Publisher's Synopsis
In Henry IV, Part I, Shakespeare dramatizes the reign of King Henry IV, who rose to power after Richard II was usurped. Henry IV is plagued by a group of rebels led by the charismatic Hotspur. Henry's son Hal leads the battle against the rebels and kills Hotspur, though Hal's friend Falstaff takes the credit. The rest of Henry's reign is chronicled in Henry IV, Part II. When the play opens, Henry IV is angry with "Hotspur" (Henry Percy, the son of the Earl of Worcester), who won't surrender the prisoners taken in a recent battle with the Scots. Henry's son Hal meanwhile spends most of his time carousing with his friend Falstaff, an amoral but amusing knight. Hal later has a change of heart and decides to prove himself as a nobleman and prince.
