King Henry IV -- Act 5, Scene 1 and Instructions
Acting assignments for Act 5:
The Court -- Scene 1
The Rebels -- Scene 2
Combined Group -- Scenes 3 and 4
The Pubcrawlers -- Scene 5
You will blog about each of the three scenes in which you do not act. All three will be original comments this time -- no response to another student's comment required (but if you see one that interests you, by all means, go ahead and respond).
Post a comment about Scene 1 here if you are a member of the Rebels, the Pubcrawlers, or the Combined group.
The Court -- Scene 1
The Rebels -- Scene 2
Combined Group -- Scenes 3 and 4
The Pubcrawlers -- Scene 5
You will blog about each of the three scenes in which you do not act. All three will be original comments this time -- no response to another student's comment required (but if you see one that interests you, by all means, go ahead and respond).
Post a comment about Scene 1 here if you are a member of the Rebels, the Pubcrawlers, or the Combined group.
posted by T Sale at 11:11 AM
6 Comments:
Chennery-
I completely agree. Hal's friendship with Falstaff is completely over. This is apparent in scene 3 when Hal sees him lying "dead" on the ground. He says, "What? My old friend? Couldn't all this flesh hold onto a little life? Poor Jack, farewell. I would rather have lost a more valuable soldier. If I were in love with vanity, I'd really miss you. Death hasn't taken anyone as fat today, though it has taken many better men in this vicious battle. I'll have you embowelled soon; till then, lie here in blood, by the great Percy." There seems to be no sadness or compassion in his speech. I think Hal realizes how corrupt Falstaff is and all the bad he represents. However, I think it's better that Hal and Falstaff grow apart because it will help be a better ruler.
1)
This scene begins with the King and Prince Hal on the battlefield talking about the weather as a way to foreshadow the coming battle. Worcester enters and the King asks him to, “More in that obedient orb again… and be no more an exhaled meteor,” (lines 12-21). Worcester responds by saying that he would rather not fight the King, but that he took more from the state than was fair. He forgot his oath at Doncaster and oppressed the people that got him into power. The King refers to the rebels and their justifications as moody beggars who are waiting for a time of plundering and confusion (lines 81-82). He gives Worcester an ultimatum because he believes, “We love our people well; even those we love/ That are misled upon your cousin’s part,” (lines 104-15). Worcester leaves and Prince Hal and the King believe they will have a battle. The scene ends with Falstaff giving justification for why he will not fight for honor. He believes honor cannot mend broken bones and that no living person can feel it. To him, it is a meaningless icon.
Response to Act 5 Scene 1:
5)
As we near the end of this play, Falstaff has always been portrayed as a fat, gluttonious, and greedy man who drifts from tavern to tavern. However, in a short soliloquy at the end of this scene, Falstaff's character is shown in a new light. His speech is eloquent and thoughtful. He talks about honor, and how overrated it is, because the man who seeks honor only receives it in his death. The men who fight for this man's honor are the ones who are suffering: "What is honour? A word. What is in that word honour?...air." Falstaff is criticizing the shallowness of military men who only care about winning.
It is interesting that Falstaff is the one critiquing shallowness, when he is the one who reguarly goes to whorehouses and other places of the like. This soliloquy shows Falstaff's maturity, and the audience and reader gains respect for this man. Both the Prince and Falstaff gain some honor of their own when they are separated from each other. It is as if they are children together who go off to the 'real world' to make something of themselves.
Emily-
I like your interpretation of Falstaff's soliloquy. You are a lot more forgiving than I am about Falstaff's character. Personally, I found Falstaff's views on honor to be the opposite of what you said. Instead of showing his maturity, I think it shows a lot of the cowardice of Falstaff and his unworthiness to lead the men he was given command of. He is unwilling to die for an idea (honor), but ideas are often the reasons most worth dying for. Falstaff demonstrates his love of life, one full of self-serving purposes, over the importance placed on values of the day he lives in.
Response to Act 5 Scene 1:
4) After reading Act 5 Scene 1, a few important quotes stood out to me, all of which carry great meaning in relation to the play. The first quote is really a conversation between the King and Worcester at the beginning of the scene: The King- “You have deceived…unborn times” (5.1.12-22) and Worcester’s response: “ Hear me…this dislike”
(5.1.23-27). This quote stood out to me because at this point in the play the two sides of this conflict both converge on the other, each with surprisingly the same argument, on a certain level. Each side has great passion for the actions that they are about to take (3.2, 4.1), yet each does not want to actually carry those actions out to fruition, as shown through the above statements by the King and Worcester. Both state that their side has not brought about this desperate turn of events, blaming the other for the predicament that they are found in, yet there is one main difference between the two stances that really seem to differentiate between the rightness of their respective causes. As their conversation continues about the upcoming battle, the King gives an “offer of our grace” (5.1.107), an opportunity to end this looming battle (an offer the rebels never make towards the King), showing that the King is not necessarily interested in absolute power, but using to the greatest advantage the power that he does have. It can be noted that the current King killed Richard II, thus would not that show his need for absolute power? However, I think the King is smarter than that, a much more diplomatic king than some would give him credit for being. This leads to the stance that from this point on the King’s cause is cast in the positive light, as heroes of his nation, and the rebel’s in a negative light because he was willing to try and negotiate for peace. They had a chance for peace, a chance to peacefully confront their differences for change, yet the rebels never responded. Why did they not positively respond to be given a chance for peace? Can it be based upon the rebel’s belief that the King forgot his oath to them (5.1.59)? Or could these two quotes be a very small microcosm of the entire theological debate between the two sides of this conflict, a proposition, that based upon the statements of characters in other scenes, seems to be for the most part an accurate reflection of the events that are occurring between these two groups? This could also point to a possible turning point in the play, at which point it becomes who on the right side and who is not. Overall, these two fairly short quotes provide a basis of rationale for the rest of the play in regards to the motives of the two camps, as well as setting up the expected reactions to each side that will be revealed later in the play. This is why these two quotes stuck out to me so strongly.
3. This scene is the first time that the reader sees Hal truly step up and take on his role as prince. He acknowledges his mistakes, but also shows maturity in challenging Hotspur to one-on-one combat. Hotspur's admirable qualities are making an appearance in Hal; he is truly growing into his role as future king.
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