When I began reading I Henry IV, I found it slightly ironic that King Henry was in the east fighting in a Holy war while Prince Harry was back at home hanging out with less than reputable men. As king, he and those that are to be his heirs should be very moral. When you consider how he became king in the last play, this isn’t as surprising. In fact, one of the first thing Falstaff says about himself is he’s a thief, though he dresses up the fact in 1.2.20-26. I got the sense that Prince Harry is one as well based on the next two lines: “for the/ fortune of us that are the moon’s men...” The fact that the king’s son admits to, or at least openly associates with, theft seems to amplify the fact that the crown was, bluntly, stolen in the past. At this point, my guess is the royal line will either be hurt or shamed sometime down the line as a result of the prince’s friends in this part of society.
In Act 2, I really wonder if Prince Harry is thinking about the future at all. Sure, Falstaff calls attention to his title quite often, with possibly more of a familiar air than a respectful one, but is he really considering how his actions will be perceived down the line? Scene 2 he, Falstaff and Poins basically let innocent travelers get robbed and then steal from the thieves in the following scene. The only explanation I can think of is he has been doing this for a very long time, maybe too long to quit easily. It’s not as if he needs to anymore. HE’S ROYALTY. I don’t think the financial situation in England is so bad that he has no other choice.
He treats his actions as if they can be so easily fixed that none of his current deeds will matter Act 1 scene 2 from line 173 on. Again we see the analogy of the king being like the sun in this passage. In lines 175 through 181 he claims that he can simply rise above any immorality around him like a warm sun dissipating the clouds around it. Again, the line in the next act about him being one of the moon’s men comes to mind to clash with this plan. This is similar to the plan in Measure for Measure by the Duke, except for one, ‘minor’ detail: The Duke made someone else the bad guy so he could look good in comparison. I would really like to see what triumphant deed Prince Harry can do to make everyone think he’s so great, assuming he gets the chance.
1 comment:
Your point about Hal's theft and the theft of the crown is a good one, Jazzi, and I'd be interested to see you take this further. If we think of Henry IV and his son as thieves, does it help to legitimize Richard's rule? Or maybe we are seeing that the whole notion of honor and the divinity of kings should be brought into question? I suppose it hinges on the characterization of Prince Hal as we move forward in the plays. Does he "redeem" himself, or does he remain the "Prince of Thieves"?
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