FREE ESSAY ON ANALYSIS OF ACT V, SCENE IV OF SHAKESPEARE'S HENRY IV

ANALYSIS OF ACT V, SCENE IV OF SHAKESPEARE'S 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... In this loose behavior refers to his dealing with Falstaff and the low life
of the tavern and the debt he never promised is upholding the lineage of the monarchy.
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. Although he does not
kill Douglas, Hal shows that he has become a man of honour and dignity. His father
recognises this: In this fair rescue thou hast brought to me...some tender of my life.
This shows that Hal's decision to change is outwardly apparent to others, but most
importantly, to his father.
Another aspect of Hal's commitment to change can be seen in the lines that Shakespeare
has given him. Most of the audience members would already be well acquainted with the
story of Henry IV so it was especially important that the language be varied and colorful
enough to keep the audience interested. In Act V, scene iv Hal is given lines that seem
extraordinarily defiant but masking an internal struggle.
Hotspur If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth.
Prince Thou speak'st as if I would deny my name.
Hotspur My name is Harry Percy.
Prince Why, then I see
A very valiant rebel of the name. 
I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy,
To share with me in glory any more.
Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere;
The Prince, rather than hastily disregarding his former ways, still holds respect for
Hotspur even though it is apparent by this time that he will defeat the rebel as he
promised his father. Hal speaks respectfully towards Hotspur but proclaims that he will
no more deny [his] name as he has done up until this point in regards to his duty. This
shows the audience that he has come to terms with his identity. Hal's use of language
throughout the scene further expresses his acceptance of rank. Until this scene, Hal has
spoken in verse only in the company of other nobility and in prose when with his friends
in the tavern. The shift in his method of speech reveals to the audience that Hal felt he
could move between the two spheres of society, between his father and Falstaff without
having to have a static identity. 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 eyes
Without our ears: thou art not what thou seem'st." 
. 
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. In a sense, Hal is forced to choose a side. There is such a dynamic
social contrast that the royalty and low life seem all the more on the fringes. In
addition, there is the added presense of a climate that fosters nobility and morality.
The true nature of the individual characters are bound to show themselves. When put in
this predicament, the prince's gravitation toward maturity and acceptance of his place
comes a forth and his father's distinction from the other characters becomes clear. For
the first time Hal recognizes that there is a rift between himself and Falstaff, and
their last interaction can be interpreted as a slightly disdained farewell.
Towards the end of the scene, there can be no doubt to the audience that the Prince will
not turn kindly to Falstaff and his gang again. Hal's decision to speak in verse
indicates that he has moved beyond the tavern-dwellers and found himself in a new caste.
Shakespeare has put Hal through a rite of passage on the stage in order that the audience
be more familiar with his character. Whether or not Hal in 1 Henry IV is to be seen in
isolation of the second part of the history or as merely a major development within the
two parts is still up for interpretation. The different type of speech exemplifies that
Hal has moved on from needing Falstaff's friendship as a reflection of his identity, and
has accepted his place as the future King.
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." 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. Earlier on in the play, he might have tried to expose
Falstaff's lie but this line shows that the prince accepts Falstaff as a liar and feels
no need to challenge him or to deal with him on Falstaff's level. Not only does he accept
Falstaff as a liar, and thus expect no better of him, he is also aware that because of
the difference in character and status between them, Falstaff needs the recognition for
having killed Hotspur. For Hal, performing the deed was enough; he does not need the
outward appearance of honour that comes with glory in battle. 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. With his father's recognition and a feeling of
self-assurance, Hal does not need Falstaff and this scene represents his realization that
he has learned what he can from him. The farewell between Hal and Falstaff though
unspoken and subtle is by no means hostile. Hal's agreement to lie on Falstaff's behalf
is almost a token of gratitude toward him for the benefit he has gained from their
friendship. 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. Though the last we see of Falstaff in the first part of King Henry IV is a
series of empty promises to make what he interprets to be the same transition that Hal
has made.
The change that takes place within Henry, Prince of Wales is exemplified through his
language and his actions. This change is finalised in the second to last scene, leaving
only one brief interaction with his Father, the King, between his break away from his
previous lifestyle and the end of the play. Hal's acceptance of his role within his
family as well as kingdom is indicative of finding the reality of honour within himself.
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. Hal's decision also serves to give
his character psychological depth, and thus further differentiate him from the tavern
characters. 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.