SOURCE: "The Characterization of the King in 1 Henry IV" in Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 1, Winter, 1979, pp. 42-50.

In the following essay, Fehrenbach argues that while King Henry's failure to be viewed as Henry IV 's protagonist is "understandable, " the characterization of the king has "unfortunate[ly" received little critical attention. Fehrenbach then analyzes Shakespeare's portrayal of King Henry, maintaining that the characterization is achieved through indirect means, and is appropriate for a character who routinely masks himself to those around him.]

Despite the play's title, critics generally regard the central figure of 1 Henry IV as just about anybody except Henry IV. The usual candidates, of course, are Hal and Falstaff, but one also finds an occasional scholar asserting that Hotspur all but runs away with the play as the appealingly passionate quasi-tragic figure. Now and again someone will argue for the elevation of Henry to his rightful place...