King Henry IV Part 1 Essay - 900 Words

King Henry IV Part 1 Although most people find it hard to climb out of a whole they have dug themselves into, Prince Hal in Henry IV Part I is able to redeem himself even after the English King and nobility view him as a derelict with no future. He proves himself true to the Royal Throne when he defeats his young rival, Henry Percy. Through the exorcism of his immature ways, he earns himself the succession to the throne. In the opening scene of the play, King Henry hears news from the Earl of Northumberland that Henry Percy, the gallant Hotspur (1.1.52), is leading a successful campaign against Mortimer in Wales. The King reflects on how he wishes his own son were more like Hotspur: Yea, there thou†¦show more content†¦If all the year were playing holidays, To sport would be as tedious as work; (1.2.204) This statement implies that Falstaff is preventing Hal from maturing into the mature royalty that he inevitably must become. The â€Å"foul and ugly mists of vapors† refer to Falstaff, who is constantly surrounding Prince Hal. King Henry, attempting to transform his son into a son he can be proud of, censures his son for participating in barren pleasures (3.2.16) with his vulgar cohorts. At this point the King makes it clear that he is disgusted with his son and that the throne will go to Hals younger, more responsible brother. What the prince earlier soliloquized about, he now communicates to his father. He assures his father that he has been underestimated and he will redeem all this on Percys head (3.2.137). His greatest enemy is Hotspur, not the Northern rebels and Mortimer. The King, exceedingly pleased, places his son in command of the royal forces. Here, the transformation of Prince Hal takes place. He has shed his persona of Falstaffs sweet wag and developed into Henry, Prince of Wales. The Prince heads to Eastcheap Tavern to recruit the hill of flesh (3.3.104), Falstaff to lead foot soldiers in the conquest to smash Percys rebellion. They all go and at the end of the Battle of Shrewsbury, Prince Henry has fulfillsShow MoreRelated King Henry Iv Part 1 Essay1097 Words   |  5 Pages Passage Analysis - Act 5 Scene 1, lines 115-138. Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry IV Part I’ centres on a core theme of the conflict between order and disorder. Such conflict is brought to light by the use of many vehicles, including Hal’s inner conflict, the country’s political and social conflict, the conflict between the court world and the tavern world, and the conflicting moral values of characters from each of these worlds. This juxtaposition of certain values exists on many levels, and so is bothRead MoreThe Conflicting Nature Of Power In Shakespeares King Henry Iv Part 11517 Words   |  7 Pagescharacters in William Shakespeare s King Henry IV Part 1 successfully portray the conflicting nature of power throughout the play and ultimately comment on how aspects of politics are subject to the opinions of spectators. Politics is defined as the process of making decisions applying to all members of each group, involving a variety of groups resulting in the nature of politics changing depending on th e participants. The conflict between Prince Hal and King Henry the IV highlight the powerlessness ofRead More Essay on Rewriting History in Henry IV1066 Words   |  5 PagesRewriting History in Henry IV      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The master of historiography is, perhaps, Shakespeare as evidenced by his History Plays. Whereas most writers merely borrow from history to fuel their creative fires, Shakespeare goes so far as to rewrite history. The First Part of Henry the Fourth follows history fairly closely, and Shakespeare draws this history primarily from Raphael Holinsheds Chronicle of England, Scotland, and Ireland and from Samuel Daniels verse epic The Civil Wars (Abrams 823)Read MoreHonor in Henry Iv, Part I Ââ€" Falstaff vs. Hotspur1572 Words   |  7 PagesHonor In Henry IV, Part I Ââ€" Falstaff vs. Hotspur According to F. Scott Fitzgerald, The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. Indeed, very few people have this quality, the playwright William Shakespeare being one of them. In many of his plays, Henry IV, Part One among them, Shakespeare juxtaposes different worldviews, ideologies, and even environments. His characters usually provide aRead MoreCultural Materialism And Shakespeare s Plays1197 Words   |  5 PagesThesis-Driven Essay: Hotheaded Hotspur: Subversion in 1 Henry IV In Dollimore’s introduction to a collection of essays on cultural materialism and Shakespeare’s plays, though Dollimore does not directly address 1 Henry IV, much of what Dollimore writes about power, authority, and subversiveness seems to be direct from this of Shakespeare’s plays. In his description of subversiveness, Dollimore states two facts which, in application to 1 Henry IV, provide a richer reading that further explain Hotspur’sRead MoreA Summary of William Shakespeares Henry IV Part 1937 Words   |  4 PagesHenry IV, Part 1 William Shakespeare is considered the most important playwright of the European Renaissance, if not the most important of all time. Each character in his collected works is uniquely defined and highly memorable. In Henry IV, Part I, Shakespeare writes about the struggle for the control of England during the time of the title king. Everything is in turmoil following his ascension to the throne and his legacy is in question because of the perceived personality of his successor toRead MoreShakespeare - Henry Iv Part 1842 Words   |  4 PagesSHAKESPEARE: Shakespeare successfully establishes the nature of honour in his historical living production Henry IV Part 1. The play embarks around the subject of honorable rebellion, primarily through the duality of the two characters of Prince Harry (Hal) and King Henry IV as well as Hotspur and Falstaff. Through different concepts of the major universal theme of honour displayed by various protagonists, the interrelated ideas of power and responsibility are also made evident. As this play unfoldsRead MoreHamlet by William Shakespeare1097 Words   |  5 PagesFather Figures in 1 Henry IV In William Shakespeare’s 1 Henry IV, Falstaff and King Henry IV share father-figure relationships with Henry â€Å"Hal,† Prince of Wales. The former, a drunk and cavalier knight, acts as a surrogate father to the prince, while the latter, a determined and distanced monarch, is his blood. Yet, who is the better father-figure to Hal? Although Falstaff and Prince Henry share a strong, quasi father-son relationship, the former’s manifestation of the tavern atmosphere, venalityRead MoreHenry IV, Part 1, by Shakespeare Essay1121 Words   |  5 PagesPrince Hal realizes that he must learn to possess these characteristics if he wants to be a successful king. Henry IV, Part 1 by Shakespeare deals with the struggle of King Henry IV to maintain his control of the English throne which he usurped from Richard II. The play deals with the conflict between King Henry IV and his son, Prince Harry, and their tense relationship. King Henry is the ruling king of England. He is wo rn down by worries and guilty feelings about having won his throne through a civilRead More Shakespeare And Kingship Essay1595 Words   |  7 Pagesthe notion of kingship. Through his plays, he questions the divine right of kings, which the kings and the aristocracy used heavily in their favour to win the peoples love. In Macbeth, King Richard II and King Henry IV part 1, Shakespeare shows us his opinion of kingship in general. Although the plays are written about individual kings, I think that Shakespeare used the plays as an opportunity to voice his opinion on kings and kingship in general. This was assisted by the fact that he was not prohibited