Honor Explored in Shakespeare's I Essay

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iv.82-4). It is also unfortunate that Falstaff is like a father to Hal. He even pokes fun at those that enjoy fighting. An example of this is when he says, "I am not yet of Percy's mind, the Hotspur of the north, he that kills me some six or seven dozen of Scots at a breakfast, washes his hands, and says to his wife, 'Fie upon this quiet life! I want work'" (II.v.94-97). Here he is deliberately pointing out that he is not of the same kind as Hotspur and proud of it. Falstaff is not the kind of person that should be influencing a young man on the threshold of becoming king. Hal, however, is enchanted by him and appears to be missing the mark when it comes to his future.

Shakespeare delivers, however, by turning the tables on Hotspur and Hal. Hal eventually reveals a bit of his intelligence in the scene where he was being compared to Hotspur. His transformation convinces his father that he has become the honorable young man the king he hoped he would. To prove his true intentions, he vows to kill Hotspur.

This in the name of God I promise here,

The which if He be pleased I shall perform,

I do beseech Your Majesty may salve

The long-grown wounds of my intemperance.

If not, the end of life cancels all bonds,

And I will die a hundred thousand deaths

Ere break the smallest parcel of this vow. (III.ii.153-9)

From this speech, Hal emerges a new man and begins to acknowledge his place in life. This change also indicates how readers begin to see Hal. He is no longer the lazy kid at the beginning of the play but rather a man driven by honor and what it means to be a man. Our opinion of Hal is not the only thing that has changed. Readers also have a renewed impression of Hotspur by this time in the play. As Hal looks at Hotspur's dead body, he says:

When that this body did contain a spirit,

A kingdom for it was too small a bound,

But now two paces of the vilest earth

Is room enough.

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(V.iv.88 -- 91)

This scene reveals how far Hal has come in regards to his emotional maturity. We also realize that Hotspur did not die a noble or honorable death.

Hal also demonstrates his capacity for honor when he resolves the conflict at Shrewsbury. This is significant because this strife has carried over since King Henry. After Hal saves his life, the king must look him in a different way. In this scene, all that was before seems to fade away as the king realizes that his son does possess honor. He states, "Thou hast redeemed thy lost opinion, / and showed thou mak'st some tender of my life" (V.iv.47 -- 48). Hal most certainly has redeemed himself and set the future in motion.

Shakespeare brings the notion of honor and what it means to the forefront of this play. He does so by bringing readers' attention to the young and seemingly vapid Hal and the overreaching Hotspur. Both men appear to be something they are not at the beginning of the play and as time goes on, we see that true honor emerges in the lest likely places. The young rivals point out how looks can be deceiving and, in the end, actions do speak louder than words. Hotspur turns out to be more talk than anything. Hal appears to be the lost soul guided by the lazy Falstaff. With such a leader, one would think his future to be dim. Time reveals that we can only truly know a man after time has given him the opportunity to rise to occasions that provide him chances to step out and prove his honor through actions, not words.

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