Henry IV part 1 ~ William Shakespeare
One of our mini-goals this year, and the only one I hadn’t yet completed, was to read a play. I’ve been umming and ahhing over what to read for this for a couple of months. I love Shakespeare, but reading it like you would a book is nowhere near as enjoyable as watching it. Then, I had a brainwave, I could listen to a Shakespeare play and have it count as a book. Normally, audiobooks aren’t my favourite form of reading as half the time, it seems to go in one ear and out the other without registering and I have to keep rewinding. However, I found that listening to a play is so much easier to keep focused on because there are multiple voices.
Due to the BBC’s The Hollow Crown, I have found a fondness for the historical plays, especially Henry IV and Henry V. When I saw Henry IV part 1, I knew that was the one I was going to listen to as I love the scenes with Hal and Falstaff in Eastcheape. I have also attempted to read Henry IV part 1 before and I didn’t manage to finish it, so I was glad that listening to it meant that I could finally tick it off the list.
The version of Henry IV part 1 that I listened to cast Iain Glen as Henry IV, Toby Jones as Falstaff and Luke Thompson as Hal. Having voices I recognised in the cast made it even easier to listen to. Every actor in the recording performed with the same energy as doing an on-stage performance. It was chilling to listen to and I engaged with every word with anticipation.
The music differentiating between the Acts and scenes was a little jolting at some points. Near the end of the play, there is a big battle between Henry IV and Harry Percy. However, between Act IV and V, the music started off as warlike drums and then changed to this almost sweet medieval melody. It was a little jolting and took me out of the battle-prep.
Other than that, I really enjoyed listening to Henry IV part 1 and give it four stars. I think I will probably be listening to plays as audiobooks in the future rather than just reading them. It’s a lot more fun.
C🌙
