Shuai Shao
ENGL2000 Text and Contexts
Professor Furry
10/10/15
From Anarchy to Law—The Prince’s Motivation in Henry IV Part Two Henry IV Part Two depicts the last preparatory phase before Prince Hal’s ascension to the throne. Through the entire play, Shakespeare illustrates Hal’s journey to self-discovery, a process of maturation that is a prerequisite to becoming a successful ruler. Shakespeare complicates this course of development by giving Prince Hal a complex character. The young prince’s physical journey from the court to the tavern and back to the court again corresponds to his psychological process of self-retrospection. Nevertheless, as the heir to the throne, Prince Hal’s underlying motivation for appearing to transform from a reckless and irresponsible young man to a just and honorable ruler is clear. He is politically inclined and actively looking for opportunities to gain support. Even though Prince Hal is aware of the heavy burdens and responsibilities of a king, he is confident enough that he can effectively manipulate people’s expectations to perform well. Some readers believe that at the beginning of Henry IV Part One, Prince Hal reveals his evil nature and the desire to betray his lowlife friends by delivering the speech, “By so much shall I falsify men’s hopes, and like bright metal on a sullen ground, my reformation, glittering o’er my fault, shall show more goodly, and attract more eyes, than that which hath no foil to set it off” (1.2.217-221). However, Prince Hal is not planning to betray his friends without a purpose. Instead, he has a clear political motivation embedded in the underlying betrayal. By revealing his reformation, Prince Hal suggests his plan to gain popularity by manipulating people’s expectations. He has always been ready to leave behind his anarchic life. The young prince’s mischievous acts are simply parts of his political trick to appear as glorious as possible when he finally sits on the throne. Weighing between friendship and political power, Prince Hal has a much greater commitment to the latter. At the beginning of Henry IV Part Two, we can easily observe that Prince Hal has not yet decided to fully break from his corrupt youth because during his conversation with Poins, he suggests, “Belike then my appetite was not princely got, for, by my troth, I do now remember the poor creature small beer” (2.2.9-12). However, not only has Prince Hal a prince’s appetite, he has a king’s appetite. Many times in the play, Princes Hal has demonstrated his desperate desire for power and a strong will to become a king. For example, later in the speech, Hal undergoes a deep introspection to realize that he must get rid of the vestiges of his dissolute past to become a well-regarded king. In addition, at the end of the speech, Prince Hal interestingly shows his political inclination by explaining how illegitimate children can increase the population (2.2.25-30). During the medieval period, population growth is a key indicator of social prosperity. This connection between illegitimate children and population growth shows Hal’s ability to associate the lives of common people with the interest of the country. Prince Hal has this awareness because he has spent plenty of time with the lower class. This is a characteristic of a good ruler. While speaking to Poins, Hal is aware that he cannot easily turn around his “bad boy” image he has created for himself; “But I tell thee, my heart bleeds inwardly that my father is so sick: and keeping such vile company as thou art hath in reason taken from me all ostentation of sorrow” (2.2.41-44). Prince Hal knows that given his bad reputation, he cannot publicly display his grief for his father’s sickness because people will think of him as a hypocrite. This evidence shows that even though Hal is ready for his intended transformation, many people are still not ready to accept it. However, it is debatable whether the prince truly feels bad for his father because there is plenty of evidence showing he is not so sincere. For example, Hal begins this conversation with “By this hand” and “But I tell thee.” According to reverse psychology, one can argue that when people start talking with phrases such as “I swear” or “You must believe me,” there is a high possibility that the person is lying. Nevertheless, to Prince Hal, being a popular king seems to be more important than being a good son. Hal’s speech shows that he is calculated and extremely careful. More importantly, he is always aware of people’s perceptions of him and capable of managing their expectations accordingly. In this way, Prince Hal can secure more support when he comes into power. The complicated and problematic friendship between Prince Hal and his surrogate father Falstaff is essential to Hal’s development. Eventually, Falstaff and the anarchy he represents become obstacles that Prince Hal must transcend. The friendship, if ever valued by Hal, provides the final hurdle. It is the decisive test that Hal must pass before he is ready for the throne. In Henry IV Part Two, Falstaff becomes far worse than a drunken braggart. He almost gets himself arrested, flips a promised marriage, openly accepts bribes and arrives late for the battle. These corrupt behaviors are extraordinarily subversive and some of them are conflicting with the interests of the kingdom. Although Prince Hal participated in the robbery in Part 1, he claims and starts to demonstrate that the misconduct is only to manipulate people’s expectations. With remedy being paid to the victims, Prince Hal regards the robbery as a practical joke. The conflict between Prince Hal and Falstaff starts to manifest in Act 2 Scene 4 when the prince hears Falstaff casting slander on him. Getting furious, Hal replies “You whoreson candle-mine, you how vilely did you speak of me even now before this honest, virtuous, civil gentlewoman (2.4.253-356)”. They may have teased each other a lot but things are much more serious when the heir to the throne is relentlessly slandered behind his back. Realizing the potential damage such comments have upon his figure as a future king, Hal at this point decides that he will no longer tolerate Falstaff’s outrageous behaviors. At the same time, Prince Hal’s affiliation with the Chief Justice is a key representation of his transformation. In the medieval period, the judiciary was not at all independent. Instead, the Chief Justice serves as an agent of the king; “Whiles I was busy for the commonwealth, your Highness pleasèd to forget my place, the majesty and power of law and justice, the image of the King whom I presented”(5.2.76-79). The Chief Justice stresses this point in his counter argument against Prince Henry’s accusation. He rightly argues that he punished Hal because Hal offended him as King Henry IV’s representative. However, his service to Henry IV has officially ended and Prince Hal becomes King Henry V. Even though the roles have changed, the nature of the interaction between Henry V and the Chief Justice remains the same. These two gentlemen are still interacting in their official capacities. Now, the Chief Justice can represent Henry V and discipline his sons and citizens. Additionally, in order to rule effectively, Henry is clearly aware that he needs the Chief Justice’s ability to impose the law impartially. Therefore, he must abandon his persona as a mischievous prince and employ the role as the ruler of the realm. As we can observe, Henry V is very willing to do that; “As things acquainted and familiar to us, In which you, father, shall have foremost hand. Our coronation done, we will accite, as I before remembered, all our state. And, God consigning to my good intents, no prince nor peer shall have just cause to say God shorten Harry’s happy life one day” (5.2.139-145). Henry V happily recognizes the Chief Justice as a father figure and is thrilled to sit on the thrown. As a king, Henry is motivated to become a powerful ruler and keeping the Chief Justice as an advisor demonstrates his political wisdom. Some readers assert that Henry’s rejection of Falstaff in the final scene is heartless and cold-blooded betrayal, but I think his action is reasonable. King Henry V knows that his dissolute youth has cast doubt among people about his ability to rule. As a king, he no longer needs to lower people’s expectation any further. Therefore, Falstaff’s appearance at the coronation ceremony can hardly be welcomed. “I know thee not, old man” (5.3.43). Henry sends Falstaff away and orders him to reform his corrupt behavior. Given the close relationship they had, this can certainly be classified as a betrayal. However, Henry also promises Falstaff a comfortable life as compensation which shows that he is still aware of the friendship. Nevertheless, willingly or not, Henry has put himself in a situation in which he must reject Falstaff. By rejecting Falstaff and accepting the Chief Justice as his new father figure, Henry successfully completes his dramatic transformation from a mischievous prince to a responsible king. Although he may be a horrible friend he is definitely a competent ruler. Nevertheless, medieval England has always needed a strong monarch to restore civil order and to unite the kingdom. From a societal standpoint, it is much more important for Henry V to be a strong and popular ruler than to be a good friend. Analyzing Henry’s motivation to undergo such a transformation helps us to interpret his behavior and assess the personality of the character.

Works Cited
Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear Henry IV Part 2.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.