década de 1590
5 libros · siglo XVI
- You get a rough, episodic history play with flashes of Shakespearean energy, especially in Edward’s pursuit of the Countess of Salisbury and the Black Prince’s battlefield speeches. It’s uneven and not wholly Shakespeare’s, but the mix of courtly temptation, war, and sudden moral seriousness makes it an intriguing afternoon read.
- Falstaff alone is worth it, this huge lying coward who somehow makes you love him, and watching Prince Hal drink with him while quietly planning to outgrow him gets under your skin. Funnier than you expect from a history play, and sadder too.
- You get a more reflective, melancholy Shakespeare here, with Hal facing the weight of kingship while Falstaff turns swagger and self-pity into something unexpectedly sad. The play moves more slowly than Part I, but its weary humor and sense of a country trying to recover linger.
- You get Shakespeare at his most verbally playful here, with four men making grand vows to avoid women and immediately tripping over their own love letters. The wit is dense and sometimes showy, but the women’s clear-eyed teasing gives the comedy real bite, and the late change in mood leaves it pleasantly unsettled.
- You need patience with the archaic diction and long allegorical detours, but Redcrosse blundering through error and Britomart discovering courage and desire make the poem feel surprisingly alive. Read it slowly, a canto at a time, for its strange forests, giants, monsters, and enchantments.