ABSTRACT
George Bernard Shaw, though well ahead of his time in his theatrical sensitivity and in his refusal to sentimentalize Sir John Falstaff, agrees with William Hazlitt in denouncing Prince Henry as a 'Jingo hero' in whom are unattractively combined conventional propriety and brute masterfulness in things political, and 'low-lived blackguardism' in his private tastes. When Mendelssohn composed 'Son and Stranger' for an amateur performance, he found that the bass could only sing one note. So he wrote the bass part all on that one note. Hotspur is full of energy; and Falstaff is, of course, an unrivalled part for the right sort of comedian. One can hardly forgive William Shakespeare quite for the worldly phase in which he tried to thrust such a Jingo hero as his Harry V down our throats. Everything that charm of style, rich humor, and vivid and natural characterization can do for a play is badly wanted by Henry IV.
