Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

ARCHBISHOP

in 1 Henry the Fourth — Shakespeare, William

Metadata

Play1 Henry the Fourth
AuthorShakespeare, William
Year (catalogued)1598
First performance1597
Decade1590s
GenreHistory
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyLord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men
Speech prefix(es)Arch. | Arch
Words262
Characters1388
Typicality0.51 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA11966
BritDrama no.1059
ClusterCluster 8 — Martial kings & Roman gravity

Important excerpts

No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).

Full speech

High good sir Mighell, bear this sealed brief With winged haste to the Lord Marshal, This to my cousin Scroop, and all the rest To whom they are directed. If you knew How much they do import you would make haft. Like enough you do. To morrow good sir Mighell is a day, Wherein the fortune of ten thousand men Must bide the touch. For sir at Shrewsbury As I am truly given to understand, The king with mighty and quick raised power Meets with Lord Harry And I fear sir Mighell What with the sickness of Northumberland, Whose power was in the first proportion, And what with Owen Glendowers absence thence, Who with them was a rated sinew too. And comes not in ouerrulde by prophecies, I fear the power of Percy is too weak To wage and instant trial with the king. No, Mortimer is not there. I hope no less; yet needful 'tis to fear, And to prevent the worst, sir Mighell speed: For if Lord Percy thrive not ere the king Dismiss his power, he means to visit us, For he hath herd of our confederacy, And 'tis but wisdom to make strong against him, Therefore make haste, I must go write again To other friends and so farewell sir Mighel. Exeunt And so there is: but yet the king hath drawn The special head of all the land together, The Prince of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster, The noble Westmoreland, and warlike Blunt, And many more coriuals and deer men Of est mansion and command in arms.

Plot summary

Plot — 1 Henry the Fourth
Civil war has ended in England, and King H@nryiliV intends to take an English army on a crusade to liberate the Holy Land. The enterprise is delayed by continuing military instability on England’s borders. Lord MOGrfimer has been defeated in battle by Owen Glemd@Wer and taken a prisoner to Wales. In the north, H@#Splr has had better success against the Scots, but refuses to hand over his prisoners until King Henry ransoms Mortimer. But Mortimer has thrown in his lot with Glendower, so Henry refuses. TH@IPEFGy family suspects an ulterior motive: Mortimer was proclaimed heir to the throne during the previous reign, so the King has good reason to want him off the scene. Led by tH@IBAPINSPIWSreeSter, the Percies plan to put together an alliance to rise in rebellion against the King; to that end, Hotspur releases his Scottish prisoners without ransom. THEMPHNCeMSMWales spends his time idly with . BaIStaif and Poyntz, secretly intending to use his bad reputation as a foil to a subsequent reformation. They plan and execute a highway robbery, but the Prince and Poyntz disguise themselves and rob Falstaff in turn. In the tavern afterwards, Falstaffs account of these events grows progressively more inflated and extravagant; but, when confronted with the truth, he claims he knew it was the Prince all the time. News of the Percies’ plans reaches the King, and Prince Henry is summoned to court. Falstaff helps the Prince with a rehearsal: at first he plays the King, but his performance is over-partial towards himself, so the Prince takes over the part and declares that he will banish Falstaff. A hue and cry after the robbery leads the SHEfiffito the tavern, but the Prince puts him off and later pays back the stolen money; he then plans to obtain a military commission for Falstaff. The rebel lords meet to agree the division of the kingdom, but Hotspur is not satisfied with his share. The Prince tells his admonishing father that he will redeem himself in battle. Troops are mobilized, and the armies meet at Shrewsbury. The rebels are depleted: Glendower’s forces are not ready and N@rthumiberland falls sick; Hotspur sees greater honour in the longer odds, WGreester only greater risk. In the parleys before battle, the Prince offers to settle things in single combat with Hotspur, but Worcester and WerniGn, knowing that the King will never trust them again, decide to keep this from Hotspur. In the battle, many of the King’s troops are dressed in bis colours, and are killed in…