About the book
BOOK SUMMARY
King Henry’s health declines while Prince Hal abandons his tavern life and Falstaff to become King Henry V.
Published 1599
History Play
176 pages
A disappointing sequel
August 9, 2026
For me, a classic example of the sequel not being as good as the original. Clearly, Shakespeare found Falstaff to be a fan favorite, as he should be, and used this next installment to expand on that character.
I thought I would be mad about Hal turning on Falstaff, but Falstaff did enough horrible things that I didn’t feel very bad for him at all. I still think Hal had it way too easy though.
kelsi’s reading diary 