William Shakespeare
Henry IV, Part 1
The full script in Final Draft, Word & PDF
Prince Hal splits his time between Falstaff's tavern and the royal court as rebels led by Hotspur threaten his father's throne.
PDFs Only
$4.99
- ✓ Stageplay PDF (101 pp.)
- ✓ Screenplay PDF (96 pp.)
- ✓ Instant download
Full Package
$12.99
- ✓ Final Draft (.fdx)
- ✓ Microsoft Word + RTF
- ✓ Screenplay + Stageplay PDFs
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- Genre
- History
- Written
- c. 1596–1597
- Setting
- England and Wales
- Scenes
- 19
- Speaking roles
- 36
- Uncut running time
- ~3h 00m
What happens in Henry IV, Part 1
King Henry IV, who took the throne from Richard II, is troubled by unrest and by his son Prince Hal, who spends his days with the fat knight Sir John Falstaff and other tavern companions. The Percy family, who helped Henry to the crown, raise a rebellion led by the fiery young Hotspur, in alliance with the Welsh lord Glendower and others.
Hal publicly promises to reform and redeems himself with his father. Falstaff, in the meantime, recruits ragged soldiers and plays the coward. At the battle of Shrewsbury, Hal kills Hotspur in single combat, and Falstaff pretends to have done it, claiming credit for himself. The king's army wins, and the rebellion is put down for now, though more trouble is to come.
See the formatting
The first page of Act I, exactly as it appears in the files you download.
The biggest roles
Share of the play's spoken words, counted from the script. 36 characters speak; 20 of them have under 1% of the text — natural candidates for doubling.
| Role | Share of the text | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| Falstaff | | 157 |
| Prince Henry | | 178 |
| Hotspur | | 102 |
| King Henry IV | | 34 |
| Earl Of Worcester | | 35 |
| Glendower | | 22 |
| Poins | | 36 |
| Vernon | | 14 |
For directors
Falstaff has about 23 percent of the words, Prince Henry 19 and Hotspur 18, so the play needs three strong leads, and Henry IV takes another 11. Five roles exceed 5 percent. With 36 speaking roles, 20 of them under 1 percent, tavern and rebel groups can be doubled with care. The uncut estimate of 180 minutes is long and usually reduced. It also runs in two worlds, court and tavern, so costume and set plans should separate them.
Cutting notes
- Trim the Glendower and Welsh scenes, where the map-dividing quarrel repeats the rebels' conflict.
- Shorten Falstaff's recruiting scene and the Gad's Hill aftermath, which are the most reliant on period jokes.
- Condense the rebel council scenes and some of the messenger exchanges before Shrewsbury.
For teachers
Students study kingship and legitimacy, honour as Hotspur defines it against Falstaff's view, and the coming of age of Prince Hal. Frequently taught passages include the Gad's Hill robbery, the tavern play in which Falstaff and Hal take turns as the king, Falstaff's speech on honour, and the fight at Shrewsbury. The play is often paired with Part Two and Henry V as part of a sequence.
Questions
Is this the complete, uncut text of Henry IV, Part 1?
Yes. Every file contains the full play — 19 scenes and about 24,000 spoken words. Cut it yourself in Word or Final Draft to fit your running time.
What is the difference between the stageplay and screenplay layouts?
The stageplay layout indents stage directions and sets dialogue full-width, like a theatre script. The screenplay layout follows film conventions: scene headings and action flush left, character names centred, dialogue in a narrower column. Both tiers include both layouts as PDFs; the Full Package adds editable Final Draft and Word files of each.
Can I use this Henry IV, Part 1 script for a production or a class?
Yes. Shakespeare's plays are in the public domain, so there are no royalties to pay for staging them. Edit, stage, film or teach with these files.
How do I receive the files?
Right after checkout you land on a private download page, and the link is also emailed to you. It keeps working, so you can re-download any time.
