Father/Son Relationships in Shakespeares Henry IV, Part One Essay

Father/Son Relationships in Shakespeares atomic number 1 IV, routine One The relationship between a father and his son is an classical theme in Shakespeares Henry IV, Part One, as it relates to the two main(prenominal) characters of the play, Prince Hal and Hotspur. These two characters, considered as youths and future rulers to the reader, are exposed to father figures whose actions will twist their actions in later years. Both characters have two such father-figures Henry IV and Falstaff for Prince Hal, and the Earl of Northumberland and the Earl of Worcester for Hotspur. Both father-figures for Hal and Hotspur have obvious good and bad connotations in their influence on the character. For example, Falstaff, in his drinking and reveling, is clearly a deplorable influence for a future ruler such as Prince Hal, and Worcester, who shares Hotspurs temper, encourages Hotspur to bind rash decisions. The entire plot of the play is based on which father-figure these cha racters choose to follow had they chosen the other, the outcome would have been wholly different. At the start of the play, the reader sees that Prince Hal has been acting in a manner which has bilk his father. The King compares Hotspur to Hal, saying that Hotspur is A son who is the theme of honours tongue, and that riot and spoil stain the brow of Hal (I.i.3). He even wishes that the two were switched Then would I have his Harry, and he mine (I.i.3). The King obviously does not O.K. of Hals actions, and believes that, if Hal does not change his ways, he will be a silly successor to the throne. This is quite true, as Hal spends the majority of his time in sleazy taverns, associating with what his father calls rude society (III.ii.... ...ators to join them, and who sets the wheels of the revolution in motion. The consequences of the Hal and Hotspurs election in father-figures are indeed what leads the play to its final outcome. Hal, who sides with his father and not Falstaff, becomes a noble prince and redeems himself in the eyes of his father. Hotspur, on the other hand, sides with Worcester, and their corporate tempers lead them to make the rash decision to revolt. Their tempers are also prudent for other poor decisions that evade the chance of truce, resulting in the inevitable also-ran of the rebellion. Indeed, all could have been prevented if Hotspur sided with his father, rather than his uncle, and Hal would have become a vacate criminal had he followed Falstaff. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Henry IV part one. Ed. P. H. Davison, virgin York Penguin Books, 1996.