# Justice Silence — Henry IV, Part II character guide

> Justice Silence in Henry IV, Part II by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Silence, Master Silence, Good Master Silence

**First appearance:** 0013-act-iii-scene-ii

## Snapshot

A country justice so quiet he barely speaks, until drink loosens him into singing snatches of old ballads.

## Who they are

Silence sits beside his cousin Shallow in Gloucestershire, saying almost nothing while others talk, then blooming into song once the wine is poured. His name and his sudden music create one of the play's gentlest jokes, a man whose silence hides a surprising store of feeling. He helps make the country scenes a place of ordinary pleasures, set against the court's sleepless anxiety.

## In the story

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-ii)

Accompanies Shallow, speaks little, and comments on death and the price of ewes.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-iii)

Sings and drinks heartily, showing a surprisingly merry side.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/characters/silence
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/characters