Dishonor's Success In Henry IV: Part One

Prince Hal’s destiny is shaped for him by many forces: his association with the ne'er-do-well Falstaff, the expectations of his father, King Henry IV, and the constant comparison between himself and Hotspur. All three of these forces create in Hal a sense of honor that is an integral part of his education as the ideal king, and throughout the action of Henry IV, Part I, Hal is gaining a knowledge of honor that will shape him into the King that he will become. However, it seems that Hal ultimately chooses one form on honor over the other, although he must compare the honor of Falstaff and the conceptual honor of a chivalric hero before he comes to a final conclusion.

Henry V, a play narrating King Henry V’s journey to invading the French throne and take what is ‘rightfully’ his. The five act drama had been written by William Shakespeare, whose work had consisted of unrivalled plays and poems. This play, acts as a sequel to Henry IV, viewing Henry’s drastic growth from a reckless Prince to an unforgettable King. Like many other plays, Henry V consists of many major themes that shape the story; one being betrayal. This essay will further discuss the theme of betrayal and its impact on the play.

He says "I like not such grinning honor as Sir Walter hath: give me life, which if I can save, so; if not, honor comes unlocked for, and there's an end." (V, iii) Thus, honor is, as Falstaff says, nothing more than a word, for it expresses a concept, which can be conveniently twisted to support whatever side of any battle that one is on.

In the following soliloquy from William Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part II," King Henry laments his inability to sleep. As the poem progresses, so does the complex syntax. Shakespeare does this to show King Henry’s progression to madness.

Act one, scene one, stresses the motif of honor in war, in characters, and, most importantly, in offspring. However, while Henry sees “riot and dishonor” in his son, Hal sees a father who has stolen his title by disgracing a king (1.1.84). Shakespeare wouldn’t dream of imposing his personal beliefs of who is honorable or who is dishonorable for the simple fact that it is obvious honor is perceived differently by each individual, as in each character’s perception and the imagery that surrounds that character. As Hal tries to discover the true meaning of honor, readers take the journey along with him. Hal realizes that honor is ambiguous when utilized to plead for emotional retort, yet leaves no margin for error when used as personal description,

Hal, assuming that it is about his interactions at the Tavern, because royalty usually does not “hang out” with common folk, is hesitant to go. Falstaff then sets a mock rehearsal to prepare Hal for his meet up. When the mock audition nears an end the immersion is broken as Falstaff question if he and Hal would still be friends and not banish him from his presence, Hal speaks “I do. I will.” the importance of this, is that when Hal is declared king, he will no longer be friends with Falstaff. He will terminate any friendship that does not seem fit with the courts. This scene is a key point which shows that Hal is not just Hal, but a Prince, who is conscious of his actions and mistakes; he knows fully well the responsibility and power which he has over the country. A boy who is changing to a man, a leader of men, and this will become more apparent as the play continues

He views the nature of crowns and honour as fundamentally imaginary- existing only in people’s minds. He rejects negativity towards his tangible world when he states, ‘never call a true piece of gold a counterfeit’, implying that his world is valuable, and it is perhaps the honorary world that is a counterfeit. By displaying qualities of his tangible world as being like gold, he emphasises its value when he warns Hal, ‘Banish plump jack, and banish all the world’, intending to convey a message to not only Hal, but English society that to get rid of a world of humanism and self-preservation would be equivalent to getting rid of ‘all the world’- placing large importance on this world of his and the vocations that follow it. Furthermore, it also warns that if you get rid of humanistic qualities, you are left with a ‘counterfeit’ world of unrealistic timeless honour. Shakespeare is able to utilise Falstaff to convey to the society that a world based purely on the ideology of honour is not favourable. He constantly has Falstaff repeat that he is ‘not a counterfeit’, in order to establish to society that the world he lives in is not false. Instead, the term ‘counterfeit’ is refracted onto the perceptual world of honour where Shakespeare believes that a world dominated solely by this ideology is not beneficial, placing importance instead on a world of humanistic qualities and tangible life itself- a world which Falstaff happily displays to a great extent and accepts as his real world, disregarding the more providential world of

Hotspur and Hal both view honor as something to be strived for; however, Falstaff has completely lost sight of the meaning of the word. In his speech about honor fallstaff talks about how honor is just a word, just air coming out of someone's mouth. He believes that honor only comes in death and since the dead cannot see or hear it is useless. Because he has lost sight of the meaning of honor, he fails to act ethically and behaves in the manner of a criminal and a coward. We see Falstaff rob, not pay what he owes (specifically at the inn), and misuse his commission as an officer. Before

Hal and Hotspur share some of the same metaphors, most notably, their common use of debt as a metaphor for honor and responsibility, which indicates how they both see these values in a mercantile fashion. In Hal’s first soliloquy, he says he will “pay the debt I never promised” (I.2.77), a reference to his plan to act like a drunken thief, so when he becomes king, he will seem like a greater leader. Hal saying he will pay the “debt”, or him being an effective king, displays how he thinks that he can easily exchange his immature behavior for honor and that being a good king can instantly buy the favor of the people. Also, the word debt implies that Hal believes that the king has an important obligation to be honorable to the kingdom. Hotspur also uses the metaphor, saying King Henry IV “Studies day and night / To answer all the debt he owes to you / Even with the bloody payment of your deaths” (I.3.184-186). Because Hotspur’s father and uncle helped King Henry take the throne, Hotspur believes that the king has a responsibility to treat them well, which he does not fulfill. This illustrates how Hotspur also views honor as a transaction: when given, it must be repaid. Both Hal and Hotspur believe that honor can be exchanged like goods, and they view honor, like debt, as a responsibility that must be maintained, indicating they understand the importance of honor in society.

Viewed as useless and a curse, Prince Hal ruins his princely reputation according to his father, King Henry IV. As “riot and dishonor stain the brow,” of the Prince, King Henry IV grows increasingly impatient with his son, even entertaining the idea that Hal not be his son (I.I). Drinking, pranks, and utter disregard for others all culminate into the average day of Prince Hal, and none of which reflect well on him, clearly. To make matters worse, the young Harry Percy, or Hotspur, continues to excel in battle, and so, by comparison, making Hal look even more undesirable. The true royal duties include battle, council, and according to Henry IV, staying out of the

Falstaff’s soliloquy questioning the value of honour is an ironic contrast with how Hotspur and Hal regard honour. By now the contrast between their highly ordered morality and Falstaff’s own moral disorder is obvious. Falstaff’s inclusion at this point, when Hal has left his side and moved on, is necessary to point out the differing morality between the two, which was once so similar. Falstaff is of paramount importance to the sub-plot dealing with Hal’s decision between continuing his carefree lifestyle or maturing into the role he is destined to play as a respected prince and later king. This soliloquy continues the theme of another of Falstaff’s in Act 4 Scene 2, in which he is equally undisturbed by his amorality, and shows that his highest concern is for his own well being.

For Hotspur, who glorifies the honor to be gained in battle against worthy foes, the more hazardous the enterprise, the greater the chance of gaining honor (Prior 14). This concept of honor contrasts greatly with that of Falstaff, a battered old soldier long turned against the nonsense of military glory, who wanders about the Shrewsbury battlefield with a bottle of sack, not a sword,

Falstaff and Hotspur differ significantly in their idea of honor. Hotspur believes honor is all about glory and being the center of attention. While Falstaff is only certain that the dead have honor but is unsure about what it is as described by this excerpt of his soliloquy, "No. What is honour?". Hotspur believes that honor is derived from epic or heroic deeds, these deeds tends to be very physical in nature such as the honor gained from battle. Bravery and the acts associated with it is an additional font from which honor can flow freely. This is described by the line, "O the blood more stirs To rouse a lion than to start a hare." It 's clearly much more

of Act 5.4, using his realization and motivation as a basis for his actions, Hal

is no honor which the King would be likely to deny you?" (page 66). More