Henry IV, Act III, scene 1, lines 198-276 and scene 2
Please post your comments for Scene 1, lines 198-276, and Scene 2 of Act 3 of Henry IV, Part 1 here. (See instructions under the post for Scene 1, lines 1-197.)
posted by Cheryl Makovsky at 12:51 PM
6 Comments:
Scene ii, #4
I really liked the imagery created by King Henry IV when he was talking about King Richard II. He says, "More than a little is by much too much./So when he had occasion to be seen/He was but as the cuckoo is in June/heard, not regarded; seen, but with such eyes/as, sick and blunted with community/afford no extraordinary gaze/such as is bent on sun-like majesty/when it shines seldom in admiring eyes;/but rather drowzed and hung their eyelids down/slept in his face and render'd such aspect/as cloudy men use to their adversaries/being with his presence glutted, gorged and full." He uses the sun and cloud imagery, and says that when the king appears, it should be rare and majestic, like when the rare sun emerges from the clouds. He says King Richard made himself too easily available to the commoners, and therefore made them sleepy and "gorged" by him. I like the comparison of King Richard to the cuckoo bird that appears so much in June, that no one really cares about it any more, because it is not rare.
6. King Henry and Hal have a rather tedious relationship with a great deal of formality and structure. Both appear to have a set belief as to why the other places himself in their life beyond the role of father or son. At the very beginning of scene 2, for example, Henry IV proclaims to his son, "I know not whether God will have it so/ For some displeasing service I have done,/ That, in His secret doom, out of my blood/ He'll breed revengement and a scourge for me" (3.2.5-8). If nothing else, what the king says sounds extremely cold. To tell your son that God has sent him as a punishment? How the King addresses Hal appears more like how a king might remark to a worthless lackey or, if you will, an animated criminal mastermind who hs failed yet again due to their workers' incompetence and informs them of just how worthless they are. On the other hand, Hal responds to Henry with as much formality as his father who truly seems to stand on a high precipice to which Hal must look for pardon. I suppose this matches the idea of Divine Right, but shouldn't the divine one's son sit close to him? All Hal says to his father's accusations is: "...I would I could/ Quit all offenses with as clear excuse/ As well as I am doubtless I can purge/ Myself of many I am charged withal....By smiling pickthanks and base newsmongers,/ I may for some things true, wherein my youth/ Hath faulty wandered and irregular,/ Find pardon on my true submission" (3.2.20-30). Hal submits to his father, but does he really respect him? Both make excuses for why conversing is difficult between the two of them and attempt only to further themselves in what they want of the other. After all, in the end, Hal must attend to war and the King finally sees some, hopefully, approved action in his son. To sum up my lengthy jabbering, Hal and King Henry don't really have a relationship of father and son. One sees the other as punishment and a trial in his life while the other, views him as a higher ranking officer to whom he must submit but not love. Tragedy flits through the relationships in royalty like not other place.
response to betsy h:
In this scene, the purpose of the King telling Hal about his foes is not to break or mend their relationship, but to show the honor both Hotspur and Percy exhibit in battle, evident in this phrase, “Turns head against the lion’s armed jaws/ and being no more in debt to years than thou/ Leads ancient lords and reverend bishops on/ To bloody battles,” (lines 102-106). The King does not see these qualities in his son, but views him as someone who would just as easily fight for Percy because he thinks Hal has an unpredictable temper (lines 125-128). Instead, Hal resembles Richard, which is the ultimate insult the King could call his son. This is because they both spent too much time in the public eye, which turns the divine royal court into a common occurrence. To the King, this is a disgrace and is why he overthrew King Richard (lines 69-77). The result of this insult does mend their relationship because Hal now wants to fight for his father to become his son again (lines 130-136).
5. I did not like Hotspur in this scene. Every time we read about him, I wonder more and more why King Henry wants him as a son and not Hal. I think Hal is a much better man than Hotspur. Even though Hal doesn't associate with respectable people, he has values and is loyal to his friends. On the contrary, Hotspur only associates with powerful nobles and is ego is still too big for them and he dislikes most of them. I liked when Worcester finally criticized Hotspur for being so rude to Glendower, saying that his stubbornness and rude comments could be a sign of "Defect of manners, want of government/ Pride, haughtiness, opinion, and disdain/ The least of which, haunting a nobleman/ Loseth men's hearts and leaves behind a stain/ Upon the beauty of all parts besides/ Beguiling them of commendation" (lines 129-184). Hotspur was trying to prove to these men that he was just as great as them by disagreeing with practically everything they said, but instead he proved that he was proud, haughty, and impolite.
He doesn't redeem himself later either when he shows so much disrespect for Kate. On one side there is Mortimer who is saying that he will try his hardest to learn Welsh so that he can communicate with his dearly beloved wife, and on the other there is Hotspur who is mocking Kate, demanding her to sing or he'll go "to the Welsh lady's bed."
Even though Hotspur's actions are great in battle, his personality and ego makes him a rude, proud man that I personally do not like.
Response to Megan F
I also find it interesting that the king still respects Hotspur when he knows that Hotspur is trying to overthrow him. It is possible that King Henry admires that Hotspur is courageous and well known and bold and brave, whereas, Hal is anything but those characteristics. I think King Henry just wants Hal to make a good name for himself and carry on Henry's legacy. King Henry is tired of Hal drinking and partying while Hotspur is becoming popular with the rebels. Even though Hotspur is rebelious, at least he is fighting for a cause and making a name for himself. I think King Henry admires Hotspur for this, even though he does not want to deal with rebels. Henry uses Hotspur's actions to spur Hal to action; he plays off of Hotspur to develop Hal into a noble and worthy heir to the throne.
In response to Kelly,
-- You made a really interesting comparison between Hotspur and Lady Percy's relationship versus that of Lord and Lady Mortimer. While I agree in some aspects with your idea that Mortimer is completely in love with his wife despite their language barrier, I also saw it as a herald to the societal values during Shakespeare's life. Marriage wasn't so much about love as a political alliance, and Mortimer is a perfect example-- the ousted heir to the English throne marries a nobleman's daughter. And Glendower may be able to raise enough support, along with the help of Mortimer and Hotspur, to return him to the throne. Furthermore, how would Mortimer fall in love with his wife without speaking the same language (practically speaking)? Does this suggest an undying love despite the constraints of modern language, or does it imply that Mortimer is more interested in his societal position as king than relationships?
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