Political Drama in Henry IV and Henry VThe assertion that Shakespeare's stories are in fact political drama seems to fall hard on the ears of modern readers. Part of the reason for this could be that we, as a society, have blurred the political connotation into the vaguer notions – sometimes narrow, but far too inclusive. A young reader is likely to think of politics as an election and a debate, a kind of ongoing candidacy. In fact, this may be a valid, if somewhat limited, modern definition. For our purposes, however, this definition is not sufficient to establish a starting point from which to examine Shakespeare's presentation of political drama. If we define politics as the acquisition and exercise of state power, we can see that each play in the political drama The Great Tetralogy is inherently political. In terms of plot, the action of each play revolves around the concept of succession, the passing of political power from one king to another. Henry IV wrests the crown from Richard II, then is forced to defend it against enemies who would in turn want to take it from him. Prince Hal inherits his father's throne, becoming Henry V, then seizes the French throne for himself. At the end of Henry V, we are told that another Henry will be “crowned king in infant bands” (epilogue 9). But while the stories' plots are largely about the acquisition of political power, their themes can be seen to focus more on the exercise of that power. At its heart, the Great Tetralogy is a discourse on the qualities of the ideal leader. A comparison between Richard II and Henry V and the manner in which each exercises political power will serve to illuminate this point. Ultimately, Henry V is an effective king through elaborate speeches with minimal theatrics. We act; the other is just an actor. Works Cited Bevington, David, ed. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. 4th ed. New York: Longman-Addison Wesley Longman, 1997. Hollister, C. Warren. The Creation of England. 7th ed. A History of England. Ed. Lacey Baldwin Smith. Flight. 1. Lexington, MA: DC Heath, 1996. McDonald, Russ. Shakespeare's Bedford Companion. Boston: Bedford-St. Martin, 1999. Rosenblum, Joseph. A Reader's Guide to Shakespeare. New York: Salem Press-Barnes & Noble, 1999. Shakespeare, William. The first part of King Henry IV. Bevington 763-803.---. The life of King Henry V. Bevington 849-92.---. The second part of King Henry IV. Bevington 804-48.---. The tragedy of King Richard II. Bevington 721-62.