King Henry IV, Part 1 is the second of Shakespeare's eight Wars of the Roses history plays, with events following those of King Richard II. As the play opens, King Henry IV (formerly Henry Bolingbroke) and Henry Percy (Hotspur) argue over the disposition of prisoners from the Battle of Holmedon. The King's attitude toward Mortimer and the Percy family prompts them to plot rebellion. In the meantime, his son Prince Hal is living the low life in the company of Sir John Falstaff. As the time of battle nears, Prince Hal joins his father and is given a high command. The play's climax is the Battle of Shrewsbury, in which Prince Hal and Hotspur meet and fight, with Prince Hal and the forces of the King prevailing. The action continues in King Henry IV, Part 2. From the start this has been an extremely popular play both with the public and with critics...

シェイクスピアの歴史劇の中でも、本作は「王冠の重圧」という公的な峻烈さと、酒場の喧騒に満ちた「生の悦び」が鮮烈に交錯する最高傑作です。秩序を渇望する父王の苦悩と、変革の嵐を予感させる若き熱量がぶつかり合うその構成は、単なる歴史の記録を超え、権力の本質を鋭くえぐる普遍的な人間ドラマとして圧倒的な輝きを放っています。 何より読者を魅了するのは、放蕩の王フォルスタッフという稀代の怪物の存在です。彼は既存の道徳を笑い飛ばす芳醇な知性の体現者であり、彼との決別を経て「王」へと覚醒していくハル王子の孤独な成長譚は、痛切なまでの感動を呼び起こします。古典が持つ永遠の瑞々しさと、言葉が持つ熱い鼓動を、ぜひその魂で体感してください。