930 shakespeare, William
soundly defeated, no thanks to Hotspur’s prideful
arrogance. Hotspur, who is killed by Hal on the
field of battle, finally achieves his own misguided,
prideful fate, which he earlier spoke of to the dis-
contented trio of Worcester, Vernon, and Douglas:
“Doomsday is near; die all, die merrily” (4.1.134).
Hal is cognizant of the dangers of pride and that
“[i]ll-weav’d ambition” (5.4.88), such as Hotspur’s,
could lead to the downfall of humanity and the top-
pling of kings and nations. A pragmatic, humble,
and effective leader, Hal is able to subdue his own
prideful tendencies, which are present in his father
and Hotspur, thereby bringing to a close (at least
temporarily) the specter of rebellion.
Alexander L. Kaufman
vIoLence in Henry IV, Part 1
William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1 is a play in
which violence is both a major thematic element and
(for some characters) a necessary evil. At the heart
of the play lies the specter of civil war. England, it
seems, has only just begun to recover from Henry
IV’s overthrow of his predecessor, Richard II, when
news of internal civil strife is brought before the
king. While the rebellion of Owen Glendower is
offstage and therefore not seen, its effects are clearly
visible onstage: In the first scene, the king is short-
tempered and nervous, and he trusts few people—
his son included. Henry can get no peace, which is
ironic since his own ascension to the throne was the
result of the murder of Richard II, an event in which
he played a major role. Henry and his son, Prince
Hal (the future Henry V ), often rely on violence to
achieve their political ends, and while both are able
to secure peace at the close of the play, it is a peace
that is only achieved by their violent victory at the
Battle of Shrewsbury.
The Middle Ages and the English Renaissance
were violent times; moreover, violence was often
experienced firsthand and often imitated. There is a
cyclical nature to the violence in Henry IV, Part 1, for
throughout the play the actions of many characters
are often contingent on a violent act that has just
occurred. Of course, the most violent and danger-
ous character is Hotspur: Time and again in act 1
he defies his king’s commands, until finally he and
his forces decide on a “noble plot” (1.3.279)—to
ally themselves with the forces of Glendower, Scot-
land, York, and Mortimer so as to usurp Henry’s
command. Shakespeare, however, is quick to note
that violence, while it may be a means to an end, is
oftentimes misdirected and results in disaster. For
example, Hotspur’s frantic and bloodthirsty call
to rebellion is juxtaposed with Prince Hal and his
friends’ robbery attempt of travelers on the highway.
While the robbery is all fun and games to Hal’s best
friend, Falstaff (Hal, in a shift in character, does
not take part in the robbery), the men are actually
robbing the king’s exchequer (the king’s treasurer)
and thus hurting themselves and their country. The
tables are finally turned on Falstaff, for Hal and Ned
Poins (who are in disguise) ambush their friend and
scare him off. By the end of this scene, nothing is
gained from the violence of the robbery: Falstaff
runs away so fast that he leaves behind the money
that he stole.
When Hotspur’s rebellion does get underway,
Hal surprises his father with his determination to
end the revolt. Now more focused and mature, he
has learned how to win his father’s favor, for the
prince informs his father that he will crush Hotspur
and his forces with one decisive victory and kill
Hotspur in the process. When the day of victory
is over, Hal boasts that he “will wear a garment all
of blood, / And stain my favors in a bloody mask”
(3.2.135–136). Upon hearing this speech, the king is
convinced of his son’s abilities and lauds the notion
that a “hundred thousand rebels” (3.2.160) will die
in their own defeat.
The Battle of Shrewsbury, which was fought
on July 21, 1403, was a victory for the king. Shake-
speare’s retelling of the battle focuses the action on
the major players and not the everyday soldiers who
fought and died. The stakes, as Shakespeare notes
through his characters, were high, and only through
decisive victory would the rebellion be quelled. At
one point during the battle, the earl of Westmore-
land suggests to Hal that the prince should rest in
a tent, yet Hal quickly rebukes him, for the field of
battle awaits where “stain’d nobility lies trodden on, /
And rebels’ arms triumph in massacres” (5.4.13–14).
When Hal and Hotspur do engage in battle, the
prince quickly defeats the rebel, yet Hal’s words
to his dead opponent are full of praise and pathos.