Many intriguing aspects can be found in Shakespeare’s "Henry IV, Part One", from his verbal mischief on religion to his bashing of the gluttonous. Among these, one can find one of the keys to Shakespeare’s brilliance, namely his use of irony. Just like in Hamlet (in which Polonius proclaims brevity is the sign of wit, yet he, himself, involves his thoughts in long speeches) so again does Shakespeare provide a character whom puts his "foot" in his mouth.

With Shakespeare’s portrayal of weight (physically) in which he uses many times throughout the play (with Falstaff), a question has to be asked. Is the responsibility of these due to the setting of the book, the era of Shakespeare, common fault of man, or Shakespeare himself? Assuming that Shakespeare is innocent of this crime, it leaves the possibility of three other suspects. Now, when the genius of Shakespeare enters the picture, though, one can infer that he is capturing the thought of man (human) yet again, which he shows in many works. His stories can be related to all times, including modern day, where, even though it is decreasing, being hefty is still frowned upon and also ridiculed.

Another aspect to the play is the irony that Shakespeare, yet again, provides a character, this time Henry Percy or otherwise known as "Hotspur". Hotspur says in the play that he despises arguing and speaking poetically, basically expressing that he is a man of action not words. Examples of this can be found in Act II Scene III lines 91-92 in which he says "This is no world to play with mammets and to tilt with lips", but yet, throughout the entire play, Hotspur argues with almost every one, such as Owen Glendower and Thomas Percy. As for the poetry aspect, Hotspur’s speaks like a highly educated person, though at times it might not seem that he is, with his words having a certain rhythm to them, yet showing that he is a hypocrite (and exemplifying the irony of his words).

Lastly, another thing Shakespeare provides, yet again like Hamlet, is a sort of play within a play (but not as obvious, in-depth, or important as in Hamlet). This occurs when the Prince plays the King and Falstaff plays the Prince, which happens to take place from lines 439-481. Though in this case, all that is portrayed is Falstaff’s character, it provides an important element: comic relief. One might say that this occurred but a few pages early, but this comic relief (through the mini enactment) is not for the whole play (though it can be considered as being for it) but for the weighty words that the Prince just obtained from his father’s messenger. It allows the spectator to think about the play, Henry IV, as its proceeding and not using foresight to try and determine what is to come (as soon as the next act).