BookTalk.org

Taylor wrote:By the way, I just now figured out how to include a name with the quote bubble

If you click the "Quote" button, it does it all for you.

Taylor wrote:

Geo wrote:

Taylor has indicated that Henry IV was his first choice too, so hopefully he'll be reading it as well.

If you guys want to go through a formal voting procedure and read something else, I say go for it!

Thanks Geo, I wanted to do a re-read, but I did not want to discourage anybody else from joining in, so I was leaving room for other peoples choices.

I was leaving room for other choices as well. And I still am really. While I'm waiting to see how it unfolds, I'll just go ahead with Henry IV. It really only takes a couple of weeks to read a play even if you include the pre-reading—synpopsis, etc.

Good. Henry IV Part 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_IV,_Part_1

“I know you all, and will awhile uphold
The unyoked humour of your idleness.
Yet herein will I imitate the sun,
Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To smother up his beauty from the world,
That when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wondered at
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapours that did seem to strangle him.
If all the year were playing holidays,
To sport would be as tedious as to work;
But when they seldom come, they wished-for come,
And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents.
So, when this loose behaviour I throw off
And pay the debt I never promisèd,
By how much better than my word I am,
By so much shall I falsify men’s hopes;
And like bright metal on a sullen ground,
My reformation, glitt’ring o’er my fault,
Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes
Than that which hath no foil to set it off.
I’ll so offend to make offence a skill,
Redeeming time when men think least I will.”
― William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Part 1

This passage is Prince (Hal) Henry speaking, although I'm not sure what the context is yet. Shakespeare certainly has a beautiful way with words.

I could be wrong but I think Hal has realized that his friends will have to be left off if he is to be loyal to the throne he will at sometime inherit.

Henry is my first choice. I'm downloading it now.

Geo has created a thread in the Fiction Book Forum for Henry IV.

If any of you plan to participate please make at least 1 post in the thread at http://www.booktalk.org/topic18602.html stating your intentions. If we have 4+ people planning to participate I will create a forum for that discussion.

In other words take the Henry IV conversation to http://www.booktalk.org/topic18602.html please.

Is Henry IV one of Shakespeare's histories? I can't remember.

Movie Nerd wrote:Is Henry IV one of Shakespeare's histories? I can't remember.

Hi Nerd. Yes, Henry IV is usually categorized as a history, but according to David Scott Kastan in the introduction to the The Arden Shakespeare, the word "history" was used generically and the distinction between the Histories and the Tragedies is not really that clear. Even The Merchant of Venice was first published as the "Most Excellent History."

Also, as I've mentioned, the four plays that make up the tetralogy are thematically grouped together—chronologically following the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V—but each play stands on its own. In particular, the two plays of Henry IV (part one and part two) are believed to have been composed some years apart. Did Shakespeare know that he was going to write a Part II when he wrote Part I? Some scholars think so, but more likely, Part II was a kind of sequel based on the popularity of Part I. According to Kastan, the plays were not traditionally performed together until later.

Hey everybody, Chris is about to launch the threads for Henry IV (Part 1). I'm sort of recommending the Arden Shakespeare version of the play (see link below), but any version is fine of course. It looks like a couple of you are reading Kindle versions.

I'm suggesting that the discussion for this play run Dec. & Jan. which leaves plenty of time to start reading.

http://www.amazon.com/King-Henry-Part-A ... 1904271359