King Henry IV, Part I Summary
William Shakespeare

King Henry IV, Part I Summary

Act I:

Henry postpones his planned trip to the Holy Land, which he had hoped to offer as penance for the death of Richard II. Hotspur refuses to surrender to Henry the Scottish prisoners he has captured unless Henry agrees to pay the ransom for Edmund Mortimer. Mortimer, Hotspur's brother-in-law and Richard IV's rightful heir, was captured by Owen Glendower when English forces attacked Wales. Henry refuses to ransom Mortimer and demands Hotspur to release the Scottish prisoners. Hotspur again refuses and returns to his home in Northern England with his father (Northumberland) and his uncle (Worcester). The three plan to raise a rebellion against the

King by joining their forces with those of the Archbishop of York, Owen Glendower, Edmund Mortimer, and Douglas. In the meantime, Prince Hal is plotting with Falstaff and other companions to rob a group of travelers passing through Gadshill, near London.

Act II:

After Falstaff's group... View more of the King Henry IV, Part I Summary