by Allison Montvidas, Blogging Circle 4
In class, we discussed Prince Hal’s monologue at the end of Act 1 Scene 2, in which, according to the interpretation we went with, he basically divulged to the audience that his relationships with Falstaff and the other robbers, as well as his habit of frequenting taverns, were all a part of a ruse that he has been enacting in order to make his rise to power more dramatic, and make himself look better in the long run (the difference between a prince who behaves well and a great king is much less than the difference between a prince who behaves horribly and a great king). Because of this reading of the monologue, in which Prince Hal is apparently insincere and heartless, the consensus seemed to be that Hal was not a very sympathetic character at all. My understanding of this scene and my feelings regarding Hal do not match the consensus—I view him as more sympathetic.
The text notes: “This speech has often made the Prince seem cold and calculating. It can, however, be played as a hastily composed self-justification for Hal’s continued presence in the tavern” (1184). I agree much more with the latter interpretation, which could have to do with the way I’ve seen the play staged in the past (although I do not actually remember much of it at all). Over the spring break of my junior year of high school I went on a class trip to the UK and visited, among other places, Stratford-upon-Avon, which is where Shakespeare technically lived (even though he spent most of his time in London). In Stratford-upon-Avon, we saw a performance of the first part of Henry IV, and again, although I cannot recall much detail about the performance itself, I remember really liking the character of Prince Hal—I imagine the director and actors chose to stage the play more in line with the latter interpretation that the text notes. This basically just shows the importance of directors’ and performers’ interpretations of characters that the footnotes already emphasized, which is why it would be really nice (although impossible) to see how Shakespeare himself would have treated the scene.
One line from the monologue that I think supports the idea of Prince Hal as a more sympathetic character is: “Yet herein will I imitate the sun” (1.2.172). The word that stuck out the most for me was “herein,” which implies that this was not Hal’s plan from the beginning of his frequenting of taverns and his interaction with such characters as Falstaff. I doubt he was so calculating as to decide initially to go into a tavern specifically to seem like an incapable heir to the throne to make himself look better later. If that were the case, I think the line would have been something more like “Yet I have imitated the sun” (which doesn’t fit into the verse that Hal adopts when he is no longer in the company of common folk, but the point stands that it seems to be more of a spontaneous realization than a calculated plan).
I think this monologue shows Prince Hal realizing that he will have responsibilities as king and justifying his past behavior while allowing himself to continue in such behavior for a little bit longer before he will need to accept those kingly responsibilities. Also, although we talked in class about how he was planning to “vaporize” his less-than-savory companions, he actually says: “By breaking through the foul and ugly mists/ Of vapors that did seem to strangle him” (1.2.176-177). I think this is a significant difference because the clouds that he says cover the sun could represent his own actions rather than necessarily the company he keeps (it’s ambiguous), and even if that is not the case, I think the difference between “vaporize” and “breaking through” is significant. I don’t think Hal is necessarily selfless–his monologue is definitely self-centered–but I definitely don’t believe he is completely heartless.
(I could probably write an entire other blog post about the juxtaposition of Prince Hal and Hotspur, who are both also known as “Harry,” in relation to this monologue and the development of their characters, but I’ll just leave off with this sentence to show that I noticed something there.)
Hi Allison!
I really enjoyed your post especially since you based it off personal experience when you visited the UK. Prince Hal is a character that I too enjoyed learning about and I found his “plan” interesting, but at the same time immature. His grand scheme of coming out on top by pretending to be a lesser person than he really is, I found to be a bit cruel especially when his father is in need of him. Of course though as we discovered today Prince Harry does live up to his expectations and refers back to the promise he has made in his monologue. I didn’t really sympathize with him like you mentioned, but then after reading your reasoning I do see where you got that understanding from. Originally I just found his actions selfish and unfair, but now I see he really just wanted to prove a point to his father a rebellious thing to do, but not uncommon in a father-son relationship of high standing, like King and Prince.
Allison, I found your post really intriguing! After completing “Henry IV’ this post aligns with my altered and current views on Prince Hal. His actions have fulfilled his promises and seem to show a very different side of Harry. Personally, similar to you, I think Prince Harry’s actions are evident of him becoming a stronger prince and taking on his role with a more mature perspective. Regardless, I believe Hal changed for the better.
Hi Allison,
This is such a thoughtful post! I was surprised when Hal promised to become a better prince, and that turn-around affects how we interpret the scene you talked about. I think Hal wants to have fun for as long as he can and his reputation isn’t important to him. When he lets Falstaff have the credit for killing Hotspur, he demonstrates that he doesn’t need to establish a reputation. I don’t think his remark was “calculated,” but rather, something that he wanted to believe was true during the time he said it.
I think your take on Prince Hal’s monologue is very engaging. I’m not sure if you thought of this after the class, but I wish you brought it up in class because this would have sparked a very interesting conversation. It was very important that you teased that line out of the text and further analyzed it because it made me question Hal’s intentions all along as well. It’s amazing how one word can change the interpretation of an entire sentence. Regardless of Hal’s reasonings and intentions for not portraying himself as the perfect Prince throughout the text, he surprised the person that he truly wanted to impress the most at the end of the play, which was his father Henry IV. The praise that King Henry bestowed upon Hal in the last scene was worth Hal’s actions and maturation throughout the play.
To be completely honest with you, I thought that Prince Hal is more of a sympathetic character than the rest of the class seemed to think during our discussion as well. When I read the speech on my own for the first time, I initially felt bad for Prince Hal. I thought that it was sad that he has no choice but to be the crown prince and act a certain way for all of his life and then eventually take his father’s job as king once King Henry dies. What if Hal truly wants to be a painter or own a tavern himself instead of be king someday? I thought the speech showed how he would be able to impress his father with his future actions because the king already seems to be disappointed with his son. I also thought that it is noble of him to recognize the responsibilities he has instead of simply running away from them. He goes back to his father and then fights alongside him in a war to protect his country when, realistically, it would have been easy enough for him to decide against it.
Hi Allison, thank you for your super insightful reading on Prince Hal. I am very much so shocked by your interpretation of Prince Hal, and analysis of the placement of specific language in your textual evidence, because as I was reading, I realized how completely viable and possibly truthful your post may be for Hal. It very, very realistically could be that Hal had in that moment decided/realized that he will become King one day, and must start to prepare for it, and that interpretation completely changes my initial opinion of Hal, but my overall thoughts on his character overall. Perhaps he is not as brilliant a mastermind as I thought, but rather just a very talented and capable tactitian. I guess that ultimately, this does not change my opinion on his brainpower, but definitely does make him appear much much more sympathetic, in an unexpected light!
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