HENRY IV PART ONE
...le acts toward Richard II which won him the crown, but despite all that he believes that he can clear his conscience just if he can get his rebellious son Prince Hal to be a good son and a good future king. Right at the beginning of the play Act 1 Scene 1 we see a conversation between Westmoreland and King Henry himself that clearly indicates that King Henry is infact jealous of Lord Northumberland for he has a son, Hotspur, who is “the theme of honours tongue”. King henry goes on to say “O that if could be proved That some night-tripping fairy had changed In cradle clothes our children where they lay, And called mine Percy…” proving to the responder just how desperate he is for his son Hal to be a good son in order for him to clear his name. Prince Hal as his father believes is an instrument of great anger and revenge and it’s his failure in life that will jeopardise the meaning and value of the throne. “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, But thou dost in thy passages of life Make me believe that thou art only marked For the hot vengence and the rod of heaven To punish my mistreadings.” At the end of Act 3 Scene 2 we see Hal is certain that the only way that honour can be won is by defeating the already- honoured man in personal combat. “I will redeem all this on Percy’s head, And in the closing of some glorious day Be bold to tell you that I am your son…” Killing Hotspur means that in some strange way Hal can take over his glory and receive all that honour he has. At the same time killing Hotspur proves Hal to be noble and it helps him win over his fathers pride. Henry Percy more commonly known as Hotspur is violent, impulsive and rash however throughout the play he manages to display a whole lot of courage, determination and impulsiveness. A great example of this is in Act 1 Scene 3 where hotspur is so eager to get into a good solid war with the king that even his own father and uncle can hardly get a word in edgewise. HOTSPUR “ No yet time serves where in you may redeem Your banished honours and restore yourselves” …. WORCESTER “Peace cousin, say no more…” HOTSPUR “…So honour cross it from the north to south, And let them grapple… To rouse a lion that to start a hare.” NORTHUMBERLAND “ Imagination… drives him beyond the bound...