Ben Jonson wrote Shakespeare “was not of an age, but for all time,” indicating how 21st century ideas and themes can be connected through the centuries to the time when 1 Henry IV was written. For instance, a contemporary issue demonstrated in the play is a phenomenon known as helicopter parenting. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, helicopter parenting is when a parent is extremely involved in a child’s life (“Helicopter Parenting”). Parents will often place expectations on their children to achieve certain dreams they have for their kids. This places a tremendous amount of anxiety and stress on their children. This idea is demonstrated throughout the play in the exchanges between King Henry and Prince Hal. King Henry expects his son
…show more content…
Some college students are afraid of failing because of how they were raised by their parents. In fact, many characteristics and fears teens have are based on how they were raised. One specific example of helicopter parenting that relates to the play, was when one teen’s father forced her to be an economics major. He achieved this by threatening to divorce her mother if she did not. He continually “micromanaged” his daughter’s moves in college to make sure she both kept up her grades in economics and would see professors daily. He even went as far as to have her uncle, who lived by the college, go to her dorm to demand she call her father with a report on her academics (Lythcott-Haims, College Age Depression). As a result of helicopter parenting, multiple college age students can suffer from anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. This is directly relatable to William Shakespeare’s 1 Henry IV. In the play, Prince Hal mentions how he has to “pay the debt [he] never promised” (I, iii, 203). Thus saying he has to pay his debt that he will be King someday, even though he never asked to be King. This relates to the economics story because this girl has to pay her “debt” of becoming an economics major because that is what her father wants her to be even though she never asked for it. Another point made in the magazine article is that helicopter parenting can deprive college age students of “the opportunity to be creative, to problem solve, to develop coping skills, to build resilience, to figure out what makes them happy, to figure out who they are. In short, it deprives them of the chance to be, well, human” (Lythcott-Haims, College Age Depression). Teens and young adults with helicopter parents have not acquired the skills to help them in everyday tasks, such as making important decisions and problem solving.
Some college students are afraid of failing because of how they were raised by their parents. In fact, many characteristics and fears teens have are based on how they were raised. One specific example of helicopter parenting that relates to the play, was when one teen’s father forced her to be an economics major. He achieved this by threatening to divorce her mother if she did not. He continually “micromanaged” his daughter’s moves in college to make sure she both kept up her grades in economics and would see professors daily. He even went as far as to have her uncle, who lived by the college, go to her dorm to demand she call her father with a report on her academics (Lythcott-Haims, College Age Depression). As a result of helicopter parenting, multiple college age students can suffer from anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. This is directly relatable to William Shakespeare’s 1 Henry IV. In the play, Prince Hal mentions how he has to “pay the debt [he] never promised” (I, iii, 203). Thus saying he has to pay his debt that he will be King someday, even though he never asked to be King. This relates to the economics story because this girl has to pay her “debt” of becoming an economics major because that is what her father wants her to be even though she never asked for it. Another point made in the magazine article is that helicopter parenting can deprive college age students of “the opportunity to be creative, to problem solve, to develop coping skills, to build resilience, to figure out what makes them happy, to figure out who they are. In short, it deprives them of the chance to be, well, human” (Lythcott-Haims, College Age Depression). Teens and young adults with helicopter parents have not acquired the skills to help them in everyday tasks, such as making important decisions and problem solving.