Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.
The Palace at Westminster, King Henry and the Prince of Wales (Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Part 2, Act 4, Scene 4), first published 1795, reissued 1852, Robert Thew, after Josiah Boydell
King Henry IV, Part II: Sir John Falstaff with His Page (Act I, Scene ii), Edwin Austin Abbey (1905)
Falstaff rebuked, Robert Smirke, c. 1795
Falstaff am Tisch mit Weinkrug und Zinnbecher, Eduard von Grützner (1910)
History (theatrical genre)
History is one of the three main genres in Western theatre alongside tragedy and comedy, although it originated, in its modern form, thousands of years later than the other primary genres. For this reason, it is often treated as a subset of tragedy. A play in this genre is known as a history play and is based on a historical narrative, often set in the medieval or early modern past. History emerged as a distinct genre from tragedy in Renaissance England. The best known examples of the genre are the history plays written by William Shakespeare, whose plays still serve to define the genre. History plays also appear elsewhere in British and Western literature, such as Thomas Heywood's Edward IV, Schiller's Mary Stuart or the Dutch play Gijsbrecht van Aemstel.
A scene from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, Act II, Scene 4. Falstaff offers a false account of a skirmish between himself and eleven assailants.
Room 17, the Nereid Monument at the British Museum, London. An actress performs a play in front of the monument.
Charles Kean as Richard III