Henry IV, Part 1 (1990, Michael Bogdanov) part 6 of 17

more of Act II, scene IV

Shakespeare's "King Henry IV, Part 1" performed by the The English Shakespeare Company

Henry Prince of Wales - Michael Pennington
Poins - Charles Dale
Falstaff - Barry Stanton
Mistress - Quickly June Watson

Director Michael Bogdanov


A. C. Bradley writes:

That Falstaff sometimes behaves in what we should generally call a cowardly way is certain; but that does now show that he was a coward; and if the word means a person who feels painful fear in the presence of danger, and yields to that fear in spite of his better feelings and convictions, then assuredly Fastaff was no coward...

"but he ran away on Gadshill; and when Douglas attacked him he fell down and shammed dead." Yes, I am thankful to say, he did. For of course he did not want to be dead. He wanted to live and be merry....Poins is right when he thus distinguishes Falstaff from his companions in robbery: "For two of them, I know them to be as truebred cowards as ever turned back; and for the third, if he fight longer than he sees reason, I'll forswear arms."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Shakespeare
• King-Henry-IV
• 1H4
• Michael-Pennington
• Barry-Stanton
• play
• theatre

[f3nt0]

this is the best part of falstaff's comic i love

[resurgam44]

The incredible 'If reasons were as plenty as blackberries' pun is really lost without the original pronounciation (pronounced as 'raisin').

[carmaj156]

I was laughing so hard the first time I read this scene. It's simply genius. I love Shakespeare.