In two and a half pages this paper examines how '1 Henry IV' is vastly different in terms of content, theme, and structure from 'Richard II' despite being a sequel. Two sources are cited in the bibliography.
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Part I, hereafter referred to as 1 Henry IV, as a 1598 sequel to follow his 1596 play, Richard II. Thematically, there are similarities that link the two works
together, as there must be in order to have the single thread of the first play interwoven into the second to establish overall structural cohesiveness. Both are considerations of
kingship, which was a very important issue in Shakespeares time. There were contrasts in both between public spectacles and private interactions, but the structural differences that exists between the
works and the shifting emphasis distinguishes how these scenes are interpreted. The primary theme in Richard II is the way in which the protagonist failed to live up to the
responsibilities of kingship. He was more interested in the pomp and circumstance with the monarchy than he was in providing leadership to his subjects. He was an arrogant
aristocrat who demanded respect from his subjects but did nothing to earn it. 1 Henry IV, on the other hand, considered the events that took place after the aristocratic
Richard was overthrown and his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, the common mans popular choice, was crowned as his successor. However, instead of championing the people who had initiated his ascent
to power, Henry IV turned his back on them, and transformed himself into a distant and elitist ruler. There is a marked shift in emphasis from the monarchy in
Richard II to the subjects in Henry IV. Shakespeare conveys kingship with considerable structural formality in Richard II, which is illustrated by the Kings speech in Act III, Scene
ii, in which he denounces his rival, Bolingbroke, and compares himself as a part of the divine scheme of things, aligning himself with the sun: "But when from under this