Honor in Prince Hal Essay -- Shakespeare Prince Hal Essays

Honor in Prince HalPrince Hals destiny is shaped for him by many forces his association with the neer-do-well Falstaff, the expectations of his father, power Henry IV, and the constant comparison between himself and Hotspur. All three of these forces create in Hal a sense of detect that is an integral part of his education as the precedent king, and throughout the action of Henry IV, Part I, Hal is gaining a knowledge of honor that will shape him into the world-beater that he will become. However, it seems that Hal ultimately chooses one form on honor over the other, although he must compare the honor of Falstaff and the conceptual honor of a chivalric hero before he comes to a final conclusion. The first influence that Shakespeare illustrates over Prince Hal is that of Falstaff, a fat old man who seems to spend his brio in seedy taverns accruing massive amounts of debt. From his devious scheme to rob unknowing travelers at the beginning of the story to his diatribe on wha t honor is not, it is clear that Falstaff has a very distinct notion of his own personal honor, and he seems to be trying to project that same notion onto Hal however, as Hal becomes closer to his father, Falstaffs honor becomes little appealing. Falstaff treats Hal and King Henry IV to his own personal code of honor-or lack thereof Well, tis no matter honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me get through when I come on? How then? Can honour set to a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or precede away the grief of a wound? No. Honour hath no skill in surgery, then? No. What is honour? A record book. What is in that word honour? What is that honour? Air. A trim reckoning. Who hath it? He that died oWednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. Tis ins... ...cing his role as the Prince and defeating Hotspur when no one in the realm believed he had the gumption or the courage to do so. Hals plea to the King to salve the long-grown wounds of my intemperance and subsequ ent promise to die a hundred chiliad deaths ere break the smallest parcel of this vow are the final turning points in the story that lead to Prince Hal being educated as to what it means to be an ideal and true King (3.2.155-159). However, there is still time for Hals perspectives and values to be shaped and re-shaped by his father, the ghost of Hotspur, and the excesses of Falstaff, as well as by characters who lay down not yet been introduced, and in order to fully understand the transformation of Prince Hal, the reader must continue to King Henry IV, Part II and King Henry V to learn if Hal truly becomes an effective and charismatic ruler of England.