Henry IV

Written between 1596 and 1599, Henry IV, Part II, sometimes written as 2 Henry IV, is the third part of the famous Shakespearean Henriad, also including the playwright's histories Richard II, 1 Henry IV and Henry V. Picking up where the first part of the play left off, the history tells of Prince Hal's journey toward the throne. Unlike in Part I, the stories of Prince Hal and Falstaff are almost completely separate in Part II, ending with the unforgettable rejection of the fat knight by Prince Hal and the death of the fan-favorite comic character. Possibly because of the lack of interaction between Hal and Falstaff, Part II is seen as a less successful play than Henry IV, Part I as it is often criticized for being quite undramatic. Some scholars credit this lack of success to Shakespeare's never intending to write a sequel to the play, but producing one nevertheless.