A complex plot with a sophisticated system of characters.
Shakespeare’s work Henry ΙV part Ι is considered to be the greatest historical play. A complex plot with a sophisticated system of characters has become the subject of the research of many scholars. Two worlds come into collision in the play in the first part namely the royal world of Henry ΙV with his servants and supporters and the brigandish world of rubbers where his son, Prince Harry spends most of his time.
Prince Harry which is also known as Hal is like the bridge between these two opposite worlds. Although the title of this play is Henry ΙV, he is not the only main character of the play. The role of King Henry in this play is to demonstrate the fate of that person who wants to take the power which does not factually belong to them. Henry ΙV is known as a sagacious king compared to his predecessor, Richard ΙΙ. Although Henry has all the necessary qualities of a great king, he takes the power as an illegitimate monarch and invader. He is not chosen by heaven and he does not have the Divine Right of Kings and he is guilty of the death of his predecessor. All these factors guarantee instability and anxiety in the country (Mabillard 2000).
When King Henry ΙV came to power, there was civil strife in the country. He was very upset that his brother killed his brother and he aimed to stop such bloodshed with the help of uniting his people in the religious crusade. But his plans were destroyed by the rebellion organized by the Percy family and the capture of Mortimer. These were not the only problems in king Henry’s life; he was saddened that his son was not able to be the king. He worried that his son spent his life on entertainment and Hotspur was more liked by his people than his son. King Henry ΙV was the very disciplined, cautious, and cunning runner of the country.
The moral ambiguity of characters at the first part of the play
Prince Harry, Henry ΙV’s son is one of the main characters who is depicted in the development. At the beginning of the play, he was indifferent to the affairs of his country. He preferred to spend his time with his friends, thieves Peto, Gadshill, Falstaff, Bardolph, and Points. The communication with these people helps Harry to realize the whole situation in the country which is very useful for him in the approaching rebellion. These corrupted friends catalyze Hal’s behavior. They prepare him for the throne. Although he understood that these people were the bad company for him, he showed his origin when it was necessary.
He did not worry about his company as far as people’s expectations of him were low. Unlike his friends, he was honest and gave people everything that was robbed by his friends. When Harry is called to fight the rebellion, he is portrayed in another way. It seems that there are two sides to Harry’s character, the one before the rebellion and the other after it. He is presented like a confident and brave king who is aware of his royal origin. Henry Percy who is known as Hotspur is Prince Harry’s opponent who is portrayed as a brave, courageous, and valiant warrior. He is a source of pride in his father, unlike Prince Hal who is ashamed by Henry ΙV (Cohen, Howard and Maus 2000).
The fight for the throne between Prince Harry and Hotspur and their divine right to run the country
The main topics touched upon by Shakespeare in his play are the divine rights of kings, the ideals of honor, and legitimate rule. As far as the events of the story take place in quite a turbulent situation of the country when the nation expresses its discontent and anxiety the question of the right to be the king is the major component of the development of the play. The play opens up with a controversial issue between Henry ΙV and Richard and their legitimate right to rule. Further on, Shakespeare attracts the reader’s attention to the same problem presenting the fight for the throne between Henry ΙV’s son, Harry, and his opponent Hotspur. Factually, the author points out that the true right to rule depends on personal qualities and experience. Wisdom, intelligence, and honor are the most important qualities in choosing the runner of the country. They are more important than hierarchically birthrights and family. William Shakespeare has chosen the legitimate heir of the throne, Harry, to present all these characteristics in one hero.
Rash-minded Hotspur is opposed to shrewd and resourceful Hal. But it should be pointed out that Prince Harry was not such an ideal runner of the country at the beginning of the play. On the contrary, he is depicted as a fast liver and his way of life makes upset his father, Henry ΙV. Hal is one of the most complicated characters of the play. Nevertheless, he is the incarnation of all desirable traits of the ruler of the 17th century. His character is presented in the development and at the end of the play, there is the climax where Shakespeare portrays him as a legitimate and powerful ruler who is worth being the king. Having read only the first part of the play the reader has the image of a good-for-nothing heir of the throne. Nevertheless, Prince Harry has a divine right to be the king of the country and at the end of the play, he demonstrates his capability to be a powerful king. As for Hal’s opponent, Hotspur, he is depicted as a good ruler for the country at the beginning of the play. The reader who does not know the end of the play may think that Hotspur becomes the king in the long run. Although Shakespeare makes emphasis the importance of traits that are necessary to be the king, he takes into account the importance of the divine right to be the king which is so valuable in English history. That is why he has chosen the most preferable end of the play where the king embodies the royal traits and the inherited right to run the country (Givens 2009).
From the above said, we can conclude that the choice of characters is not accidental. William Shakespeare’s play Henry ΙV is known for complicated characters and sophisticated plot. More than that, there is moral ambiguity in the play that makes it difficult for the reader to differentiate characters into bad and good ones as far as the playwright presents the characters in the development. Prince Harry who seems to be light-minded and immature to be the king becomes a powerful king at the end of the play while his opponent whose grievance is legitimate as far as he has all the necessary traits to be the king except the divine right to become the runner does not come to power.
Works Cited
Cohen, Walter, Jean Howard , and Katharine Maus. The Norton Shakespeare Histories, London: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 2000. Print.
Givens, Joshua. An Analysis of the Themes of Legitimacy of Rule & Contrasting Views of Honor seen Through the Character Prince Harry in the Shakespearean History Play “Henry ΙV”. 2009. Web.
Mabillard, Amanda. Henry IV, Part 1: General Commentary. 2000. Web.