"King Henry the Fourth - Parts I and II" are two of most popular and celebrated of William Shakespeare's history plays and feature some of the finest characters in the canon, including the troubled monarch Henry IV, the choleric rebel Hotspur, Henry's profligate and wastrel son Hal and the larger-than-life braggart and drunkard Sir John Falstaff.

At the outset of the story, there is unrest in England. The previous king, Richard, is dead and the current ruler, Henry IV - seen by many as a usurper - is facing the twin problems of a rebel uprising from Wales and Scotland as well as a son who insists on carousing with disreputable and criminal characters. For his part, Prince Hal declares that he is simply living a dissolute and debauched life in order to seem that much more admirable when he ultimately reforms.

At once a chronicle of King Henry's reign and a bawdy comedy - centered on the exploits of the corpulent and besotted Falstaff - "King Henry IV - Parts I and II" represent Shakespeare at his best and they are presented here in their original and unabridged format.