Analysis of Act V scene iv of Shakespeares Henry IV
One of the most important aspects of 1 Henry IV is the development and transgressions of Hal who is the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. The play's focus on the family reminds us that the struggles England endured through its growth were largely struggles inside the royal family. Hal's character is at a point where he is unable to define who he will be; a responsible part of the monarch, as his father would like to see, or a rogue as is John Falstaff. Throughout the play the prince keeps company with Falstaff, who is indeed a knight but hardly acts as one would hope. He lies, robs travellers and frequents the bar and whorehouse owned by Mistress Quickly. By scene iv of the fifth act it is clear that the Prince will fulfil his role and embrace his noble birth by standing with his father to fight against the rebels. At the end of the battle Hal makes it clear to himself but also to Falstaff that he will no longer be amongst his clan of rabble rousers.Undoubtedly Prince Hal is a noble character on a small scale and as early on as the second scene in the first act he is hinting at his uncertainties about his role in the state. He states: "So when this loose behavior I throw off / and pay the debt I never promised..." I
The end of the relationship does not come out of unfriendly feelings for one another but rather from the fact that Hal has undergone a transition that Falstaff will never undergo. His acceptance of his place in society can be seen in that he decides, for the first time, to speak in verse when addressing Falstaff: "I prithee, speak; we will not trust our eyesWithout our ears: thou art not what thou seem'st. His father recognises this: "In this fair rescue thou hast brought to me. Prince Why, then I seeA very valiant rebel of the name. In addition, there is the added presense of a climate that fosters nobility and morality. However, it is not until the battle when Hal puts his selfish, albeit true, loyalty behind him and defends his father who is being attacked by Douglas. " For the Audience as well as Prince Hal, this declaration reinforces that Hal is acting in accordance with his title and his father's wishes and that he has moved beyond feeling a bond with Falstaff. The last thing that the Prince says to Falstaff is, "Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back: For my part, if a lie may do thee grace, I'll gild it with the happiest terms I have. The fact that this epiphany comes so near the end of the play brings Hal's journey to an end, giving the play a sense of closure and resolve. For Hal to accept that Falstaff relies on lying to promote the outward appearance of a noble character is for him to accept that the friendship between them is over, that they no longer have anything in common and no longer need one another. Shakespeare has put Hal through a rite of passage on the stage in order that the audience be more familiar with his character. Shakespeare makes Hal's transgressions all the more important because it takes place during the first time that all the characters, from both the palace and the tavern, are in the same scene. Hal's discovery of princely honour functions to fulfil the concept of honour as an inherent trait of nobility and thus makes his separation from Falstaff an inevitability.
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