Henry IV, Part 2 is set in England during the early 15th century, with key scenes taking place in a number of royal courts and public inns and taverns in London. More specifically, the play takes place after the events depicted in Henry IV Part 1, beginning at the conclusion of the violent Battle of Shrewsbury. As with his other history plays, Shakespeare draws from the historical chronicles of Raphael Holinshed, incorporating real figures from the early 15th century but also inventing figures with no clear historical counterparts.
The figure of Rumor opens the play, reminding the reader of the events of the previous play and the broader historical context:
Why is Rumor here?
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
Even with the rebels’ blood.
But what mean I
To speak so true at first? My office is
To noise abroad that Harry Monmouth fell
Under the wrath of noble Hotspur’s sword,
And that the King before the Douglas’ rage
Stooped his anointed head as low as death.
This have I rumored through the peasant towns [...]
Rumor provides a quick rehash of previous events: King Harry has been victorious in the “bloody field by Shrewsbury,” defeating “young Hotspur and his troops” and ultimately putting an end to the rebellion “with the rebel’s blood.” However, Rumor’s opening speech also portrays the medieval setting as one in which false rumors spread quickly through the busy cities. While many other writers of Shakespeare’s day idealized the nation’s medieval past, portraying the earlier era as one of virtue and honesty, Shakespeare instead depicts medieval England as a society torn by deep political divisions.
