King Henry IV -- Act 5, Scene 5
Post a comment here about Scene 5 if you are a member of the Court, the Rebels, or the Combined group.
posted by T Sale at 11:07 AM
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Previous Posts
- Henry IV, Act IV, Scene 1 and Instructions
- Henry IV, Act IV, scene 2
- Henry IV, Act IV, scene 3
- King Henry -- 3.1.1-197 and Instructions
- King Henry -- 3.1.198-276 and 3.2
- King Henry -- Act 3, Scene 3
- King Henry -- Act 2, Scene 3
- King Henry -- Act 2, Scene 4, Lines 1-137
- King Henry -- Act 2, Scene 4, Lines 138-end
- King Henry IV, Part 1 -- Act 1, Scene 1 Reading Blog
7 Comments:
Questions:
Well, the story may be over, but there are still some questions that I dont fully understand yet:
-- What is the significance of Falstaff-- why does Shakespeare put so much into developing his character, idiosyncrasies, and relationship with Hal?
-- Why does Shakespeare conclude the story with Falstaff making lighthearted jokes and playing tricks toward the end? What does Falstaff's pretend death suggest about Hal, and what is the purpose of including this event into the scene?
-- Why would Hal tell Falstaff at the end that "For my part, if a lie may do thee grace, I'll gild it with the happiest terms I have" (153-154).? Since honor is so important in this society, and since Hal has already shown his contempt for Falstaff, why would he allow this drunk to have the honor that should rightly be bestowed upon him?
-- Why does Shakespeare leave the threat of Mortimer in the background-- in other words, why doesn't he just allow the King and Hal to have a complete victory in the end?
-- Since Henry IV is a historical play, much of the theater-going English population would already be familiar with the overall outcome of the story. What was Shakespeare's purpose in writing Henry IV, and what message was he most interested in communicating?
10)
In Prince Hal’s final dialogue, “Then, brother John of Lancaster,/ To you this honorable bounty shall belong… Have taught us how to cherish such high deeds/ Even from our adversaries,” (lines 24-31) the worlds of the court, rebels, and the tavern converge in him. Falstaff would question Hal if he would be a fair King in the earlier acts when he would ask how Hal would punish thieves. This idea of a “fair King” is evident in Hal when he returns Douglas to his land free and ransom less. This is a deed that his father denied to Mortimer and it is clear that Falstaff is the role model he uses in this instance. Also, the court is exhibited in the speech because he gives credit to Lancaster, which is necessary for a king if they want loyal subjects. Hal learned this from his father’s mistake because he did not give credit to Hotspur in battle, which gave Hotspur more reason to rebel. Finally, the emphasis of honor in battle that Hotspur displayed is shown in Hal when he commends Douglas for valor he displayed in battle. These three worlds that have converged in Hal will turn him into the success King Henry V that history knows.
Response to Act 5 Scene 5:
9) Honor. Simply, who has it and who doesn’t? Throughout the course of this play, the answer fluctuated constantly, never allowing for an apparent winner of this battle until late in Act 5, when the King began emerging. But, from this point the question remains, why did he get that honor? His previous actions against Richard II certainly do not deserve the honor of King, yet here is afforded that honor. Could this be based upon the success that he has now experienced as the King of England, a proven leader and military commander? He fought for his beliefs, honorable, offered an olive-branch to the rebels, honorable, and promises to continue fighting the good fight of the England, for “ let us not leave till all our own be won” (5.5.46),again honorable. He stood up for his beliefs yet again, possibly learning throughout his experiences in the play that living an honorable life is the basis for success and victory, whereas the rebels who lacked that basis of honor lost to the King’s troops in battle. Yet, even though by the end of this play, the King has clearly taken up honor with him, however was he the only to do so? What about Prince Hal? Did he not fight? What about Worcester and Vernon? In their condemnations to death, did they lose honor or gain it? That is held in the eye of the beholder. For the rebels, yes, they were honorable. They were proud martyrs of their time, who stood against the established government to end the injustice that they felt was present, however for the court and its followers, these men were traitors, who deserved nothing more death. But, is honor that cut and dry? No, Shakespeare through this question seems to be stating that honor is not concrete, but fluid, not general, but specific, and that it can cross ideological lines. It could be stated that the rebels who were sentenced to death were honorable because they stood by the beliefs that they held. That is honorable. It is those who live in this world, that even in the midst of defeat, at death’s doorstep, stand up for their beliefs’, confident and assured of the rightness of their cause, who are honorable. Honor, that was the guiding light to the play. Honor, not a gift but an earned reward. Honor, the characteristic that all strive to live under and by, to one day be called a man, or a woman, of honor.
2.
I am curious as to why the play does not end with a bang. It seems like Shakespeare ran out of space and just had to end the play soon, so he killed the bad ones off and said The End. He sets up for the next play, but does not conclude the first one. Is this purposeful? Probably!
Response to Act 5 Scene 3:
5)
Prince Harry surprises us in the end of the play. In the first scenes, he is portrayed as another pubcrawler, who neglects his duties as heir to the throne of England. However, in Act 1 Scene 2, Hal does say, "I'll so offend, to make offence a skill; Redeeming time when men think least I will."
In Act 5 alone, Prince Harry carries out two good deeds. The first is when he valiantly saves the King from the Douglas, who is about to kill the King. The latter shows Prince Henry's good heart, not just good timing in a battle. Prince Hal decides to reward the Douglas: "...deliver him...ransomless and free: His valour shown upon our crests to-day Hath taught us how to cherish such high deeds Even in the bosom of our adversaries." In that day, such a kind pardon in wartime was (I'm sure) unheard of. Even though the Douglas was a rebel, Prince Harry honors him for his integrity. This is the test of a true hero- one that rises from his inner bad to become the man he is born to be.
Act 5 Scene 5
10. Hal's tranfsormation in Act V has proven him worthy man for the court. In scene 5, Hal uses all that he has learned from each of the "worlds" (court, rebels, pub crawlers) to become the man that he is in this scene. Now, instead of Hal searching for role models in each of these worlds, I believe that he is a role model for all of them. He displays an honor and fairness when he releases Douglas, "Go to the Douglas and deliver him/Up to his pleasure, ransomless and free./His volars shown upon our crests today/Have taught us how to cherish such deeds,/Even in the bosom of our adversaries" (27-31). This action answers Falstaff's questions in the first act of how Hal will act when he is king, and if he will be fair to his subjects. It also shows his admiration of many of the rebels because of their strength and courage. Finally, as he has already proven himself to his father, he has now taken the responsibility that kings must live with, by choosing dealing with Douglas himself. It is an enormous responsibility, and he makes a noble, kingly decision to let him go.
2) I think the significance of this scene was to set the stage for Henry IV part 2. Henry divides his forces and while the major victory is won, there are still rebels that are alive that need to be dealt with. In ending the play with this cliffhanger, Shakespeare sets up the conflicts in this play's sequel.
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