At the same time, Northumberland falls ill and is unable to help rally his troops. To make matters worse, Glyndwr is unable to arrive on time, causing the rebels to have far fewer men than they had expected. Thus Hotspur feels trapped into fighting. Hotspur's agent, Worcester, fails to deliver this message to Hotspur because he is convinced that Henry will not honor the pardon. Almost as a joke, Falstaff receives an infantry command from Hal, which is difficult for him since he is too fat to be able to walk very far.ДЄt Shrewsbury, King Henry offers to fully pardon the rebels if they decamp and return to their homes. Henry assembles his own armies and starts moving towards Shrewsbury. He immediately starts to prepare for war with Hotspur. Henry then informs his son that the rebels are mobilizing near Shrewsbury, and Hal receives a military command. Hal agrees to 'be more myself' in the future. King Henry calls Hal into his throne room and begs his son to mend his ways. The men also start to argue about how they will split up the territories, since Hotspur wants England, Douglas Scotland, and Glyndwr Wales. Hotspur does not get along well with Glyndwr, whom he views as being too mystical. Together with the Archbishop of York they start to raise an army, gathering their forces at Shrewsbury. The rebels, led by Hotspur, unite Douglas from Scotland and Glyndwr in Wales. Hal finally reveals the secret of the attackers to him, at which point Falstaff claims that he knew who it was all along, but that he did not wish to harm the Prince of Wales (Hal). The next night in the tavern Falstaff tells a roaringly funny tale about how he fought with many men before being defeated. Hal and Poins, another robber, play a trick on the thieves by robbing the money from Falstaff. The thieves, led by Falstaff, carry out their robbery. However, at the end of the scene and in soliloquy, Hal indicates to the audience that he is merely in disguise, and that he fully expects to assume the reins of power in the near future. In the first act Hal agrees to participate in a robbery in order to experience it. He wastes his time in taverns with the lower classes of English society, and spends a great deal of time with a fat nobleman named Falstaff. Hal, the affectionate name for Prince Harry, the son of King Henry, is a prodigal and a madcap (thief). Worcester tells Hotspur that it would be smarter to turn over the prisoners but at the same time form an alliance with Douglas and Glyndwr, and thus raise an army with which to overthrow Henry IV. Hotspur, impulsive as always, tells his father Northumberland that he will never give up the prisoners. He orders Hotspur to yield the prisoners under threat of punishment. Henry is furious about this, since prisoners are a way of earning money through ransom. However, another commander, Hotspur, has succeeded in defeating Douglas in Scotland, but refuses to send his prisoners back to the king. The play begins with news that one of his commanders, Mortimer, has lost a battle to Glyndwr in Wales. Henry IV, Part One details the struggle of King Henry IV to maintain his control of the English throne which he usurped from Richard II.

King henry iv part 1 sparknotes