How Important Is Prince Henry (Prince Hal) in Henry IV-Part 1?
In the play Henry IV part 1, we see that Prince Henry (Prince Hal) plays an important part in the whole plot. We see that he is the focal point of the plays main themes. Prince Hal spent almost all of his time in the tavern with Sir John Falstaff, his best friend. In act 2 scene 4, Prince Hal has an interesting conversation with Falstaff. At first, the conversation begins with a little light-hearted humour when Sir John plays the King interviewing the Prince and Prince Hal plays as himself. Falstaff, playing the King, starts the conversation by saying, “Peace, good pint-pot, peace” to me as a reader this seemed quite funny in the sense that a ‘King of England’ would address his son, the prince a pint-pot. Falstaff then said, while still playing the King, “I do not only marvel where thou spendest thy time, but also how thou art accompanied.” He later went on to say, “And yet there is a virtuous man whom I have often noted in thy company, but I know not his name.” Really all this time Falstaff was asking Prince Hal about himself. Knowing this Prince Hal asked the ‘king’ “what manner of man, and it like your majesty? By this time, Falstaff had most probably thought of enough words to praise himself and so replied, “A goodly portly man, I’ faith, and a corpulent; of a cheerful look, a pleasing eye, and a most noble carriage.” What he meant by this was that he was a very dignified man with a good figure and that he had a noble behaviour. Prince Hal now decided that it was time for him to play King and for Falstaff to play Prince but Falstaff thought otherwise; he replied, “Dispose me? If thou dost it Prince Half so gravely, so majestically, both in word and matter, hang me up by the heels for a rabbit-sucker, or a poulter’s hare.” This meant that Falstaff felt quite offended by Prince Hal suggesting such a thing. Prince Hal had another idea, instead of praising Falstaff; Prince Hal thought it would be amusing to disgrace him. Prince Hal spoke out as the King, “Thou art violently carried away from grace. There is a devil haunts thee in the likeness of an old fat man.” This to Falstaff would seem almost as an insult and for his defence replies, “But to say I know more harm in him than in myself were to say more than I know. That he is old, the more the pity.” Falstaff felt as though he had been insulted but still tried to make it sound as though he were still joking. For Prince Hal the major turning point in his life was when he went to have an interview with his father the King. This meeting not only showed Prince Hal how disappointed his father was, but also showed him how wrong he had been up to now. As soon as he realised this he asked for forgiveness from his father, he did this by saying, “Find pardon on my true submission.” His father replied, “God pardon thee!” The most important part of Prince Hal’s reformation was when he decided to ride into battle alongside his father Henry IV. Hotspur (Harry Percy) had led a rebellion and wanted to overthrow Henry IV so his son Prince Hal promised that he himself would fight Hotspur to the end. Before the battle had begun Vernon, Hotspurs cousin came to Hotspur and described how great Prince Hal looked. He said, “All furnish’d, all in arms; all plum’d like estridges that with the wind bated, like eagles having lately bath’d; Glittering in golden coats like images; As full of spirit as the month of May, And gorgeous as the sun at midsummer.” Hotspur could not take this anymore and was just lost for words when he heard his own cousin, a rebel fighter saying such brilliant words about someone he was just about to fight. The final battle between Prince Hal and Hotspur was the grand finale of the completion of Prince Hal’s reformation. Hotspur however mocks Prince Hal a little and boasts about himself as well. Hotspur does this by saying, “Harry, for the hour is come to end the one of us; and would to God thy name in arms were now as great as mine!” To Hal this would have been enough to push him and fight Hotspur.
