Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Henry iv part 1 essay
Henry iv part 1 essay
Father-daughter relationships in Shakespeare’s plays
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Henry iv part 1 essay
Father Figures in 1 Henry IV In William Shakespeare’s 1 Henry IV, Falstaff and King Henry IV share father-figure relationships with Henry “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, venality and dishonor are obstacles to the Prince’s goals; King Henry IV, on the other hand, is the better father-figure because he motivates his son to realize his ambitions, and embodies the setting of the court and the monarchy in which the Prince belongs and will one day inherit. According to Professor David Ball, “A play’s conflict is between what someone wants and what hinders the want: the obstacle” and “an obstacle is any resistance to [one] having what [one] wants” (28). Prince Henry has three main and interrelated “wants” in the play: to restore his image, kill Hotspur and become King. He tells us from the beginning that he wishes to avenge his wanton behavior in the tavern: So, when this loose behavior I throw off / And pay the debt I never promisèd, / By how much better than my word I am, / By so much shall I falsify men’s hopes (Shakespeare 14). This early declaration in soliloquy establishes the prodigal son’s primary goal and the overall trajectory for the story: to return home from his wayward departure of responsibility. Related to that objective is killing Hotspur, who has organized a rebellion against the King. After being rebuked by his father in Act III, Hal seizes the opportunity to begin his reformation with a rousing o... ... middle of paper ... ...som,” cannot be a proper father to Hal because he is a corrupt, fat and cowardly knight who acts as one of the major burdens to the prodigal son’s return (Shakespeare 79, 115). The Prince’s actions, which Professor Ball argues “[explain] ... what the character ... is willing to do to satisfy the want,” show that he desires to follow the royal example of his real father: he fights and kills Hotspur, remains at the King’s side and plans to march to Wales to eliminate Glendower and the rest of the rebels (63). The Prince no longer imitates, but embodies the royal sun bursting from the “contagious clouds.” Works Cited Ball, David. Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1983. Print. Shakespeare, William, and Claire McEachern. The First Part of King Henry the Fourth. New York: Penguin, 2000. Print.
Prince Hal is initially portrayed as being incapable of princely responsibilities in light of his drinking, robbery and trickery. Yet, Shakespeare reveals that Hal is in fact only constructing this false impression for the purpose of deceit. Prince Hal’s manipulative nature is evident in his first soliloquy, when he professes his intention to “imitate the sun” and “break through the foul and ugly mists”. The ‘sun’ Prince Hal seeks to ‘imitate’ can in this case be understood as his true capacity, as opposed to the false impression of his incapacity, which is symbolised by the ‘foul and ugly mists’. The differentiation of Hal’s capacity into two categories of that which is false and that which is true reveals the duplicity of his character. Moreover, Hal is further shown to be manipulative in the same soliloquy by explaining his tactic of using the “foil” of a lowly reputation against his true capacity to “attract more eyes” and “show more goodly”. The diction of “eyes” symbolically represents public deception, concluding political actions are based on strategy. It is through representation and textual form that we obtain insight into this
The father and son relationship is one of the most important aspects through the youth of a young man. In Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, he portrays the concept of having "two fathers". King Henry is Hal’s natural father, and Falstaff is Hal’s moral father. Hal must weigh the pros and cons of each father to decide which model he will emulate. Falstaff, who is actually Hal’s close friend, attempts to pull Hal into the life of crime, but he refuses.
The Freudian model of id, ego and superego can be mapped onto characters in the play. The id is represented by Falstaff and Hotspur, figures of unrestrained appetite and uninhibited reaction. The superego is symbolized by King Henry as a judgmental, restrictive father, the basis for an ego-ideal based on an interjected paternal image. The King's rebukes sound early in the play and are echoed in Prince Hal's famous soliloquy, "I know you all . . . ," in Act One (1.2.195-217), a soliloquy that presents self-rebuke as self-justification, promising future reformation and reconciliation with the father. The ego is embodied by Prince Hal, the gradually heroic son who learns to mediate among the demands of impulse, restraint, and his various social
Perhaps even more distressing for Henry IV is the behavior of Prince Hal. Henry desires a son who will mirror all his strengths. Instead he finds in Hal a mirror of his weaknesses. Hal is consorting with thieves learning to steal even as his father stole a crown. Just as his father courted the affections of the common people before he became king, Hal spends his time with common people and the low pursuits of drinking, whoring, and stealing.
In conclusion, this mid-play excerpt of a character in a Shakespearean play tells the reader much about his current thoughts, as well as exposing a small glimmer of what took place in his past. Though the text is limited, there are enough details and elements to lead the reader to a sensible conclusion of what this character is really
During the course of his plays, Shakespeare uses symbolism to portray his life, time period and messages he wants to get across to the audience. For example, many individuals in his time were not fond of his work and his response is used in his plays in the form of symbolism. Furthermore, symbolism is used to enhance the meaning of what is essentially being described. Moreover, Shakespeare utilizes symbolism in Henry IV, Part 1 to foreshadow the play and to guarantee that the Prince of Wales will shine like the sun and start a new era and become the new king like he was destined to be. However, Henry IV considers Hal not fit for court and Hal needs to change his mind by battling with his father in the Battle of Shrewsbury.
Shakespeare, William. Henry IV: part two. Ed. P. H. Davison, New York: Penguin Books, 1997.
Shakespeare, William. "King Lear." The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, Ed. Walter Cohen, Ed. Jean E. Howard and Ed. Katharine Eisaman Maus. 2. New York, London: Oxford University Press, 2008. 591-759. Print.2011.
Throughout the play, Prince Henry develops from a rascal to a responsible adult and by doing so, earns the respect and acceptance from his father King Henry IV. In act one, Shakespeare introduces the idea that Prince Henry is an inadequate heir to the throne. The play
Through characterization, Shakespeare explores moral conflict, and passage three is a prime example of Falstaff’s enduring moral disorder. By this stage in the play, Hal has ‘reformed’, moved away from his former mentor Falstaff and become a good and honourable prince. Hal’s remark to his father indicates a strong, independent mind, predicting that Douglas and Hotspur will not accept Henry’s offer because of their love for fighting. Henry’s reply, in turn, indicates a change in attitude towards his son, a newfound respect. Acknowledging Hal’s prediction, the king orders preparations to begin, and we see he has his own set of solid moral values: knowing that their ‘cause is just’ helps him to reconcile with his highly honourable conscience that there is indeed cause for war.
In Shakespeare's tragedy, “Hamlet,” the protagonist, Hamlet, must find his new place in Denmark's royal family. When Hamlet’s uncle/step-dad takes the throne from Hamlet's deceased father, his role in Denmark and in the family is questioned. In Hamlet's soliloquy , he shows his dismay towards his new father with figurative language, repetition, and tone.
Shakespeare, William. The Life of King Henry the Fifth. New York: Unicorn Publishers Inc, 1950. Pg. 173-295.
Prince that Hal reminds him of the way King Richard acted before Henry took the
The King is envious of Northumberland’s son, who does not waste his days like Prince Hal. The King is not proud to be the father of such a person. His son is wasting his days away with the fat-faced drunk, Falstaff. The two, along with others, spend their days robbing devout people on their pilgrimages and drinking old sack. Prince Henry does, however, make clear that he intends to surprise the world by standing forth in his true character:
At the start of the play, the reader sees that Prince Hal has been acting in a manner which has disappointed his father. The King compares Hotspur to Hal, saying that Hotspur is ìA son who is the theme of honour's tongue,î and that ìriot and dishonour stain the brow of [Hal] (I.i.3).î He even wishes that the two were switched: ìThen would I have his Harry, and he mine (I.i.3).î The King obviously does not approve of Hal's actions, and believes that, if Hal does not change his ways, he will be a poor successor to the throne.