An Interpretation of the Complexity of Prince Hal’s Character in HenryIV

○ Li Lin

(Foreign Languages School, Xinxiang University, Xinxiang, Henan, 453003)

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An Interpretation of the Complexity of Prince Hal’s Character inHenryIV

○ Li Lin

(ForeignLanguagesSchool,XinxiangUniversity,Xinxiang,Henan, 453003)

Prince Hal is the protagonist of Shakespeare’s historical playHenryIV. This play is seemingly on the theme of “the return of a prodigal son”, and one of the clues is how Prince Hal changes from a prodigal son into an ideal monarch. However, the reason why Prince Hal is associated with the bandits is not of the ignorance of youth, it has profound causes, which can see the complexity of Prince Hal’s character.

Shakespeare, Prince Hal, complexity

I. Introduction

Shakespeare’s histories include ten historical plays, nine of which dramatize successively two centuries of English history from Richard II (1377～1399) to Henry VIII (1509～1547). They show the horrors of civil war, the responsibility of an efficient ruler, and the importance of legitimate succession to the throne. Of all political calamities, submission to the clash of

aristocratic and clerical ambitions, unrestrained by a wisely directed, and humane but unflinching central rule, is the calamity most to be feared and guarded against. The principal idea of these plays is the necessity for national unity under one king. These ideas were of vital interest to the Elizabethan audience.

HenryIVis one of the most remarkable historical plays of Shakespeare. The play has three groups of characters that interact slightly at first, and then come together in the Battle of Shrewsbury, where the success of the rebellion will be decided. First there is King Henry himself and his immediate council. He is the engine of the play, but usually in the background. Next there is the group of rebels, energetically embodied in Harry Percy — Hotspur — and including his father (Northumberland) and lead by his uncle Thomas Percy (Worcester). The Scottish Earl of Douglas, Edmund Mortimer and the Welshman Owen Glendower also join. Finally, at the center of the play are the young Prince Hal and his companions Falstaff, Poins, Bardolph, and Peto. Streetwise and pound-foolish, these rogues manage to paint over this grim history in the colors of comedy.

Ⅱ. Prince Hal’s “Depraved Acts” and His Real Purpose in

HenryIV

As the play opens, the king is angry with Hotspur for refusing him most of the prisoners taken in a recent action against the Scots at Holmedon. Hotspur, for his part, would have the king ransom Edmund Mortimer (his wife’s brother) from Owen Glendower, the Welshman who holds him. Henry refuses, berates Mortimer’s loyalty, and treats the Percys with threats and rudeness. Stung and alarmed by Henry’s dangerous and peremptory way with them, they proceed to make common cause with the Welsh and Scots, intending to depose “this ingrate and cankered Bolingbroke.” By Act II, rebellion is brewing. As Henry Bolingbroke is mishandling the affairs of state, his son Hal is joking, drinking, and whoring. He finds himself embroiled in a highway robbery, as this is the chief means by which Falstaff and his minions support themselves. Hal is not, however, a pawn of these fellows, but rather coolly keeps his head, does not participate directly, and later returns all the money taken. Rather early in the play, in fact, Hal informs us that his riotous time will soon come to a close, and he will reassume his rightful high place in affairs by showing himself worthy to his father and others through some noble exploits. Hal believes that this sudden change of manner will amount to a greater reward and acknowledgment of prince-ship, and in turn “earn” him respect from the members of the court.

The revolt of Mortimer and the Percys very quickly gives him his chance to do just that. The high and the low come together when the Prince makes up with his father and is given a high command. He orders Falstaff to procure a group of footsoldiers and proceed to the battle site at Shrewsbury. The easy life is over for now. Shrewsbury is crucial. If the rebels even achieve a standoff their cause gains greatly, as they have other powers waiting under Northumberland, Glendower, Mortimer, and the Bishop of York. Henry needs a decisive victory here. He outnumbers the rebels, but Hotspur, with the wild hope of despair, leads his troops into battle. The day wears on, the issue still in doubt, the king harried by the wild Scot Douglas, when Prince Hal and Hotspur, the two Harrys that cannot share one land, meet. Finally they will fight—for glory, for their lives, and for the kingdom. The future king, no longer a tavern brawler but a warrior, prevails.

On the way to this climax, we are treated to Falstaff, who has “misused the King’s press damnably”, not only by taking money from able-bodied men who wished to evade service but by keeping the wages of the poor souls he brought instead who were killed in battle. He has the effrontery, too, to claim he killed Hotspur, having merely stabbed the dead body. Yet Hal, who, not an hour before, actually had killed him, perhaps shaking his head in wonder, allows Sir John his disreputable tricks.

The play ends at Shrewsbury, after the battle. The death of Hotspur has taken the heart out of the rebels, and the king’s forces prevail. Henry is pleased with the outcome, not least because it gives him a chance to execute Thomas Percy, the Earl of Worcester, one of his chief enemies (though previously one of his chief friends). But all is not settled: now he must deal with the Archbishop of York, who has joined with Northumberland, and with the forces of Mortimer and Glendower. This ending in the middle sets the stage for Part 2.

For this famous historical playHenryIV, some scholars believe that the theme is medieval morality play and the new development of Christian story — “the return of a prodigal son”. The central idea of the play is the educational problem of prince.

Associating with Henry V, in the impression of most readers, the clue of “Henry IV” is to describe how Prince Hal changes from a prodigal son who does no decent work and is associated with the bandits into an ideal monarch who is wise and fair, brave and prudent, and is deeply loved by his subjects. However, if readers make a detailed analysis, it is clear that such an analysis is only the surface of the dramatic story. The change of Prince Hal is definitely different from the old theme of “the return of a prodigal son”. The reason is that the character of Prince Hal is absolutely not as simple as it seems, and there is profound complexity of his character. Therefore, Prince Hal is more than a prodigal son who only gives up evil and returns to virtue.

2.1 Shakespeare’s description of Prince Hal’s acts

Young Prince Hal is tired of red tape and daily routines in the court, and he is deeply attracted by the colorful and free

civilian life. As a result, he goes to the Boar’s Head Tavern and hangs around with a group of bandits all day. However, Shakespeare does not show his debauchery, on the contrary, he shapes Prince Hal into a warm-hearted, witty, and brave man. Prince Hal is the embodiment of “happy England” and “heroic England”. When he gets together with Falstaff, Prince Hal constantly teases him, makes a laughingstock of him, exposes his lies, or even condemns his evil acts. For Prince Hal, even the robbery that he does together with the bandits is not a robbery of self-interest, and it is no more than a game of pastime. He is just in search of fun from all sorts of ridiculous acts of this group of people, and laughs at them to his heart’s content. For instance, when Falstaff invites Prince Hal to participate in his robbery, Hal angrily shouts: “Who, I rob? I a thief? Not I, by my faith.”[1]Later, he again refuses to attend the event. Therefore, it is clear that although Prince Hal likes to spend time with them, in fact, he never regards himself as one of them. He

always has a condescending attitude towards Falstaff and such a group of bandits, and he despises them from the bottom of his heart. The above-mentioned words of Prince Hal in no uncertain terms express that there are differences between the heir to the throne and the bandits. In that case, why Prince Hal hangs around with a group of bandits all day? Does he only intend to shake off the shackles of the court, and pursue free civilian life?

When Shakespeare describes the influence of contacting with common people on Prince Hal, he takes the same attitude towards the problem of developing the youth with those progressive thinkers at that time. Montaigne says, “If our young people’s will and interest show the possibility to be shaped, we must be bold to enable them to adapt to all walks of life, all kinds of people’s way of life, and sometimes allow them to adapt to the unrestrained debauched life… If they are allowed to adapt to various customs at that time, they will certainly be able to create all kinds of undertakings without exception, and will only like to create good causes.” In Montaigne’s view, the youth “should understand all the people who he has not seen, such as shepherds and masons. The youth should use and absorb all the merits of each individual as much as possible, or even a person’s ignorance and shortcomings also contain some instructive things. When young people make the evaluation of the characteristics of each individual, they should choose and follow what is good, and forsake what is evil.”

When Prince Hal mentions the binge with those drawers, it seems that he adds a footnote to Montaigne’s words. He says, “I am sworn brother to a leash of drawers, and can call them all by their christen names, as Tom, Dick, and Francis. They take it already upon their salvation, that though I be but Prince of Wales, yet I am the king of courtesy, and tell me flatly I am no proud Jack like Falstaff, but a Corinthian, a lad of mattle, a good boy, and when I am King of England I shall command all the good lads in Eastcheap.”[1]“To conclude, I am so good a proficient in one quarter of an hour, that I can drink with any tinker in his own language during my life.”[1]

2.2 The real purpose of Prince Hal’s acts

Prince Hal is absolutely not as simple as people think — just a shallow and ignorant young man. On the contrary, he actually is a prudent and far-sighted prince. He does not become a new man from a prodigal son all of a sudden. In fact, he originally possesses the quality of a brilliant monarch. In other words, no matter where he is, and no matter what he does, he has never forgotten that he shoulders great responsibilities as the heir to the throne. He has his own purpose of associating with the bandits. Prince Hal deliberately uses his depraved acts to make people around him misunderstand his ability. As a result, everyone will be dismayed at his magnificent action. His ideal is to shine out with great brilliancy the same as the sun that breaks though. Although Prince Hal and Falstaff seemingly are fair-weather friends, he has his own political plans. Therefore, as long as the time of repentance comes, Prince Hal will kick away Falstaff without the slightest hesitation. At the beginning of the drama, it indicates that Prince Hal and Falstaff will be bound to go separate ways. Furthermore, Prince Hal leaves the group of bandits to return to the court does not imply that he returns to politics, in fact, he has never left the political stage.

Ⅲ. The Similarity and Difference between Henry IV’s

Characteristic and That of Prince Hal

From the above-mentioned analysis, some learners draw a conclusion. On the basis of Prince Hal’s dissimulation, the essence of his character is hypocrisy. Does this assertion really grasp the essence of this character?

3.1 The similarity between Henry IV’s characteristic and that of Prince Hal

Comparing Prince Hal with his father, it seems that there is striking similarity between their words, or even the imagery of their language. The remark that Henry IV explains his hiding in the court is a typical example.

By being seldom seen, I could not stir

But like a comet I was wond’red at,

That man would tell their children, “This is he!”…

Seldom but sumptuous, show’d like a feast,

And wan by rareness such solemnity.[1]

The father is likened to the dazzling comet, and the son is likened to the sun that breaks though. They both intend to use their unexpected words and acts to arouse people’s attention and admiration, so as to achieve a certain purpose of their own. At this point, it can be seen that Prince Hal inherits his father’s characteristic.

3.2 The difference between Henry IV’s characteristic and that of Prince Hal

Even if the father and the son have similar ideas, and their behavior also coincides, there are significant differences between their values and characteristics because they take different positions.

1.The characteristic of Henry IV— hypocrisy

Henry IV is a usurper, and his political program is to confuse people. He hypocritically disguises himself as a very humble man in order to gain the necessary sympathy of usurping the throne. He says,

And then I stole all courtesy from heaven,

And dress’d myself in such humility

That I did pluck allegiance from men’s hearts,

Loud shouts and salutations from their mouths

Even in the presence of the crowned King.

Thus did I keep my person fresh and new,

My presence, like a robe pontifical,

Ne’er seen but wond’red at, and so my state.[1]

Henry IV’s main purpose is to deceive his future subjects and force them to believe those qualities that he actually does not have. In a word, the appropriate summary of Henry IV’s acts is hypocrisy.

2.The characteristic of Prince Hal — “pseudo-evil”

Contrary to his father, Prince Hal only shows his outstanding qualities when absolutely necessary. He would rather let people consider himself even worse than the fact.

If the characteristic of Henry IV is hypocrisy, the characteristic of Prince Hal can be summed up as “pseudo-evil”. Such a characteristic includes more political games and political means. In the face of rebel forces and the threat of losing political power, such a means can make him more different to be aware of. As a result, he not only deceives the general subjects, but also completely fools the enemy’s eyes. Therefore, the enemy has never regarded him as the opponent of struggle or the obstacle to winning. In that case, the purpose of Prince Hal is reached. The enemy greatly underestimates his ability, so that he defeats his opponents by a surprise move in political and military struggles. He wins all kinds of honor and makes the enemy even more embarrassed than the loss of life. Consequently, Prince Hal puts down the revolt and eases the crisis of ruling. Prince Hal uses absurdity to cover up wisdom, and applies wild exuberance to hide ambition. He says one thing and does another, therefore, his strategy of disguising is absolutely more experienced and thoughtful than that of his father.

Ⅳ. Conclusion

Based on the previous analysis, it is clear that the change of Prince Hal is definitely different from the old theme of “the return of a prodigal son”. The reason is that the character of Prince Hal is absolutely not as simple as it seems, and there is profound complexity of his character. Therefore, Prince Hal is more than a prodigal son who only gives up evil and returns to virtue. To sum up, Prince Hal is neither a shallow profligate son nor a wolf in sheep’s clothing just as Henry IV. The complexity of his character is in no way under that of Hamlet, which is really worth our careful study and in-depth consideration.

[1]威廉·莎士比亞.莎士比亞全集·英文本：亨利四世[M].外語教學(xué)與研究出版社，2014.

[2] 何其莘.英國戲劇史[M].譯林出版社，1999.

[3] 侯維瑞.英國文學(xué)通史[M].上海外語教育出版社，1999.

[4] 劉炳善.英國文學(xué)簡史[M].河南人民出版社，2006.

[5] 張伯香.英國文學(xué)教程[M].武漢大學(xué)出版社，2004.

2014年度河南省哲學(xué)社會科學(xué)規(guī)劃項目(2014CWX012)；2014年度河南省教育廳人文社會科學(xué)研究項目(2014-QN-415)；

李霖，新鄉(xiāng)學(xué)院外國語學(xué)院。

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再論《亨利四世》中哈爾王子性格的復(fù)雜性

李霖

(新鄉(xiāng)學(xué)院 外國語學(xué)院，河南 新鄉(xiāng) 453003)

哈爾王子是莎士比亞著名的歷史劇《亨利四世》的主人公。表面上看這部劇的主題似乎是關(guān)于“浪子回頭”，講述哈爾王子如何從一個不羈浪子變成一個理想君主。然而哈爾王子混跡于土匪中并不是由于年少無知，而是有著深層次的原因，從中可以看到哈爾王子性格的復(fù)雜性。

莎士比亞； 哈爾王子； 復(fù)雜性

2014年度河南省教育廳人文社會科學(xué)研究項目(2014-QN-432)。