In Shakespeare’s 1 King Henry IV, the three main settings: the castle, tavern, and the battlefield, are used to represent very different lifestyles, which all play a vital role in the portrayal of certain themes within the play. The castle is normally associated with King Henry, duty, and power, whereas the tavern is populated by drunks, low-lives, and lackluster endeavors. It is also where Hal spends the majority of his time. These two setting cause major conflict between Hal and King Henry as well as blur the true honorability of Hal. The battlefield is where the tavern and castle come into contact and characteristics of both are displayed in a new way. The father-son conflict and honorability of Hal are revealed by the contrasting lifestyles
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Henry, Hal, and Hotspur, are all fighting to either defend their honor or to bring honor to their name. However, the honorability of Hal throughout the play is highly questionable. Is he the most honorable when he is spending time in the tavern, or when he is carrying out the duty of the castle? When Hal is in the tavern, his actions can be seen as both honorable and dishonorable, depending on the scene in question. His ability to converse and be friendly with Falstaff and members of the lower class can be seen as honorable to some, but it also brings out the immaturity and rudeness of Hal. While he and Falstaff enjoy joking around, Hal often says things such as, “Thou art so fat-witted, with drinking of old sack and unbuttoning thee after supper and sleeping upon benches after noon, that thou hast forgotten to demand that truly which thou wouldst truly know”, when Falstaff simply askes for the time, which can be seen as going too far (1.2.2-6). In this way, Hal’s actions at the tavern quite often lack honor. When Hal is at the castle, he puts on an honorable show for his father, but it is questionable whether or not that is his true self. When King Henry is berating Hal on the error of his ways, Hal tells his father that he shall “be more [himself]” (3.2.95). Does this mean that the way he acts at the tavern is just a show, or was that line just something he said to make his dad happy? If he did say it just to please his …show more content…
This is not the case, however, since during the battle, Hal and his father have the most real encounter they’ve had so far. When King Henry is in danger, Hal puts aside his differences with his father and steps in to save his life. At this point, Henry sees the honor that Hal has shown and he tells him that he “…hast redeemed thy lost opinion...” (5.4.38). The tavern and the castle are no longer important because in that moment on the battlefield, Hal saves Henry’s life, and that is all that matters. In this instance, along with his killing of Hotspur, Hal shows true unquestionable honor while also mending the relationship with his father. He also shows his ability to be a true soldier while remaining a friend to Falstaff, and maintaining the jovial attitude that the tavern so often brings out in
Henry, Hal, and Hotspur, are all fighting to either defend their honor or to bring honor to their name. However, the honorability of Hal throughout the play is highly questionable. Is he the most honorable when he is spending time in the tavern, or when he is carrying out the duty of the castle? When Hal is in the tavern, his actions can be seen as both honorable and dishonorable, depending on the scene in question. His ability to converse and be friendly with Falstaff and members of the lower class can be seen as honorable to some, but it also brings out the immaturity and rudeness of Hal. While he and Falstaff enjoy joking around, Hal often says things such as, “Thou art so fat-witted, with drinking of old sack and unbuttoning thee after supper and sleeping upon benches after noon, that thou hast forgotten to demand that truly which thou wouldst truly know”, when Falstaff simply askes for the time, which can be seen as going too far (1.2.2-6). In this way, Hal’s actions at the tavern quite often lack honor. When Hal is at the castle, he puts on an honorable show for his father, but it is questionable whether or not that is his true self. When King Henry is berating Hal on the error of his ways, Hal tells his father that he shall “be more [himself]” (3.2.95). Does this mean that the way he acts at the tavern is just a show, or was that line just something he said to make his dad happy? If he did say it just to please his …show more content…
This is not the case, however, since during the battle, Hal and his father have the most real encounter they’ve had so far. When King Henry is in danger, Hal puts aside his differences with his father and steps in to save his life. At this point, Henry sees the honor that Hal has shown and he tells him that he “…hast redeemed thy lost opinion...” (5.4.38). The tavern and the castle are no longer important because in that moment on the battlefield, Hal saves Henry’s life, and that is all that matters. In this instance, along with his killing of Hotspur, Hal shows true unquestionable honor while also mending the relationship with his father. He also shows his ability to be a true soldier while remaining a friend to Falstaff, and maintaining the jovial attitude that the tavern so often brings out in