The Importance Of Honor In Shakespeare's Henry IV

Superior Essays
Henry IV, a play by the famous play writer Shakespeare, contains many themes. A major theme that plays a huge role throughout the play is that of honor. Each character has personal reasons for wanting to obtain honor. Shakespeare consistently shows throughout this play how selfish intentions can lead to negative results. The main characters in Shakespeare’s play all have separate ideas of what it means to be honorable, which Shakespeare demonstrates in his play by having each character have individual motives. King Henry is portrayed as a less than honorable ruler. He has overthrown Richard II and has had him executed. He struggles with the idea that the people are less than pleased with his choices and looks to his son to bring an honorable …show more content…
This speech drives a reader to really reconsider what honor actually is and what its’ true meaning is. This speech talks of the uselessness of honor. Falstaff begins by saying, “well, tis no matter, honour pricks on me” (5.1.824 Shakespeare). Honor bothers Falstaff. Everyone around him is acting violent, and foolish all for the sake of honor. He had asked his best friend to defend him in battle, and the prince responds “why thou owest god a death” (5.1.126 Shakespeare). This is harsh comment to say to a friend. Harry believes that there is honor in fighting and Falstaff owes his life to the lord and to his people. This upsets Falstaff and provokes this speech. Shakespeare uses this speech to open the reader’s eyes to the truth about honor. You have these characters who exemplify everything brave and honorable. This speech shows that all of this is for nothing. Falstaff presents the idea, “what is honour? A word” (5.1.132 Shakespeare). Honor is simply a word, not a physical force. You may feel you have gained honor but what does that give you? It cannot get you a job, it cannot find you love, or take away your pain. Shakespeare lived in a time where men were held to high expectations. Men had to be brutes, and tough, and defend the land. They had to be noble and honorable. What did this give them? Falstaff continues to bring up the idea that those who die receive more honor than the living, “Yea, to the dead, but will it not live with the living” (5.1.135 Shakespeare). Falstaff believes we give honor to those who are dead as a way to dress up their funeral. This speaks on what Hotspur and the Prince are doing. They are going into battle and whomever dies will receive the honor because he has fought and died for it. The one who lived will temporarily have the honor of killing the other, but it will not stick. Falstaff ends by announcing, “Honour is a mere scutcheon” (5.1.138 Shakespeare). It is a mere decoration for a

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Honour Shakespeare consistently throughout the play makes reference to and emphasises the importance of the code of honour and reputation. He shows how vital these themes to the plot and how much they influence the play up till the tragic ending; for example, the different social ranks banding together to fight the opposing family or when Tybalt wishes to challenge Romeo to a duel. The need to defend and uphold their family reputation and honour results in the many tragedies and deaths seen in the play. The first time the theme honour is introduced is in the opening scene, Act 1 Scene 1.…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Honor means high respect, esteem, privilege. Honor to me means to both give and receive respect, strength, doing the right thing (even when it's hard), putting others needs above yours, holding yourself to your values and not harming others. There are many people who hold definition to honor...such as scientists, firefighters, soldiers, government officials (like the president). There is many people that are honorable, one of these people are Florence Nightingale. Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Powerful individuals represent themselves in manipulative ways, to create political situations that benefit them. King Henry IV Part 1, a history play by Shakespeare typifies this idea. Context has had an influential role in how shakespeare uses dramatic techniques to shape the characterisation of King Henry, Hal and Hotspur. The desired political situations manufactured by individuals in Henry IV Part 1 all stem from power, personal greed and pride. Those who seek power and obtain it through unjust means often develop paranoia, which leads them to manipulate political situations in order to maintain that power.…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the Elizabethan Times, presenting honor was connected but not limited to following the Christian faith, showing integrity and loyalty towards the King and the royal family, and to their leadership and position in society. Honour was practically a deciding factor on how an individual was judged. In such a time where being a man of honor was so essential to being a respected and successful individual, one's certainty can play big a role. Without a state of assurance, retaining one's honor is greatly affected.…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hippolyta prepare for their wedding. During this process, Hippolyta, the woman Theseus has ‘won in battle’, makes snide comments toward Theseus and is quickly chided by Theseus and returns to her silence. In this society, and this time period, women have few rights and are not allowed to talk back to men and are taught to treat their husbands like kings, regardless of how their husbands treat them in return (societal customs). At the end of the play, after the wedding, the actors perform their play for the Duke, his new bride, and their wedding party. The actor Bottom, who is treated like a king earlier in the green world, is now brought back down to his station (social class enforced).…

    • 1003 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In Shakespeare’s works, the recurring obsession of obtaining honor is prominent throughout his plays. During the plays’ time periods, the only way to obtain honor is through fighting on the battlefield, but honor does not stop there. It spreads to the main characters’ way of life, affects the way they rule, and the decisions they make. The contrasting/ supporting characters even have an opinion on honor and use it to their advantage. Honor is defined as high respect or esteem, or honor may be viewed as a privilege.…

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Theme Of Honor In Macbeth

    • 1059 Words
    • 5 Pages

    What is in that word “honour”? What is that “honour”? Air... Who hath it? He that died o’…

    • 1059 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The definition of honor is to have high respect, or to do something good for the benefit of others, not yourself. There are different ways of defining honor, but this is the most generic one. In our world, there have been dramatic changes in this definition over time. Whether it be in American culture, or other countries cultures. The following are examples of how these are seen.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the reign of Julius Caesar, one’s actions and ideas usually determined that person’s nobility. For some, their actions would lead to others thinking that they are very noble. For others, their actions would be determined as dishonorable or shameful. The level of how honorable that person was would also determine their place in society, and how others would regard them when in their presence. In the play Julius Caesar, Brutus was honorable due to the fact that he was the only one of the conspirators who killed Julius Caesar for the good of Rome, and not due to envy.…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare makes Leonato’s belief that she is truly dishonored when he compares her to being doused in ink that could not be scrubbed off and as “tainted flesh” or meat left to rot. These images paint an unchangeable picture – dead, rotting meat cannot be brought back to life and in Leonato’s mind, Hero’s honor cannot be restored. With the few lines said by honored nobility, Hero’s honor can be taken away. This also implies there is honor dynamic that places nobilities honor as higher than Hero’s since even her father does not believe…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Honor is an essential part of the Greek hero archetype as demonstrated in Homer’s Iliad. Achilleus, Agamemnon, and Hektor all demonstrate varying levels of honor and glory throughout the first six books. Honor in Greek tradition is something that is won by fighting in battles or leading an army, but true honor is how a person uses that privilege to reveal their morals and virtue. Through these three character’s actions, Homer demonstrates how one can be honorable but not have true honor.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Everyone has morals and whether they can hold onto them and act appropriately varies from person to person. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet explores this topic. First published in 1603, this play is about a prince whose father has recently died and the chaos that follows. The play focuses on the idea of revenge and the effects that follow. One of the main themes in Hamlet is that moral corruption can cause dysfunction within a family and state.…

    • 1045 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While this may seem minute, it plays a large role in how it is appropriate to treat one another, no matter how much Hal tries to act like he is not a prince. On top of that, Falstaff is a coward. He is a fat coward, a point oft repeated throughout the play. He even makes note of it himself, and beyond that, he pretends to be dead in order to live. Then, he has the audacity to ask Hal if he can claim to have killed Hotspur so he can earn a higher social class from King Henry IV.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to Shakespeare a man has to be noble, brave, and fight for his king, kingdom, and family.…

    • 142 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Ethical Values In Macbeth

    • 1900 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Ethical values are often thrown to the side when certain individuals are given the choice between right and wrong. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the characters struggle with their sense of morality. Throughout the course of the play, characters perform unethical tasks in order to gain and secure their glory. According to Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian philosopher and political realist, “rulers cannot be bound by morality” in order to be successful (Burnham, Hill, King, Marenbon & Weeks, 2011, p.106)1.The Machiavellian philosophy suggests that the most suitable ruler is determined through their efforts to strive for success, how their civilians feel towards them, and through their personality – these ideas are reflected in the Shakespearean…

    • 1900 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays

Related Topics