What are the qualities of a good ruler: 'Hal and Hotspur in Henry IV Part 1'.

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Luke Jones 10K

What are the qualities of a good ruler: ‘Hal and Hotspur in Henry IV Part 1’

Everyone has a different vision of what makes a good ruler, but to me it is a person who is strong, brave, cunning and ruthless, but knows when to be merciful. These qualities can be seen in Hal Hotspur throughout the play, but which one would be the best next ruler of England?

Hal is first portrayed as an irresponsible little boy who does not realise the importance of his position. Yet in his soliloquy he reveals his cunning and his true nature, in the fact that he, ‘Yet herein will I imitate the sun’. He is using his ‘friends’ to make his revelation look even better, ‘So when this loose behaviour I throw of, and pay the debt I never promised’.

        Once he has reformed and it at his fathers side he becomes a very ruthless character, in fact as soon as he gets the order from his farther that he must join the battle he leaves his past behaviour behind and becomes a very serious character,  ‘But sirrah, there’s no room for faith, truth, nor honesty in this bosom of thine,’ he dismisses Falstaff with no-nonsense and gives him his orders to set out and gather an army for the on coming battle.

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        Hal’s further seriousness is shown when he is on his way to the battle and meets up with Falstaff, he then goes on to insult his so called army, ’I did never see such pitiful rascals’. Hal does seem to be very eager to get to his father’s side to fight off the rebellion and he urges Falstaff to do the same, ‘But sirrah make haste, Percy is already in the field.’                   

         Hal displays his bravery and nobility once at the battlefield when he offers to fight Hotspur himself in order to stop the ...

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