“But Yet A Woman”

This reading of 1 Henry IV considers the parallels between the Mortimers and modern military couples of a citizen and a foreign national, a union tied up with questions of loyalty and trust. What does it say about a man and a soldier that he married someone from the “other” side? It also reads Hotspur through his relationship with Kate Percy, arguing Hotspur suffers from PTSD. Reading 1 Henry IV in a modern context enables one to better recognize the struggles of the characters, their modern-day counterparts, and the cultural and policy systems that contribute to their struggles.