When Does "Henry IV Part 2" (1599) Take Place?
"The Second Part of Henrie the Fourth" (often released simply as "Henry IV Part 2") is a historical fiction stageplay written by William Shakespeare performed as early as 1599 (according to most scholars). So when is "Henry IV Part 2" set?
It takes place in the years:
We know this because it begins very soon after the conclusion of "Henry IV Part 1" (1596). The first lines of the play function as a prologue and belong to a character named Rumor who claims, "I run before King Harry’s victory, / Who in a bloody field by Shrewsbury / Hath beaten down young Hotspur and his troops, / Quenching the flame of bold rebellion"..., referring to the famous and tragic Battle of Shrewsbury, which happened in the real world on July 21st, 1403 AD. In act 1 scene 1 Morton the messenger says, "I ran from Shrewsbury, my noble lord" and though this might just mean he retreated, it might indicate how soon after the Battle of Shrewsbury the scene is. So we can assume it's late July of 1403 AD.
1403 AD - 1413 AD
We know this because it begins very soon after the conclusion of "Henry IV Part 1" (1596). The first lines of the play function as a prologue and belong to a character named Rumor who claims, "I run before King Harry’s victory, / Who in a bloody field by Shrewsbury / Hath beaten down young Hotspur and his troops, / Quenching the flame of bold rebellion"..., referring to the famous and tragic Battle of Shrewsbury, which happened in the real world on July 21st, 1403 AD. In act 1 scene 1 Morton the messenger says, "I ran from Shrewsbury, my noble lord" and though this might just mean he retreated, it might indicate how soon after the Battle of Shrewsbury the scene is. So we can assume it's late July of 1403 AD.
In act 5 scene 2, Prince Harry/King Henry V (1386-1422) says, "My father is gone wild into his grave, / For in his tomb lie my affections, / And with his spirits sadly I survive" just after he is told about his father's death. The narrative's end is just after this and the death of the real-world English King Henry IV (previously Duke Bolingbroke) (1367-1413) happened on March 20th, 1413 AD.
It is the chronological third play in the Henriad universe (one of Shakespeare's only two series) and can be read at its timeline point after the previous play, "Henry IV Part 1" (1596).
It was adapted to television in 1960 and then again in 1979, and a final time in 2012. It was partially adapted to film in 1965 as "Chimes at Midnight" and partially adapted to television in 1995.
