On April 1, 2021 the Folger hosts its Virtual Book Club, featuring a discussion on A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke. To prepare for the discussion, we have pulled together a list of Folger resources related to Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays, the performance of which forms the background of Hawke’s novel.

READ the play(s)

• Henry IV part 1
• Henry IV part 2

LISTEN to related podcast episodes

• Episode 34: Great Shakespearean Actors
• Episode 92: Derek Jacobi: Acting Shakespeare
• Episode 149: Directing Shakespeare

LEARN more about Henry IV pt. 1

• Mangled glory: Fact and (mostly) fiction in Shakespeare’s history plays
• Lady Percy and Lady Mortimer in Henry IV, Part 1
• Fat rogue, pampered glutton: Two Falstaffian context clues
• Edward Dering and the earliest record of an amateur private performance of a Shakespeare play
• Henry IV on Folgerpedia

EXPLORE the performance history of the play at the Folger

• Henry IV part 1, Shenendoah Shakespeare Express (1997)
• Henry IV, part 1, Folger Theatre (2008)
• 1 Henry IV, Folger Theatre (2019)
  • Production notes on The Folger Spotlight

REVISIT Lincoln Center’s 2003 production, featuring Ethan Hawke as Hotspur

• New York Times Review: Falstaff and Hal, With War Afoot
• Lincoln Center official production site 

Words, Words, Words discusses Ethan Hawke’s A Bright Ray of Darkness on April 1, 2021. The event is free, but registration is required through our website.