King Henry Iv Part 1 Essay, Research Paper

Cissy DeLuca

February 7, 2000

Grade 12

Mr. Lear

Although most people find it difficult to mount out of a whole they have dug themselves into, Prince Hal in Henry IV Part I is able to deliver himself even after the English King and nobility position him as a derelict with no hereafter. He proves himself true to the Royal Throne when he defeats his immature challenger, Henry Percy. Through the dispossession of his immature ways, he earns himself the sequence to the throne.

In the opening scene of the drama, King Henry hears intelligence from the Earl of Northumberland that Henry Percy, & # 8220 ; the dandy Hotspur & # 8221 ; ( 1.1.52 ) , is taking a successful run against Mortimer in Wales. The King reflects on how he wishes his ain boy were more like Hotspur:

Yea, there thou Maktab al-Khidmat & # 8217 ; st me sad and mak & # 8217 ; st me transgress

In enviousness that my Lord Northumberland

Should be the male parent to so blest a boy ( Hotspur )

A boy who is the subject of award & # 8217 ; s lingua.

Whilst I, by looking to praise him,

See public violence and dishonour stain the forehead

Of my immature Harry. ( 1.1.77 )

The King is covetous of Northumberland & # 8217 ; s boy, who does non blow his yearss like Prince Hal. The King is non proud to be the male parent of such a individual. His boy is blowing his yearss off with the fat-faced rummy, Falstaff. The two, along with others, pass their yearss robbing devout people on their pilgrim’s journeies and imbibing old poke. Prince Henry does, nevertheless, make clear that he intends to surprise the universe by standing Forth in his true character:

Yet herein will I copy the Sun,

Who doth permit the base contagious clouds

To surround up his beauty from the universe,

That, when he delight once more to be himself,

Bing wanted, he may be more wondered at

By interrupting through the foul and ugly mists

Of bluess that did look to strangulate him.

If all the twelvemonth were playing vacations,

To feature would be every bit boring as work ; ( 1.2.204 )

This statement implies that Falstaff is forestalling Hal from maturating into the mature royalty that he necessarily must go. The & # 8220 ; foul and ugly mists of bluess & # 8221 ; mention to Falstaff, who is invariably environing Prince Hal.

King Henry, trying to transform his boy into a boy he can be proud of, censures his boy for take parting in & # 8220 ; barren pleasures & # 8221 ; ( 3.2.16 ) with his vulgar cohorts. At this point the King makes it clear that he is disgusted with his boy and that the throne will travel

to Hal’s younger, more responsible brother. What the prince earlier soliloquized approximately, he now communicates to his male parent. He assures his male parent that he has been underestimated and he will “redeem all this on Percy’s head” ( 3.2.137 ) . His greatest enemy is Hotspur, non the Northern Rebels and Mortimer. The King, extremely pleased, places his boy in bid of the royal forces. Here, the transmutation of Prince Hal takes topographic point. He has shed his character of Falstaff’s “sweet wag” and developed into Henry, Prince of Wales.

The Prince caputs to Eastcheap Tavern to enroll the & # 8220 ; hill of flesh & # 8221 ; ( 3.3.104 ) , Falstaff to take pes soldiers in the conquering to nail Percy & # 8217 ; s rebellion. They all go and at the terminal of the Battle of Shrewsbury, Prince Henry has fulfills his promise of delivering himself by killing Hotspur.

Clearly, up until Hal first meets with his male parent, he and Falstaff are two derelicts that serve no intent to their state. When conflict attacks, these work forces take two different waies. Hal is willing to put on the line his life for his household and state as proved in disputing Hotspur to a one-on-one affaire d’honneur and by salvaging his male parent from regicide. On the other manus, Falstaff acts like a coward on the battleground. He soliloquizes on the topic of award and finds no net income in being a dead hero. Unlike his success in hedging the measure at the tap house, he might weave up neglecting to hedge a blade and dice. Falstaff declares that if Hotspur shows his face he will be slain by the amusing, but he has no purpose of traveling out of his manner to happen the valorous warrior. Subsequently, he fakes his ain decease in a affaire d’honneur with Douglas and lays motionless until no 1 is about. He sticks his knife in the dead organic structure of Hotspur, puts the organic structure over his shoulder, and walks up to Prince Henry and his brother, John, and asks for his wages for murdering the great leader. The brothers ignore him and retreat to happen their companions. The Prince was able to transform himself into the great leader that he knew he was capable of being regardless of what everyone else thought of him. On the other manus, Falstaff had no purpose of altering who he was and likely would non be able to carry through that undertaking, either.

Prince Hal dug himself a immense hole in life by basking the company of felons and dishonoring his household. Fortunately, he knew precisely how to work out his job. By get the better ofing Hotspur, he was able to gain the regard of the throne and the state. He to the full exorcises his yesteryear through gallantry and his outgrowth as a war hero. Not merely did he contend for his household, he fought for his darling state. Thus went the valorous transmutation from Hal to Prince Henry IV.