Hamlet and Prince Hal initially strike the reader or viewer of their
             respective dramas as miserable adolescents, albeit of different types.
             Both Hamlet and Hal seem to live in a state of anger, alienated from their
             respective societies. Over the course of Prince Hamlet's tragedy and Prince
             Hal's historical play of coming to age in the drama named after his father,
             "Henry IV, Part 1," both of these protagonists come of age before the
             audience's eyes and ears. To achieve this sense of maturity the
             protagonist must become a murderer of an individual who is the embodiment
             of all that his father champions. By killing such an individual, both
             characters are also able to kill the false ideal of the male self that is
             upheld by both their respective societies and their respective fathers. In
             doing so, they resolve the crux of both of their internal dilemmas.
             The alienation of Hamlet from his society can be seen in the first
             soliloquy he utters to the audience. "Oh that this too, too, solid
             flesh/Should thawâ€" (1.2) Hamlet is first seen wishing himself dead,
             dressed in black, still mourning for his father in a court that is all too
             willing to forget about the elder king's recent death. Prince Hal as well
             shares his first significant thoughts (as opposed to his semi-drunk,
             slightly hung over banter with Falstaff during 1.2 of that play) with the
             audience. "I know you all," he sneers to the retreating backs of his
             disreputable companions Poins and Falstaff, then informs the audience that
             he will comport himself with a truly savvy eye in terms of media relations
             and be like a piece of moral metal that seems even brighter after it has
             been picked up out of the mud. This demonstrates that Hal does not feel
             comfortable at present being a prince and being with his father. Right
             now, he prefers the mud of the tavern and the companionship of drunkards
             and ordinary folk. Yet, Hal te...