King henry iv part 1 analysis
![king henry iv part 1 analysis king henry iv part 1 analysis](https://www.coursehero.com/thumb/95/69/95698111c5074dd81fb0c6058a48024a212f36a0_180.jpg)
Who actually is in the right, King Henry or the Percies, if either? The only way to answer this question is by recourse to Tudor political policy which, as has been stated earlier, informs this play. In counsel with his father and uncle, young Percy frequently disdains to refer to Henry as king rather, he is "cank'red Bolingbroke," a thorn or canker in comparison to the lawfully anointed Richard II, "that sweet lovely rose." In the plant kingdom the rose is the appropriate symbol of royalty, just as the lion is in the animal kingdom.Īll this may confuse the modern reader. For these the king and the Percies alike "wear the detested blot / Of murderous subornation" and must suffer "a world of curses" (163-64). To Hotspur are assigned speeches which recall the sins of usurpation and regicide. In the language of sixteenth-century political philosophy, Henry is a man gifted with the "specialty of rule." Nor does this conclusion rule out the fact that, in the words of Hotspur, he is a "subtle king," - one capable of calculation, as a successful head of state has to be, at least in an era of power politics.īut this does not mean that Henry's crimes are to be forgotten. The opening lines of his first speech tell us that he has sought to placate troublesome subjects, who nevertheless must respect him as one "mighty and to be fear'd" (6) if they prove recalcitrant. In this scene, King Henry is represented not as the sinner, weary and wan with care, but as the forceful, competent ruler determined to maintain order within his kingdom as he faces baronial opposition. Henry faces not only the opposition of the most powerful baronial family in the North, but also, if the rebels' plan succeeds, the forces of Mortimer (legal heir to the throne according to the will made by Richard II) and the fearsome Glendower.
![king henry iv part 1 analysis king henry iv part 1 analysis](https://www.thinkswap.com/pdf_thumbnails/1/131257_king_henry_iv_part_1_question_2_thinkswap_fadded.jpg)
The danger to the Crown is very great indeed as Hotspur's speech beginning "Send danger from the east unto the west" (195-97) makes clear. Following the audience with the king, the Percies are on the verge of rebellion. The action in the main plot has risen to the point where the conflict is brought into the open. Augmented by the Scottish and Welsh forces, the Percies will then confront the usurper Henry IV. Hotspur is to pacify Henry IV for the time being by turning the prisoners over to the Crown, but he will make peace with Douglas and soon will ally himself with Glendower and Mortimer. Only after Northumberland has succeeded in calming his son can Worcester proceed. Henceforth, he declares, he will dedicate himself solely to opposing "this Bolingbroke" and the Prince of Wales. Hotspur is exhilarated by the very mention of a dangerous exploit to be carried out in the name of honor. Worcester interrupts to announce that he has a plan, one "deep and dangerous," which he will reveal to his kinsmen. When Hotspur says that the king turned pale at the very mention of Mortimer's name, Worcester replies, "I cannot blame him." And this leads to a review of past events: Richard II's designation of the Earl of March as his heir to the throne, the role of the Percies in Bolingbroke's successful revolt, and the ignominious position in which this proud and ungrateful Henry IV has placed the members of the House of Percy. Just as Northumberland urges his son to control himself, Worcester returns to hear another outburst from his nephew. Even though he risks his life he will not obey King Henry. Ordering Hotspur to talk no more of the Earl of March, he adds: "Send us your prisoners, or you'll hear of it." The king and members of his retinue leave. He is convinced that young Percy intended to use the Scottish prisoners in bargaining with him for the ransom of Mortimer, Earl of March, Hotspur's brother-in-law, whom he denounces as one who foolishly betrayed the forces he led and now has married the daughter of his captor, "that great magician, damn'd Glendower." Hotspur vehemently defends Mortimer, but the king refuses to believe that he is not a traitor.
![king henry iv part 1 analysis king henry iv part 1 analysis](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0751/1437/products/King_Henry_IV_P1_A218_FRONT.jpg)
Although the loyal Sir Walter Blunt puts in a good word for Hotspur, the king does not accept this excuse. Battle weary, he found it impossible to respond affirmatively to the request made by the king's messenger, a pretentious, unmanly coxcomb. Hotspur, he states, has been maligned, for his son never intended to ignore a royal command. Now it is Northumberland who addresses Henry IV, voicing words of conciliation. The king promptly orders Worcester to leave. His threat to use force if necessary to curb their opposition leads Worcester to remind him that they, the Percies, were largely responsible for his rise to the throne.
![king henry iv part 1 analysis king henry iv part 1 analysis](https://ecdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Henry-IV-Part-1-Comprehension-and-Analysis-Bundle-2405741-1460165442/original-2405741-1.jpg)
A determined King Henry strongly reproves the Earls of Northumberland and Worcester, and Hotspur, who have obeyed his summons to appear before him.