(Act 1, Scene 1, 77-87)
He wishes that Hotspur was his son, a great man possessing all the characteristics a Prince should have, bravery, loyalty and respect. If only his own son could be more like this great man.
“In envy that Northumberland should be father to so blest a son.”
However, could this have been the reason that Prince Hal turned out the way he did? With a father where nothing is enough and always demands the best. Could it be that Prince Hal knew he would never live up to his father’s expectations and decided to behave the way he did?
He does tell his father in some highly charged words that he will redeem his good name on Percy's head, but this is not an empty threat; it is a promise and a vow, that puts him in a fight to the death
(Act 3, Scene 2, 139-159)
Very early on in the play we see Prince Hal involved in a robbery. This is definitely not something the son of the King should be getting into and he knows this, yet he still gets involved. This is yet another piece of evidence that contributes to the reputation Hal builds for himself as a lazy, alcoholic, unpleasant person.
However, we see a glimmer of hope for the lazy, unpleasant Prince Hal at the end of Act 1, Scene 2 in his first soliloquy. A side of Hal is shown that distinguishes him from the apparent honourable Hotspur.
“…when this loose behaviour I throw off,
And pay the debt I never promised,
By how much better than my word I am,
By so much shall I falsify men’s hopes.”
The debt he has promised to pay is to his father and also to his country. However, is it possible for Prince Hal to prove himself when the time comes? And is this speech believable?
As we get further into the play another side of Prince Hal starts to emerge. After the robbery had taken place Prince Hal plays a joke on Falstaff who claims that after the robbery he was robbed himself. Prince Hal, who knows the truth, plays along with him. When the sheriff arrives looking for Falstaff he has the option of turning him in, or hiding him away from the sheriff. To everyone’s surprise, Hal decides to hide Falstaff behind a large curtain.
“Go hide behind the arras…”
(Act2, Scene 4)
This is a very important scene in the play because we see another side to the dishonourable Hal shine through. He has the option to turn in a criminal or to save a friend. Deciding to hide his good friend, Hal becomes more of hero in the eyes of everyone.
Towards the end of the play the King and Westmoreland find Prince Hal on the battlefield. He is bleeding so much that they urge him to leave and not to fight Douglas or Hotspur, but Hal refuses. This scene succeeds very well in showing off Hal as a true hero who will fight to the very end.
Perhaps the most important part of the play is in the last two pages. Falstaff turns up with the dead body of Hotspur, claiming to have killed him. Prince Hal replies
“If a lie may do the grace, I’ll gild it with the happiest terms I have.”
Hal then tells the king he has Douglas prisoner and asks if he may have to honour of disposing of this fiend. Naturally the King agrees. Hal decides to free Douglas but gives the honour of doing so to his younger brother John. This is very important because Hal has now given up the honour of killing Hotspur, defeating Douglas, and freeing Douglas.
Hal has now gained the respect of his father and defeated the very person that the King had initially admired over his own son. This change in the character of Hal at the end could not have been predicted. Throughout the play Hal had hinted that perhaps he would finally show his true colours, but it was not all fully believable. However, Hal does finally become the true hero of the play that nobody expected.
