Samantha Blinn, Matt Ball, Chasen Schneider and Ariana Karp conclude our discussion of King Henry IV Part I with Act V:

Action packed nature of the last act - four epic sword fights!
Hotspur’s honor versus Falstaff’s honor
Ethics of the body in the battlefield
The glorified idea of the person and the contrast of the dead body
The political metaphors and artifice of King Henry and Worcester’s language contrasted to the more straight talk of Hal in the parley scene
The significance of a rebel lord, Lord Vernon, as the prophet of Henry V’s military glory
The cleverness of battle tactics and the king’s disguise
Douglas’s fury as a warrior
How our post modern perspectives on violence and warfare shape our understanding of the play
Language as a rationalization and exploration of feeling and idea