Henry IV Part 1 Act 4 - “To the latter end of a fray and the beginning of a feast fits a dull fighter and a keen guest.”

Henry IV Part 1 Act 4 -  “To the latter end of a fray and the beginning of a feast fits a dull fighter and a keen guest.”

If there is one thing that Shakespeare has learnt by the middle period of his career, it is how to build dramatic tension with greater clarity and pace than he did in his early work. In 'Henry IV Part 1' we also see characters develop with the action without the interludes and diversions which he seemed to need early in his earlier Histories and other plays.

As the rebels discuss their strategies at the agreed meeting place at Shrewsbury, news that Northumberland (Hotspur’s father) has fallen ill and will not be able to bring his troops, strikes a hard blow to the rebels. Many see that his army’s absence will not only affect the strength of the size of their force but also strike a blow to morale. The youth and arrogance of Hotspur rises to the surface when he shows no loss of resolve even when news arrives of the imminent arrival of King Henry IV’s army led by the king himself, Prince John and the Prince of Wales Harry (Hal). Hotspur almost relishes (in rhyme and thought) the moment when he, Harry Hotspur, will face off with Prince Harry in hand to hand combat:

“Harry to Harry shall, hot horse to horse,

Meet and ne'er part till one drop down a corse.

O that Glendower were come!”

But the deluge of bad news has just started for Hotspur, as it is also revealed by Sir Richard Vernon, that Glyndwr and his Welsh forces will need more time to organise and that it is unlikely that Glyndwr will not be arriving in time for the initial battle. Worcester and the Douglas are worried by this new development. Hotspur rallies hope and when Douglas also agrees to rise to the challenge too, it seems as if the rebels will go into battle with some hope in their hearts.

On the side of a road near Coventry, Falstaff is moving very slowly with his ragamuffin troop of men. His recruitment methods have involved him taking money from rich farmers and merchants as bribes for them not joining up and keeping most of the money for himself while he assembled a cheaper motley crew of:

“… ancients, corporals, lieutenants, gentlemen of companies, slaves as ragged as Lazarus in the painted cloth … discarded unjust serving-men, younger sons to younger brothers, revolted tapsters and ostlers trade-fallen, the cankers of a calm world and a long peace, ten times more dishonourable ragged than an old faced ancient… A mad

fellow met me on the way and told me I had unloaded

all the gibbets and pressed the dead bodies.”

When Prince Harry (Hal) and Westmoreland arrive, Westmoreland casts a disparaging look over Falstaff’s troops. Falstaff optimistically replies that are his army is “good enough to toss” and good enough “food for powder” (which was a popular term in Shakespeares’s time for canon fodder). They then make haste to join the forces of King Henry IV.

We switch back to the opposition's changing rooms to check on their pre-game status. Hotspur and Douglas are fighting with Worcester and Vernon about the best time and tactics for an attack. Needless to say, Hotspur and Douglas are champing at the bit when a peace envoy arrives who is sent from King Henry IV himself. Henry IV, despite now having superior numbers, wants to avoid bloodshed and offers to give a full pardon to the rebels and listen to and give into most of whatever demands Hotspur voices. Hotspur’s then unleashes a long list of grievances against Henry which is finally punctuated by Henry’s refusal to pay a ransom for Mortimer. The patient envoy asks whether he should conclude that all this means that Hotspur wishes to continue into battle. Hotspur says he will send an answer with Worchester in the morning. We get the sense that Hotspur might consider withdrawing and settling for this generous peace offer after all.

Now, we encounter a short scene that is usually cut for modern audiences. What must be remembered here is that not everyone in Elizabethan times had arrived to see Shakespeare’s plays at the beginning. Audience etiquette, and their sense of time was more fluid than the modern cattle who are mustered into theatres rallied by electronic warning bells and enticed out at interval by the promise of red wine and chardonnay. Shakespeare’s audience are more hardy and resilient and needed no interval. They were more like a football crowd and arrived whenever they wanted, talked during the play when they needed to, and got a drink whenever they desired. So, at this point in Shakespeare’s play, the Archbishop of York and Sir Michael’s recap of the story is necessary for the audience and also allows the actors to change costumes and, unlike their modern football performing compatriots, a jug of sack or wine to fortify them in the dying moments of their game.