Henry IV: Redemption
In Shakespeare's Henry IV, the character Hal, the Prince of Wales,
undergoes a transformation that can be characterized as a redemption.
Shakespeare introduces Hal, in the opening act as a renegade of the Court. His
avoidance of all public responsibility and his affinity for the company of the
Boar's Head Tavern, have caused serious concern for the King, because Hal is
heir to the throne. The King realizes that to keep order, a ruler and his heir
must prove to be both responsible and honorable; from the outset Hal possesses
neither quality. The King even testifies to his own advisor, that he would have
rather traded Hal for Hotspur, the son of the Earl of Northumberland. In ...
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not always be a holiday , for "If all
the year were playing holidays, To sport would be as tedious as work" (1.2. 211-
212). However Hal needs some type of strength to make his realization come true.
Luckily Hal's father, the King is willing to lend several comments that enrage
him and provide him with the necssary motivation. It also seems that
Shakespeare has included the foil for Hal, the valiant Hotspur, in order to
provide the callow Prince of Wales with another source of motivation, from
which Hal can begin constructing his redemption. In a plea to his father, Hal
vows that he will redeem his tarnished identity at the expense of Hotspur,
saying "I will redeem all of this on Percy's head," (3.2.137). However, the
act of redemption does not only occur as the result of realization and
motivation. Redemption needs for these ideas to be put into action. At the end
of Act 5.4, using his realization and motivation as a basis for his actions, Hal
consummates his ...
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order to dupe Falstaff and to later hear the
"incomprehensible lies that this same fat rogue will tell" (1.2. 193). In the
Tavern scene at the end of Act 2.4, Hal admits that even though he went through
with the robbery, he promises to return all the money he stole from the
travelers (Hal stole the purses from Falstaff, who had stolen the purses from
the travelers), because he is not a thief. Hal, in these early scenes of the
play, typifies the all too familiar tradition that many adolescents go through,
that of youthful rebellion against the establishment of order and responsibility
(usually that is symbolized by parents). As a result of rebellion, in all
cases, including Hal's, it ...
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Henry IV: Redemption. (2006, June 13). Retrieved November 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Henry-IV-Redemption/47451
"Henry IV: Redemption." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 13 Jun. 2006. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Henry-IV-Redemption/47451>
"Henry IV: Redemption." Essayworld.com. June 13, 2006. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Henry-IV-Redemption/47451.
"Henry IV: Redemption." Essayworld.com. June 13, 2006. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Henry-IV-Redemption/47451.
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