Henry IV Essay, Research Paper

One of the most important aspects of 1 Henry IV is the development and

transgressions of Hal who is the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. The

play’s focus on the family reminds us that the struggles England endured through

its growth were largely struggles inside the royal family. Hal’s character is at

a point where he is unable to define who he will be; a responsible part of the

monarch, as his father would like to see, or a rogue as is John Falstaff.

Throughout the play the prince keeps company with Falstaff, who is indeed a

knight but hardly acts as one would hope. He lies, robs travellers and frequents

the bar and whorehouse owned by Mistress Quickly. By scene iv of the fifth act

it is clear that the Prince will fulfil his role and embrace his noble birth by

standing with his father to fight against the rebels. At the end of the battle

Hal makes it clear to himself but also to Falstaff that he will no longer be

amongst his clan of rabble rousers. Undoubtedly Prince Hal is a noble character

on a small scale and as early on as the second scene in the first act he is

hinting at his uncertainties about his role in the state. He states: "So

when this loose behavior I throw off / and pay the debt I never

promised?" In this "loose behavior" refers to his dealing with

Falstaff and the low life of the tavern and the "debt" he "never

promised" is upholding the lineage of the monarchy. However, it is not

until the battle when Hal puts his selfish, albeit true, loyalty behind him and

defends his father who is being attacked by Douglas. Although he does not kill

Douglas, Hal shows that he has become a man of honour and dignity. His father

recognises this: "In this fair rescue thou hast brought to me?some tender

of my life." This shows that Hal’s decision to change is outwardly apparent

to others, but most importantly, to his father. Another aspect of Hal’s

commitment to change can be seen in the lines that Shakespeare has given him.

Most of the audience members would already be well acquainted with the story of

Henry IV so it was especially important that the language be varied and colorful

enough to keep the audience interested. In Act V, scene iv Hal is given lines

that seem extraordinarily defiant but masking an internal struggle. Hotspur If I

mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth. Prince Thou speak’st as if I would deny my

name. Hotspur My name is Harry Percy. Prince Why, then I see A very valiant

rebel of the name. I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy, To share with

me in glory any more. Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere; The Prince,

rather than hastily disregarding his former ways, still holds respect for

Hotspur even though it is apparent by this time that he will defeat the rebel as

he promised his father. Hal speaks respectfully towards Hotspur but proclaims

that he will no more "deny [his] name" as he has done up until this

point in regards to his duty. This shows the audience that he has come to terms

with his identity. Hal?s use of language throughout the scene further

expresses his acceptance of rank. Until this scene, Hal has spoken in verse only

in the company of other nobility and in prose when with his friends in the

tavern. The shift in his method of speech reveals to the audience that Hal felt

he could move between the two spheres of society, between his father and

Falstaff without having to have a static identity. His acceptance of his place

in society can be seen in that he decides, for the first time, to speak in verse

when addressing Falstaff: "I prithee, speak; we will not trust our eyes

Without our ears: thou art not what thou seem?st.? . Shakespeare makes Hal’s

transgressions all the more important because it takes place during the first

time that all the characters, from both the palace and the tavern, are in the

same scene. In a sense, Hal is forced to choose a side. There is such a dynamic

social contrast that the "royalty" and "low life" seem all

the more on the fringes. In addition, there is the added presense of a climate

that fosters nobility and morality. The true nature of the individual characters

are bound to show themselves. When put in this predicament, the prince?s

gravitation toward maturity and acceptance of his place comes a forth and his

father?s distinction from the other characters becomes clear. For the first

time Hal recognizes that there is a rift between himself and Falstaff, and their

last interaction can be interpreted as a slightly disdained farewell. Towards

the end of the scene, there can be no doubt to the audience that the Prince will

not turn kindly to Falstaff and his gang again. Hal’s decision to speak in verse

indicates that he has moved beyond the tavern-dwellers and found himself in a

new caste. Shakespeare has put Hal through a rite of passage on the stage in

order that the audience be more familiar with his character. Whether or not Hal

in 1 Henry IV is to be seen in isolation of the second part of the history or as

merely a major development within the two parts is still up for interpretation.

The different type of speech exemplifies that Hal has moved on from needing

Falstaff?s friendship as a reflection of his identity, and has accepted his

place as the future King. The last thing that the Prince says to Falstaff is,

?Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back: For my part, if a lie may do

thee grace, I?ll gild it with the happiest terms I have.? For the Audience

as well as Prince Hal, this declaration reinforces that Hal is acting in

accordance with his title and his father’s wishes and that he has moved beyond

feeling a bond with Falstaff. Earlier on in the play, he might have tried to

expose Falstaff?s lie but this line shows that the prince accepts Falstaff as

a liar and feels no need to challenge him or to deal with him on Falstaff’s

level. Not only does he accept Falstaff as a liar, and thus expect no better of

him, he is also aware that because of the difference in character and status

between them, Falstaff needs the recognition for having killed Hotspur. For Hal,

performing the deed was enough; he does not need the outward appearance of

honour that comes with glory in battle. For Hal to accept that Falstaff relies

on lying to promote the outward appearance of a noble character is for him to

accept that the friendship between them is over, that they no longer have

anything in common and no longer need one another. With his father?s

recognition and a feeling of self-assurance, Hal does not need Falstaff and this

scene represents his realization that he has learned what he can from him. The

farewell between Hal and Falstaff though unspoken and subtle is by no means

hostile. Hal?s agreement to lie on Falstaff?s behalf is almost a token of

gratitude toward him for the benefit he has gained from their friendship. The

end of the relationship does not come out of unfriendly feelings for one another

but rather from the fact that Hal has undergone a transition that Falstaff will

never undergo. Though the last we see of Falstaff in the first part of King

Henry IV is a series of empty promises to make what he interprets to be the same

transition that Hal has made. The change that takes place within Henry, Prince

of Wales is exemplified through his language and his actions. This change is

finalised in the second to last scene, leaving only one brief interaction with

his Father, the King, between his break away from his previous lifestyle and the

end of the play. Hal?s acceptance of his role within his family as well as

kingdom is indicative of finding the reality of honour within himself. The fact

that this epiphany comes so near the end of the play brings Hal?s journey to

an end, giving the play a sense of closure and resolve. Hal?s decision also

serves to give his character psychological depth, and thus further differentiate

him from the tavern characters. Hal?s discovery of princely honour functions

to fulfil the concept of honour as an inherent trait of nobility and thus makes

his separation from Falstaff an inevitability.