Henry IV

E570172

Henry IV is a 1922 absurdist drama by Luigi Pirandello that explores themes of identity, madness, and the blurred line between reality and illusion through the story of a man who believes himself to be the medieval Holy Roman Emperor.

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Surface form Occurrences
Henry IV (play) 48

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf absurdist drama
play
theatrical work
author Luigi Pirandello NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin Italy
criticalReputation major work of Pirandello’s theatre
dramaticConflict clash between the protagonist’s constructed reality and others’ perception
dramaticForm play in three acts
dramaticTechnique ambiguous reality
metatheatre
play-within-a-play elements
explores the blurred line between reality and illusion
the instability of personal identity
the performance of social roles
firstPerformedInLanguage Italian
genre absurdist theatre
drama
modernist drama
hasAdaptation film adaptations
stage productions in multiple countries
television adaptations
historicalFigureReferenced Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor NERFINISHED
influenced later absurdist playwrights
literaryPeriod interwar period
mainCharacter the man who believes he is Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
movement 20th-century Italian theatre
European modernism
notableAuthorWorkOf Luigi Pirandello NERFINISHED
originalLanguage Italian
originalTitle Enrico IV NERFINISHED
periodOfFirstPerformance early 1920s
protagonistBelief he believes himself to be Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
publicationYear 1922
relatedWorkByAuthor Right You Are (If You Think So) NERFINISHED
Six Characters in Search of an Author NERFINISHED
setting Italy NERFINISHED
a nobleman’s villa
subjectMatter historical reenactment
psychological crisis
social perception of madness
theme identity
madness
reality versus illusion
role-playing
self-deception
the nature of sanity
timePeriodDepicted Middle Ages (as reenacted at court)
title Henry IV NERFINISHED

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Luigi Pirandello notableWork Henry IV