Honor in Shakespeare’s Play Henry IV, Act One
(The View of Honor in the Eyes of Falstaff and Hotspur in Shakespeare’s Play Henry IV, Act One)
In Shakespeare’s play, Henry IV, Part One, two characters define what honor is to them. Hotspur and Falstaff are two different characters completely, one is a son of a nobleman and the other is a thief. Hotspur is son to Earl of Northumberland, making him the heir as well, the nephew of Earl of Worcester, and a good warrior too. The real name of Hotspur is Harry Percy, a member of the Percy family, which helped King Henry IV gain his power. Hotspur is short-tempered and impatient man who is always concerned about honor. Falstaff on the other hand, is a fat, thieving old man that lives on the nasty side of England who doesn’t put much thought towards honor. These two characters are play two different roles and are quite different, like their views of honor, in Shakespeare’s play, Henry IV, Part One.
Hotspur is committed to honor, and to him honor is something to seek out, to have and use. In King Henry IV, when Hotspur speaks of honor he says, “By heaven methinks it were an easy leap, To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon, Or
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Hotspur and Falstaff are two different characters completely, one is a son of a nobleman and the other is a thief. Hotspur is committed to honor, and to him honor is something to seek out, to have and use. Honor, to Hotspur is something to be earned, not given away freely. Falstaff is a fat old man, a thief even though he is a close mentor of Prince Henry, and he does not see a fit meaning in honor. He does not think honor is something to seek, he does not believe it exists, and if it does it has a worthless pay off. Honor in today’s society holds close to the same meaning as it did when Shakespeare wrote the play in the sixteenth century, and it is a closer definition to Hotspur’s than Falstaff’s by
In return, Henry is respectful when trying to appeal to his audience, formally acknowledging and complimenting “the very worthy gentleman” (line 3) at the convention. Henry repeats how important knowing “the whole truth” (line 32) is to him in lines 17, 25, and
In Shakespeare’s play, King Henry IV Part 1, Hotspur’s speech to King Henry, in attempt to explain why he did not free prisoners when ordered to do so by the courtier, employs that he is an impetuous leader that is incapable of consistently obtaining respect. Hotspur says that the courtier confronted him after the battle, and that the man was, “neat, and trimly dressed, / Fresh as a bridegroom” (I.3.32-33). The man is composed and feminine, which prominently disgusts Hotspur. His repugnance of “neat” is looked down upon by King Henry, and is not respected by those Hotspur entails respect from. Hotspur is a hasty soldier that evidently contains no tolerance for weakness, fear, or even the slight details of courtly behavior.
Henry says "... but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" Henry shows his own belief, which is that he would rather stand up for his country and fight for its people. It establishes his place amongst the people of the country and since he is one of them he is more likely to prove his point and gain the trust and respect of the people in his fight for liberty. “No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House.”
The three Ideas of Chivalry (How Chivalry is connected in the stories?) Have you ever been taught how to treat a lady? Have you ever been told how you should be treated? Today, respect for women is different, but I think it’s the same way for men as well. In the old ways, women had to respect their men, and obey them.
“ Nobody can acquire honor by doing wrong,” Thomas Jefferson once declared. The people of Thomas Jefferson's time had high standards towards honor. They were more chivalrous, polite, respectful, considerate, refined, courteous, they paid more attention to morals and ethics. Even in the early days of man honor was something that was held above all else, it was coveted, something that people strove for. Julius Ceasar once stated, “ I love the name of honor, more than I fear death.”
The idea of courtesy is all throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Courtesy is the idea of politeness and courtly manners or behavior, it was a knightly virtue and highly valued during this time period. Specifically, King Arthur’s Court are expected to be courteous along with the other knightly virtues represented in the pentangle. The knightly virtues that are represented are courtesy, piety, purity, generosity, and compassion. Gawain is tested on his courtesy throughout stay at Bertilak’s castle.
King Arthur is a complex, double-sided character. In Le Morte d’Arthur, Thomas Malory shows Arthur displaying admirable chivalric qualities. But along with these prided traits, Arthur also despicable qualities through arrogant, un-respectable actions, that are quite the opposite of those identified with a chivalric knight. Thomas Malory displays the one King Arthur as a respectable, honorable, justiciable knight by listening to the opinions of his court at Camelot. Despite the fact that he didn’t make the best choice, he still showed courtesy and respect, while agreeing with Sir Gawain and marching on Lancelot’s kingdom.
King Henry demonstrates to his men that he himself is not unwilling to die for England’s “cause”, and that such a death is honorable; establishing his character as belonging to a man who will not ask any other man to do that which he is not willing to do himself, to his men. This has an interesting effect on the
In this time period a knight’s honor was everything, without it the noblemen would become a huge disgrace. Sir Gawain’s honor is immediately tested at the beginning of the poem. He gives his word in the beheading game and intends to keep it even though it’s obvious that the Green Knight had tricked him. “Blood gutters brightly against his green gown, yet the man doesn’t shudder or stagger or sink, but trudges towards them […] gripping his head by a handful of hair. Then he settles himself in his seat with the ease of a man unmarked” (429-439).
In Nicholls essay, The Testing of Courtesy at Camelot and Hautdesert, the author argues that courtesy serves to mask the true desire for violence in King Arthur’s court. “ Politeness is a veneer over the violence latent in human affairs and courtesy…[it] acts as a restraining
This leaves emotional appeal. He mentions honor and brotherhood and glory in an effort to unite the troops. In this time period it is the ultimate honor to fight in a glorious battle, and Henry capitalizes upon
Knights have always fascinated people with their daring deeds and good manners. In the Pearl Poet’s “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” the Green Knight arrives at King Arthur’s castle to Challenge his Knights, but no one accepts the challenge until finally, Arthur stands up. Eventually, Sir Gawain accepts the challenge and has his reputation challenged along the way. When Sir Gawain became a knight, he promised to live by the Code of Chivalry just like I live my life by a set of rules. My code of honor shares similarities with the Code of Chivalry.
King Henry is portrayed to us as the main leader within the English ranks and an important component of their strategy. One characteristic of Henry’s leadership is that he is able to forge close connections with his men. During the Battle of Harfleur, we see him describe his men as “dear
Throughout William Shakespeare’s 1597 History “The First Part of King Henry the Fourth”, the importance of individual reputation proves to be a catalyst for character advancement and plot development alike. King Henry’s repeated emphasis on the superior characteristics of himself and Hotspur earlier in the scene establish a dichotomy between the ideal leader and Prince Henry. In a rebuttal to his father 's disapproving tone, Hal vows to reclaim both his honor as a prince and his honor as a son. Shakespeare’s use of language through lines 129-159 in act III.2 foreshadows events to come while reinforcing Prince Henry’s earlier assertion that he will be the victor when battling Hotspur.
The scene in which King Henry IV confronts Prince Hal is a pivotal moment in their relationship’s development throughout the William Shakespeare’s account of the rebellions against the King’s rule in the play Henry IV Part I. Act 3 Scene 2 offers an insight into the ruling ideologies of Henry and his heir apparent Hal, as rulers, while each character considers the upcoming battle and attempt to determine what makes worthy ruler. Henry expresses unresolved anxiety about how he came into his throne, and his uncertainties about Hal, his successor, while Hal is desperate to recover his father’s trust in him. My group decided to include this scene in our performance because it embodied the evolution of the father-son relationships within the play. Tanya, Gillian and I focused our performance on the dynamics of Henry and Hal’s relationship, and how their relationship informed our understanding of their characters. Particularly, our group centered our performance on the value of the competing political ideologies between the father and son.