![]() ![]() The alternations of tone and topic-political, moralist, military, domestic-are well-designed to entertain the audience. Nevertheless, the script dexterously interweaves its several plot lines, the robbery at Gadshill, Prince Hal's relations with his two father-figures, and the Percys' rebellion, all neatly reaching a dynamic climax in the series of spectacular duels at the battle of Shrewsbury. In performance this figure often becomes grotesquely exaggerated and actors are usually nervous about excessive audience expectations. This enormously popular play has always been rated as one of Shakespeare's outstanding theatrical successes, mostly because of the Gargantuan figure of Falstaff, whose witty skepticism transcends the form of the history play and becomes an archetype for humorous self-indulgence (see this humoral Falstaff, plus portrayals by Friedrich Ludwig Schröder, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, James Henry Hackett, Michael Cronin, and Tony Van Bridge).
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