Henry IV Part 2 Characters

Hal is the Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne. He becomes King Henry V after his father, King Henry IV, dies in Act 5.Hal's Trajectory in Henry IV Part 1Before we think about Hal's char...

Before you read any further, we recommend that you take a look at our analysis of Falstaff in Henry IV Part 1.OK, now that you've read about Shakespeare's development of Falstaff's character in Par...

At first, Prince Hal is set in opposition to King Henry IV's Lord Chief Justice (LCJ), the guy appointed to uphold "the majesty and power of law and justice" (5.2.79). Apparently, the LCJ once thre...

Mistress Quickly is the hostess of the Boar's Head Tavern, where every degenerate in Eastcheap likes to hang out. Because of her association with the topsy-turvy world of the tavern, Mistress Quick...

Doll Tearsheet is a smart, saucy, knife-wielding, prostitute, who hangs out at the Boar's Head Tavern. She's Mistress Quickly's BFF and Falstaff's favorite "companion." Unlike Mistress Quickly, Tea...

Pistol is a "swaggering" officer (or "Ensign") who serves under Falstaff in the king's army. Despite Pistol's military duties in the service of the crown, like the rest of the rowdy Eastcheap crew,...

A rebel leader, Northumberland is a member of the Percy family and the father of the recently slain Hotspur. In Richard II Northumberland played a major role helping King Henry IV to the crown but...

Richard Scroop, the Archbishop of York, leads the rebellion against the king in Henry IV Part 2. The Archbishop uses his religious authority to his advantage. He attracts a sizable following becaus...

Prince John of Lancaster (so named because he's a prince and was born in Lancaster) is one of King Henry's son. In Part 1 Prince John is relatively a minor character but he's responsible, respected...

Poins is one of Prince Hal's low-life sidekicks. In Part 1 of Henry IV, he helps Hal play a mean trick on one of the tavern drawers and is also the mastermind behind the double robbery at Gads Hill...

Bardolph is one of Falstaff's degenerate Eastcheap pals. He takes part in the Gads Hill robbery in Part 1 of Henry IV, likes to drink (a lot), and is famous for his ruddy complexion and red nose. B...

This poor kid doesn't even have a name. Everyone just calls him "Page" because he's, well, a "page" or, servant to Falstaff that Hal has hired. The Page is tiny, especially compared to Falstaff but...

Westmoreland is a loyal nobleman. He's frequently at the king's side and, in Henry IV Part 2, he gets to say "Aha! You're all under arrest!" (or something quite similar) after Prince John tricks th...

Mowbray is a rebel leader. He's arrested at Gaultree Forest and is later executed for treason.

Hastings is a rebel leader. Like the Archbishop of York and Mowbray, he's arrested at Gaultree Forest and later executed for treason. Hastings gets to speak one of the coolest lines in the play (ev...

Humphrey is one of King Henry IV's sons and Hal's little brother. He's a minor character in the play with few speaking lines.

Thomas is another one of King Henry IV's sons and Hal's little brother. Like his brother, Humphrey, Thomas has a tiny role and hardly speaks. Both Humphrey and Thomas serve as audiences for their f...

Shallow is a justice of the peace who lives in Gloucestershire, where Falstaff visits to recruit soldiers for the king's army. Shallow likes to spend his time with his cousin, Silence, reminiscing...

Silence is Justice Shallow's cousin and is also a justice of the peace who lives in Gloucestershire. Silence is quiet most of the time but after he has a few drinks, he turns out to be a dirty man...