibraltar from Portugal, in 1415. Other navigational goals he had, such as locating the source of gold in the West African gold trade, finding the legendary Christian kingdom of Prester John

This would change in the years that would follow Francis' defeat of France. Henry's focus upon domestic issues became fixed upon the difficulties of succession -- just as his father's had been. But unlike Henry VII, Henry VIII had ongoing difficultly seeding a male heir. Although it was not unheard of in Europe to place a Queen upon the throne, Henry and his advisors believed that stability could only

Henry IV is a fifteenth century play set in England. The political condition in England is edgy: King Henry IV is dead, his son, the youthful King Henry the V, assumes throne. More than a few harsh civil conflicts leave people of England agitated and disgruntled. In addition, gaining the English peoples respect, Henry has to live his wild adolescent past. The peak of war finds the English less prepared

In essence, Burgundy is saying that people have allowed the negative aspects of their characters and the war to overtake them and this is resulting in wildness. In saying this, Burgundy is calling for self-restraint as much as he is calling for peace. The kings of England and France agree to Burgundy's call for peace and a truce is reached. In doing so, it is as if the people

Shakespeare's Plays: Henry the IV Part I, Hamlet, a Midsummer Night's Dream Henry the IV, Part I Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 78-90. KING HENRY IV: Yea, there thou makest me sad and makest me sin In envy that my Lord Northumberland Should be the father to so blest a son, A son who is the theme of honour's tongue; Amongst a grove, the very straightest plant; Who is sweet Fortune's minion and