Politicians and leaders use different strategies to win an election; most of them get their voters by promising the public to fix their country or turning it to a more desirable place. For example the historian Niccolo Machiavelli discusses this point by stating how to gain and keep political power through his book The Prince, He says that a ruler should forget about virtue and morality in the process of becoming a king and his focus should be the public. He also states that a ruler or a prince should be a performer and a deceiver who can regulate his actions and talks to fit any given situation. This concept is seen in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, part I, where Hal uses his acting and manipulating skills to redeem his honour. He pretends to be the tavern boy that is careless and never takes responsibilities but he reveals his true identity at the end of this play as a noble man with moral standards. Shakespeare carefully crafts Hal to not only fit the criteria of the play but to also discuss one of the strategies that a strong leader might use to convence the public. The duplicity in Hal show his creativity as a leader and it also shows that his plan of redeeming honour is meticulously planned which marks his transformation as invaluable. Hal attempts to hide his true reason for not engaging himself in the political landscape of court because he wants to exceed his father’s expectations of him in redeeming honor. He also wants to win public support for his future of being a king. First, Hal reveals his plan of rescuing his honor to the audience through his soliloquy by giving an idea of why he is trying not to handle any responsibilities yet. He states, “And, like metal on a sullen ground, / My reformation, glittering o’er my ... ... middle of paper ... ...d him and everybody voted against him but still he rose into power with the help of the public. Joseph manipulated his people to keep them by his side by using the soviet propaganda, pictures were everywhere, and films were made using the collectivist style. He also created a new image of himself as he showed that he has an honest belief in socialism and people were permitted jobs, schooling, and vote for the first time. Most leaders take this road to rise in power despite all the terrible acts they did before. Works Cited Machiavelli, Niccolò, Thomas More, Martin Luther, William Roper, Ninian Hill Thomson, Ralph Robinson, Robert Scarlett Grignon, and C. A. Buchheim. The Prince,. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1910. Print. Shakespeare, William. The History of Henry IV, part I. Simon & Schuster pbk. Ed. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2009. Print.
transformation of Prince Hal from a tavern crony into the next King of England. This is a
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
Hal understands that those of high birth have a greater responsibility to be honorable. The jealousy that comes with the persistent protection of one’s honor is a characteristic seen in almost every noble figure, but Hal’s attitude toward honor is different than those around him- especially Hotspur. Unlike Hotspur, who serves the code of honor, Hal intends to abuse it by postponing his acquisition of honor so that when he eventually attains it his reputation will seem greater than it would’ve originally.
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.
Hal seems to lack honor at the commencement of the play, but near the end we see him display a different kind true honor which will be explained more in depth. Hal also shows his honor when he rejects the requests put forth by his good friend Falstaff and sides with his natural father to fight loyally. Even though Henry views Hal as an unworthy candidate for the thrown, Hal proves him wrong by displaying attributes that are very honorable. In King Henry’s point of view, Hal doesn’t seem much like an heir to his thorwn. Instead of living at the court to aid his father govern England, he frolics in the Taverns of Eastcheap with a group of petty thieves.
Henry IV is a play that concerns itself with political power and kingship in English history. References to kingship are prevalent throughout the play, especially in the depiction of the characters. Although most of the characters in this play could teach us about kingship, I would like to focus my attention to Prince Henry. I think that this character helps us to best understand what kingship meant at this particular time in history.
Hal is the Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne was able to manipulate both the nobles and the court in order to satisfy his needs. Firstly, his ability to speak confidently between the lower class and upper class allowed him to gain authority of many things. In the beginning of the play, Poins tells Hal and Falstaff there is a robbery planned for...
Shakespeare, William. "Henry V." The Norton Shakespeare: Histories. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, and Katherine Eisaman Maus. London: Norton, 1997. 726-795.
He is happy being a drunkard and someone who indulges what he wants. But he also realizes that it is not the type of life that a prince, or a king, should associate himself with, which leads him to his pleading—another reason the scene is prophetic. He pleads with Henry about his morality, much like he will do later in the play and in Henry IV: Part II. Though the play extempore is supposed to prepare Henry for his encounter with his father. Falstaff realizes it may be a good time to practice the inevitable encounter that he will have with Hal once he becomes king. This argument can be further developed when one realizes that it was Falstaff that called for the play extempore, not Hal. Falstaff knew he wanted a trial run before Hal’s kingship, so he gave himself one. However, Hal’s only reaction to Falstaff’s final speech is his line, “I do, I will” (2.4. 465). Some may take this as his answer to Falstaff that he will pardon him, and continue to be his friend. But the argument could be made that Hal is saying that line more to himself than to Falstaff. He is saying that he will do what’s necessary to be a good king. That he does have what it takes to leave a life he enjoys for a life of
Machiavelli, Niccolò, and Robert Martin Adams. "Chapter 17." The Prince: A Revised Translation, Backgrounds, Interpretations, Marginalia. New York: Norton, 1992. 46. Print.
Hal’s remark to his father indicates a now 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. Still maintained is the conflict between the very format of the text, with Hal and Henry’s conversation held in formal verse typical of the court world, in which Hal is now firmly embedded. Falstaff, however, sustains his equally typical prose speech, which indicates to the audience the enduring division between the court and tavern worlds.
order to convey a positive image of himself, one that has previously been created to be of a slacker. This interpretation of who the public believes Prince Hal to be, shows that he has the ability to create a specific favoring for himself, contrasting the evidence that shows who Prince Hal really is. Within this monologue, Prince Hal is able to reflect on who he truly is and whether or not he can become the King that everyone wishes him to
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
Machiavelli, Nicolo (1532) The Prince. In Peter Bondanella’s and Mark Musa’s (eds) The Portable Machiavelli. (pp. 77-166) New York, New York: Penguin Books.
Shakespeare, William. Henry IV: part one. Ed. P. H. Davison, New York: Penguin Books, 1996.