Henry IV, Part 1 vs Henry IV, Part 2: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: In literature, Sources, English drama, Kings and rulers, English literature, Drama

Henry IV, Part 1 William Shakespeare · 1598 ★★★★☆ 3.8 122 pages · ≈ 2 h 16 m · Challenging

“Following the battle of Shrewsbury (where King Henry and Prince Hal were victorious and Hotspur killed), Rumor spreads the false information that Hotspur was the victor and the King and Prince were killed.”

Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, discusses the author and the theater of his time, and provides quizzes and other study activities.

1 film adaptation

Juvenile drama Shakespeare British and irish drama

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Henry IV, Part 2 William Shakespeare · 1600 ★★★★☆ 3.8 158 pages · ≈ 2 h 56 m · Demanding

Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Summer festival, June 27th to September 10th, 1932. "The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, containing his death, and the coronation of King Henry the Fifth," by William…

1 film adaptation

English Historical drama Historical drama Quartos English Young adult drama

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Henry IV, Part 1 has the widest readership — 34291 ratings behind its score.

How to choose

New to the genre? Henry IV, Part 1 Challenging vs Demanding for Henry IV, Part 2

Scores by source

	Henry IV, Part 1	Henry IV, Part 2
Goodreads	3.8 (34291)	3.8 (21790)
Hardcover	3.9 (54)	3.6 (28)
Google Books	2.0 (2)	—
Apple Books	4.5 (18)	4.0 (9)

Reception

	Henry IV, Part 1	Henry IV, Part 2
Ratings	34291	21790
Editions	782	480
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	16609	13845
Reading it now	650	297
Written reviews	2103	1023
Wikipedia attention	9387	3344
Pages	122	158

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Henry IV, Part 1 or Henry IV, Part 2?

Henry IV, Part 1 has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Henry IV, Part 1 3.8/5, Henry IV, Part 2 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: Henry IV, Part 1 or Henry IV, Part 2?

Henry IV, Part 1 is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Henry IV, Part 1 (122 pages, ≈ 2 h 16 m); Henry IV, Part 2 (158 pages, ≈ 2 h 56 m).

Which is harder to read: Henry IV, Part 1 or Henry IV, Part 2?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Henry IV, Part 1: Challenging; Henry IV, Part 2: Demanding.

Have both books been made into films?

Henry IV, Part 1: 5 film adaptations; Henry IV, Part 2: 5 film adaptations.