Is a good ruler possible?

As I read Henry IV, I realize I have been introduced to three consecutive kings, the past, present, and future Kings. To begin I have to return to Richard II. We probably all can agree that Richard II was not a good king. He was indecisive and showed bias when making decisions; as seen in the opening of the play when he banishes Mowbray forever, and only banishes his cousin Boilingbrooke for 10 which is reduced to 6 years. One aspect I did notice, which probably gave him the reputation of a weak king is he tended to solve disputes peacefully, without blood. There are two obvious examples, first at the beginning he stops the dual between Mowbray and Boilingbrooke. Secondly, when Boilingbrooke returns, he does not fight or resist or have him executed by a hit man, instead he gives up his crown. By attempting to maintain peace he ended up causing civil unrest, as Bishop Carlisle predicted. I feel Richard gave away his crown without much resistance for the betterment of his country. Richard was hoping to keep peace and he himself felt he was unfit to be a king. In 3.2, Richard speaks "For you have but mistook me all this while./ I live with bread, like you; feel want,/ Taste grief, need friends. Subjected thus,/ How can you say to me I am king?"(170-173). Kings were suppose to be God like, higher than the common people, but Richard did not feel this way as shown by the quote. He states how similar he is to his subject, and more importantly he believes he is his subjects equal. An act later, he officially passes the crown to Bolingbrooke.

Before Bolingbrooke becomes King Henry IV, he seems to have the qualities a king should have. He is well respected and liked by his countrymen, and appears to be quite charismatic. I base this on the fact that he had the entire country turn against Richard when he makes his return to England. Additionally he was able to get an army together to bring back to England. He should make a good leader, but that may change when he gets the crown. As Henry IV opens, King Henry IV now has to deal with the country's issues. He does realize his own character and how kings should act when he states, "I will from henceforth rather be myself(royal,/ Mighty and to be feared, than my condition,/ Which hath been smooth as oil, soft as young down,/And therefore lost that title of respect/Which the proud soul ne' er pays but to be proud" (1.3,5-9). In this speech King Henry IV, realizes he needs to act like a king if he is going to get any respect as king. In his speech he says he has to go against his normal self or temperament to be a king. We will have to keep reading to see how this all turns for him. It is still to early to label HenryIV as a good or poor king yet.

Finally, the play Henry IV, introduces us to Prince Harry, his son and future Henry V. The play thusfar seems to focus more on Prince Harry than on the king in which the play is named after. I realize that Prince Harry is young at this point, but he does not seem like he will make a good King. I assume Prince Harry is between 16 and like 28 at this point based on his lifestyle. He is currently living it up; he is all about alcohol, sex and money. Prince Harry would fit in perfectly with the hip-hop culture that dominates youth culture today.He has surrounded himself with some shady friends and does not even seem to be the leader of his crew. Poins appears to be the leader of the group, and it is Poins who convinces Harry to participate in the robbery. Harry by agreeing shows to be more of a follower, rather than a leader. I feel that is the most important aspect when studying Prince Harry's character. Additionally, how can he punish theft or sexual activity such as prostitution without being a hypocrite. At this point, I would not think Prince Harry will make a good king. I think Prince Harry as king would be equivalent to having Lil Wayne as the United States president. Of course, he still has time to change and grow up. He probably will have to drop the friends he hangs with now to be king. Falstaff brings out this point in the role play conversation he and Prince Harry have. Falstaff posses as Harry's father King Henry, where Prince Harry plays himself. Falstaff role playing as King Henry IV states "Shall the /son of England prove a thief, and take purses? (2.5, 373-374) and "So doth/ the company that thou keepest" (2.5, 377-378). The later line refers to Prince Harry's friends and the disapproval the king has with his friends. It is to be determined what Prince Harry will do and become on his road to the throne. He has time to change, mature, and drop his friends.

On a side note, I think Shakespeare would enjoy Fox's show 24. Similar to his plays 24 is all about double crossing, inside jobs, killing family members, and all this is done for money. $$$$$$$ RULES THE WORLD!