Henry IV, Act IV, scene 3
Rebels and Pub Crawlers, post your comment about Act 4 scene 3. See the directions under Act 4, scene 1 for details. When you finish commenting on this page, post a comment to someone on Mr. Kleeman's class blog.
posted by T Sale at 10:14 AM
3 Comments:
Chennery:
Can you really say that the king sending Blunt as a messenger means he won't interact with commoners? The rebels, for one, aren't exactly commoners because they are the nobles supporting the rightful line for the king. Therefore, they aren't what you would necessarily call peasant folk. However, I will agree with you in your perception of the king's intelligence. After all, if you don't need to fight a war, why would you? I would like to add that this is also a smart move because it potentially saves himself. He's not only looking for the welfare of his people/men, but his own well-being as he might be attacked, killed, or have another rebellion on his hands if the people decide they don't want to fight anymore. As for your last query which might very well be rhetorical, I am not sure whether we can know from the text if King Henry IV thinks a compromise will work. Yet I believe he might be thinking, "Hey, it's worth a shot." Who knows, it might work and since Hotspur is rather moody, if this man Blunt is actually someone he respects, etc. he might be swayed. Evidently, most unfortunate for the king, he was not.
Response to Act 4 Scene 3:
3) After reading Act 4 Scene 3, a few questions arose in my mind regarding the actions taken by both Hotspur and the King? During the play, Hotspur seems to be very angered and upset over the actions taken by the king, leading into his want to “fight with him tonight” (4.3.1), yet why? Wouldn’t someone who really wanted to change the world for the better, create a strong plan that was sure to succeed? Why is Hotspur so itchy to begin the fighting? Could this be as simple as the anger that he has built up over time, or is that a character fall, which will lead to his possible downfall? King Henry, knowing this, seems right to offer an olive branch of peace to Hotspur, yet the question is why does he feel that he needs to (4.3.36)? Wouldn’t the King assume that his troops have the ability to defeat a group of rebels, or does he think that Hotspur is so great that it is possible he could defeat the King? Yet, more realistically, I think that the King is offering a plan for peace, not out of fear, but out of a general sense that he is the King and must take the higher, better road. My question, now is that is this the turning point for this play? I think that it very possibly may be.
Response to Act 4 Scene 3:
5)
This scene is a very interesting portrayal of all sides of Hotspur. In his usual over-the-top manner, he runs his mouth to Sir Blunt, to simply tell him that the Percys are very disapopinted in the King. This is very obvious and redundant, as this is the basis of the play. (However, I do find this scene helpful in learning more about the background between the 2 families.) Then, at the end of the scene, Hotspur says to Blunt,"And in the morning early shall mine uncle bring him our purposes: and so farewell." This is very uncharacteristic of Hotspur's warlike demeanor. The fact that he is remotely considering the King's kind offer is so odd! Maybe he is bluffing, and this is simply a strategical move for Hotspur...
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