Henry V - Compare the relationship between Hal and Falstaff in two different scenes

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Compare the relationship between Hal and Falstaff in two different scenes.

The relationship between Hal and Falstaff is a very complex one. At first we think that as Falstaff is the older one of the two, that he would be the more mature and dominant one in the friendship, the one who leads Hal astray. However as the play develops we can see that Hal can actually look after himself and doesn’t need Falstaff to supervise him. Later in the play we can see that Hal stops messing around and becomes more like a Prince rather than the type of character he has at the beginning. However Falstaff can not make this change. He can’t adopt to the changes that he needs to make as the play goes on.

In Act 1, Scene 2, Hal and Falstaff are dinking at the bar. We get the impression that Falstaff encourages the prince to go to the bar with him. We can tell this from Falstaff’s characteristics. He is always drinking, eating, gambling and fornicating. This isn’t the type of a life a Prince should be leading so we think its Falstaff that brings the Hal with him. At first the relationship between Hal and Falstaff is based a lot on their joking around. Hal teases Falstaff about his weight and drinking problems. At the very beginning of this scene, in the Prince’s first speech, Falstaff has only asked the time and Hal is already putting him down, the Prince says to Falstaff,

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“Thou art so fat-witted with drinking of old sack, and unbuttoning thee after supper....” Here he is saying that because Falstaff dinks so much alcohol, he has become obese and that because he eats so much at supper time, Falstaff has to unbutton his trousers just so he can fit his stomach in. This mocking could be taken the wrong way but Prince puts it so that it is not so much insulting but more of a joke. Falstaff goes on explain that goes by the moon and the stars. But Prince tells Falstaff that he better be careful or ...

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