At the Archbishop’s palace in York, the Archbishop of York meets with Lord Hastings, Lord Mowbray, and Lord Bardolph to weigh the strength of their planned rebellion against King Henry IV. The Archbishop asks for their frank opinions on their cause and their resources. Mowbray says he supports the grounds for taking up arms but wants to know whether their forces are strong enough to face the king’s army. Hastings reports that their muster rolls count about twenty-five thousand men and that their hopes rest heavily on the promised support of the Earl of Northumberland. Lord Bardolph warns against moving forward on hope alone. He points to Hotspur, who went to his death at Shrewsbury after trusting in reinforcements that never came. In an extended comparison, he likens their situation to building a house: a sensible builder first surveys the plot, draws the plan, and calculates the cost. If the expense is beyond his means, he reduces the design or abandons the project rather than leaving a half-finished ruin.

Hastings counters that even without Northumberland they are a fair match for the king. Henry’s forces are split three ways, with one army facing the French, another facing Owen Glendower, and a third sent against the rebels, while the royal treasury is nearly empty. When Lord Bardolph asks who will lead the force against them, Hastings names the Duke of Lancaster (Prince John) and the Earl of Westmoreland. The king and Prince Harry will march against the Welsh, and Hastings has no sure word of who will command against the French. The Archbishop urges them to make public the reasons for their rising. He condemns the fickleness of the common people, who once cheered Bolingbroke and cursed King Richard and now long for the dead Richard while growing sick of the king they chose. He sums up their mood by observing that past and future seem best and the present seems worst. Mowbray asks whether they should gather their troops and set out, and Hastings agrees that time commands them to go, ending the scene as the conspirators leave to muster their forces.

Henry IV, Part Two - Summary of Events

The play opens with Rumour spreading false news that Hotspur has defeated King Henry IV at Shrewsbury. Northumberland soon learns the truth: his son Hotspur is dead, and the rebellion has failed. Despite his grief and calls from his allies to continue the fight, Northumberland eventually flees to Scotland. Meanwhile, the rebel leaders—the Archbishop of York, Lord Mowbray, and Lord Hastings—gather forces for a new uprising against the King.

Prince Hal continues his time in the taverns of Eastcheap with Falstaff, Mistress Quickly, Doll Tearsheet, and his companions. Falstaff, deep in debt and pursued by the Hostess for unpaid bills, manipulates his way out of trouble and is eventually called to join the King’s forces. The King himself is gravely ill and troubled by insomnia, burdened by guilt over how he obtained the crown. He laments that Hal remains irresponsible and fears for England’s future under his son’s rule.

In Gaultree Forest, Prince John of Lancaster meets with the rebels under a flag of truce. He promises to address their grievances, and the rebel leaders dismiss their armies. Once the rebel forces disperse, Prince John arrests the leaders for treason and orders their execution. When the dying King Henry hears of this victory and later finds Hal with the crown at his bedside (believing him dead, Hal had taken it), father and son reconcile. Henry dies, and Hal becomes King Henry V.

As the new king, Henry V publicly rejects Falstaff, who arrives expecting rewards and favor. The King banishes his former companion from his presence, promises him support at a distance, but makes clear their relationship is over. The Lord Chief Justice is retained in his position, and the new king prepares to rule England. The epilogue promises that the story will continue with Henry V’s wars in France and hints that Falstaff will appear again.