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HOTSPUR Vs HARRY
HOTSPUR Vs HARRY At the beginning of the play it seems that the chief rebel, Hotspur, is in dispute with the King but as the play progresses we find that the main contest is between Hotspur and Hal, the King's son. At first thought, Hotspur seems to be the easy winner, for all Hal does is spend his time with his friends gallivanting around, stealing and drinking. Hotspur, on the other hand, has returned from a battle in which he defeated the Scots led by Glendower. He has taken many prisoners including the Earl of Douglas, a Scottish warlord. Hotspur is a very valiant warrior who has won a great reputation for himself on the battlefield. He is young and impetuous as his name suggests. Henry IV has more admiration for Hotspur than his own son Hal, and is envious of Northumberland for having such a son: 'a son who is the theme of honours tongue'. ' in envy that my Lord Northumberland should be father to so blest a son'. The King feels that Hotspur reminds him of himself, when he challenged Richard for the throne. Hotspur is brave and valiant and has a good reputation with the people, whereas Hal compared with Richard does not care for the welfare of the country and spends his time entertaining himself with poor company. Hotspur has nothing but disrespect for Hal. During the play he calls him: 'the madcap Prince of Wales'. He thinks of Hal as an unworthy opponent. From Hotspur's point of view the only real opponent is King Henry, and yet it is Hal, 'the madcap of Wales', who vanquishes him in the end, much to his surprise and dismay. We are neither surprised nor dismayed by Hal's triumph because we know Hal better than Hotspur does, and we know what is going to happen. In the first few scenes of the play we feel that Hal is exactly as Hotspur describes him, a madcap Prince, but as the play progresses we see that Hal intends to shine when he becomes King. He says that when the time comes he will ' throw off' his loose behaviour and present himself as the worthy successor to King Henry. On the other hand, Henry is of the opinion that Hal is behaving in a similar way to King Richard, whilst Hotspur is winning the respect and admiration that may well help him to gain the Crown. After talking to the King, Hal apologizes for his conduct and promises to reform and live up to his position. The King tells Hal how much he dislikes his behaviour and says that if he does not change his attitude towards the throne and country then Hotspur may steal his position as King. Hal should be in the forefront of state affairs, but spends his time with unruly characters, more interested in women, alcohol and stealing than in anything else. In Falstaff's opinion they are: 'Diana's forester's, gentlemen of the shade, minions of the moon'(1.2.25-7). This wayward behaviour is just a game that Hal is playing, biding his time, waiting until eventually he can reveal his true self. Hal is always very conscious that he knows what to do and when to do it. He says to his father that he may seem unpromising and dull at the moment but when he becomes King he will shine. He also says, to the Kings delig... This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Academic Library. Please register below now!
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