This complex history play is more troubled and troubling than King Henry IV Part 1, as it continues the story of King Henry's decline and Hal's reform. Though Part 2 echoes the structure of the earlier play, it is a darker and more unsettling world, in which even Falstaff's revelry is more tired and cynical, and the once-merry Hal sloughs off his tavern companions to become King Henry V. Expertly edited with on-page notes and a lengthy critical introduction, this is an invaluable and authoritative edition.
