Honour & reputation

• 'Riot and dishonour stain the bow of my young Henry' - Henry (1.1)


  • disappointment in Hal deepens unrest
  • creates additional concern about position on throne as he does not view Hal as fit to become King after him & therefore faces threat to security of his dynasty
  • As well as public conflict of rebels protest against his legitimacy, Henry faces personal rebellion from Hal who rejects the responsibilities of kingship
• 'The prisoners/ Which he in this adventure hath surprised/ To his own use he keeps, and sends me word/ I shall have none but Murdoch, Earl of Fife' - Henry (1.1)


  • Hotspur's defiance further weakens Henry's power as a King
  • established Hotspur as a strong, prideful character who has the strength to go against the rules of the king - challenges authority
• ‘he may be more wondered at/ By breaking through the foul and ugly mists/ Of vapors that did seem to strangle him.’ - Hal (soliloquy 1.2)


  • when he comes back to take rightful place, people’s expectations of him will be so low that his transformation will be more wondered at
  • admired more because he has been hidden
• ‘So when this loose behaviour I throw off/ And pay the debt I never promised’ - Hal (soliloquy 1.2)


  • at the moment no one thinks he will be able to bt it is inevitable that it will happen - he will leave tavern & claim rightful place on throne
  • always intends to pay back 'debt' - he views it as a responsibility - ultimately he has been born to rule & inevitably will return to royal world
• 'O, the blood more stirs/ To rouse a lion than to start a hare!' 'To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon' - Hotspur (1.3)


  • Hotspur wants to go on a heroic quest to gain honour, something he thinks is tangible - will go to any lengths for glory
  • there is more adrenaline, honour and glory in doing something dangerous
  • Hotspur is carried away by a quest of glory to right the world Henry has ruined - but obsession with glory renders him incapable of ever executing a pragmatic or effective plan - noble but flawed
  • established as a very prideful character
• 'The thieves have bound the true men; now could thou and I rob the thieves, and go merrily to London, it would be argument for a week, laughter for a month, and a good jest for ever' - Hal (2.2) 


  • tavern world reveals a playful side of Hal - increases his popularity so when returns to his rightful position on the throne we support the seated monarch
  • experiences in tavern world allow him to understand wit, humanity and common knowledge - effective leadership not just rooted in royal authority, but also in an understanding of humanity that comes from experience outside the confines of power
• ‘when I am King of England, I shall command all the/ good lads in

  Eastcheap.’ - Hal (2.4)


  • will have public support from very bottom of society upwards
  • gain unique understanding of both ruling elite & the common people - connect with a broader range of subjects making him a more empathetic & popular king
• 'This chair shall be my state, this dagger my sceptre, and this cushion my crown' - Falstaff (2.4) 


  • play extempore - Falstaff mocks the royal world - comedic
  • undermines royal and religious symbols - Shakespeare argues such symbols are less important in modern world - divine right of kings is less important than the political acumen required to rule effectively
  • true kingship depends on political skill & responsibility, something Hal learns on his journey to becoming a capable leader who understands the true weight of kingship
•  ‘Banish plump Jack and banish all the world’ - Falstaff ‘I do; I will’ - Hal (2.4) 


  • certainty that Hal will leave tavern world & all of its people in the future - shifts from tavern world to royal world to embrace his royal duties
  • whilst Hal wants to escape the burdens of kingship, he is just using time in tavern world to gain popularity & traits he believes he needs so that he can prove himself when he inevitably has to return to royal world
  • using humour in role in extempore but at same time is convincing in role of king & demonstrates he knows what needs to be done when he is king
• ‘And art almost an alien to the hearts/ Of all the court’ - Henry (3.2)


  • Hal does interact with any nobles in the royal world, instead has spent too much time in tavern world destroying reputation
  • everyone who needs to support him on throne won't because he's made no effort to implement himself in court and make connections
• 'By being seldom seen, I could not stir But, like a comet, I was wondered at' - Henry (3.2) 


  • Henry gives Hal lesson on how to rule - how power is gained & maintained
  • to be royal, public appearances have to be managed - power depends on popular support - public need to see him acting like a king
• 'He hath more worthy interest to the state Than thou, the shadow of succession' 'infant warrior' - Henry (3.2)


  • Hotspur would be a more worthy king than Hal - his qualities give him a better claim to the throne than Hal
  • described as baby god - powerful figure - threatening Hal's position like Henry threatened Richard's position - Henry afraid history will repeat itself
• 'When I will wear a garment all of blood' - Hal (3.2)


  • vows he will fight on battlefield - turning point in trajectory
  • declares he his ready to fulfil royal duties
  • with Hal back on side, Henry has a credible force to challenge the rebels - looking like a more equal fight
• Significance of lessons Hal learns

  • Henry provides Hal with lessons in importance of pragmatism & political skill in becoming a king
  • From tavern world he learns wit, humanity & common knowledge
  • From hotspur he learns he needs to bring chivalry, honour & determination
  • everything he is experiencing is giving him the tools to ultimately be the best king as well as the rightful king
• ‘The land is burning, Percy stands on high, And either we or they must lower lie’ - Hal (3.3)


  • sense of urgency in Hal's speech reflects his commitment to his role in becoming a responsible leader
  • Hal comes into the tavern world seeking to restore order
  • demonstrating more princely behaviour - small changes but they convey his trajectory in becoming a more worthy king in waiting
• ‘May turn the tide of fearful faction/ And breed a kind of question in our cause’ - Worcester (4.1)


  • worcester recognises how Northumberland's absence will come across to others - importance of public perception
  • in a destabilised political climate rumours and misinformation are powerful things - people will question Northumberland's absence & may come to wrong conclusion
  • Public support got henry on throne in first place & if rebels dont have it won't be able to maintain support - seizing power one thing, maintaining power different - once we've got power must maintain it
• ‘Rise from the ground like feathered Mercury/ And vaulted with such ease into his seat’ - Vernon (4.1)


  • Hal now being described as an honourable, powerful figure
  • Hal rises as Hotspur falls
• Views of Hotspur by Act 4

  • increasingly reckless
  • his ideas about honour are no longer admirable - he is starting to sound foolish & delusional
  • the rebels credibility & power of threat is diminishing but Hotspur embraces his fate & imposes his values on other people putting their lives are at stake - unjust
  • Hotspur is in the wrong world for his time - there is less need for honour & warriors in this modern world & more need for calculated politicians - honour and glory alone are insufficient to effect meaningful change - pragmatism necessary in the pursuit of power and justice
• Ideas of representation & misrepresentation in Hotspur's speech 4.3

  • Shakespeare highlights power of words/ public image & how history can be manipulated - how things are presented matters/ words used matters
  • in destabilised political climate there is an atmosphere of mistrust which perhaps is why Henry hasn’t been angel on way to throne but neither is he as bad as hotspur is making out
  • How people are presented to others is how power is made in first place
• 'to save the blood on either side, Try fortune with him in a single fight' - Hal (5.1)


  • Hal, seeking to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, proposes single combat w Hotspur
  • acting magnanimously
  • Hal is going to bring all aspects together - bring aspects of hotspurs honour w pragmatism of henry - starting to embody all diff virtues that make a successful monarch
  • Hal shows courage - has to prove himself worthy of authority & power & takes steps in this scene to demonstrate that
• ‘What is honour? A/ word’ ‘He that died o’Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No’ - Falstaff (5.1)


  • views honour as fleeting & insubstantial
  • questions why anyone should care about the honour they have achieved when they are dead
  • undermines anything to do with heroism - believes it is all worthless
• ‘Sir Walter Blount. There’s honour for you’ - Falstaff (5.3)


  • said after Blount's death
  • confirmation there is no room for honour if you want to survive on battlefield
  • futility of honour
• ‘I am the Prince of Wales, and think not, Percy,/ To share with me in glory any more’ - Hal (5.4)


  • moment before Hal & Hotspur's single combat
  • Hotspur had usurped Henry's place in his father's eyes but Hal as now restored his true identity and is here to fight for it
  • Hal will gain all of the honour Hotspur had through killing him
• ‘They wound my thoughts worse than thy sword my flesh’ - Hotspur (5.4)


  • the dishonour of losing, wounds him more than death
  • death doesn't bother him as he is nothing without honour
• 'But let my favours hide thy mangled face' - Hal (5.4)


  • Hal is gracious & magnanimous in Hotspur's death
  • he covers the body to show respect
• 'Go to the Douglas and deliver him Up to his pleasure, ransomless and free' - Hal (5.5)


  • Hal allowed to sentence douglas - demonstrating role as king in waiting
  • where henry makes punishment to demonstrate power (which he needs to do to show back in control) Hal on other hand gives a politicians sentence to douglas (which is no sentence at all) - reason done is to win support of scots