Comparative Analysis of Prince Hals Soliloquy and King Henrys Speech - Essay Example

Echoes in Prince Hal’s Soliloquy and King Henry’s Speech This paper will discuss the use of language that draws upon the similarities between Prince Hal’s soliloquy in Scene II; Act I and King Henry’s speech while reprimanding Hal, his son and heir in Scene II; Act III. The latter scene is almost entirely devoted to the “private conference” the King has with his recalcitrant son, Prince Hal. Shakespeare uses his words skillfully to paint an accurate picture of the two people involved in the conversation and their relationship. From the reproachful language the King uses we learn that Hal has a dissolute lifestyle not befitting a prince and that he allows himself to be led astray by his “common” friends and disgraces the importance of royalty. Prince Henry, as we know is the heir of the King and needs to maintain certain decorum for people to respect him and look up to him when he is King. Bolingbroke chides Hal and tells him of how making a spectacle of himself in public would only diminish his stature in the eyes of the people. He would be judged by the company he kept, which in Hal’s case was very low indeed. The Prince allowed himself to be associated with “such poor, such bare, such lewd” (1186) friends and pleasures that the King could not help but be deeply disappointed in him. Add to that was the fact that Hal was friends with the Percies who were planning to revolt against King Henry IV. Bolingbroke cursed his luck for having a son who wanted to go against his father and who was a disgrace to the entire line of Kings before him. He reminded Hal of how his bad behavior and foolish ways had cost him his position in the council of ministers. The people criticize him openly for his wild ways and unruly companions. Nothing is hidden from the King and he says that he wished that Hal would present himself more often in front of the King rather than be seen with his disreputable friends. It is clear from what Bolingbroke says that he is heart-broken and very disillusioned by the prospect of Hal being an unpopular king. Shakespeare has a wonderful way with words and conveys dexterously the feelings of a disenchanted father and a contrite son down to an infinitesimal degree. He is able to use language that is apt and to an extent prophetic when he draws a sketch of what Bolingbroke had done to achieve popularity and earn the respect of the people of England in comparison to King Richard II. It is almost the same notion that Prince Hal has expressed earlier in his soliloquy. The examples used are almost the same too. Both King Henry and Prince Hal use the instance of the sun, though in different ways, to talk about majesty and rising above commonality and shining in the eyes of the subjects. The concept of being too visible is considered unfavorable. Bolingbroke advises his son to be more restricted in his public appearances and to work on his public image which at that present moment was most unsuitable for a Prince. King Henry narrates to Hal how he had made himself admired by the people even when Richard was the King by following the advice he was now giving his son, by keeping himself “fresh and new” (1188). Bolingbroke seems to believe that the adage ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ was very relevant in public life. He gave the example of Richard, who in his attempt to make himself popular had become extremely available and accessible to all and sundry. Royalty needs to be distant and aloof. The advantage of such a policy is that people tend to lay more importance to what you say if you speak less. He believed that Richard had exposed himself “by much too much” (1188) and people got tired of watching the antics of the King. If he had held himself in reserve then people would have taken more notice of his good deeds and the glamour would have remained intact. King Henry tells Hal that he fears that Hal was going the same way as Richard had done and that this did not portend well for him. He uses rare candor when he talks about how he had gone about securing his own reputation and the method he had used to make him realize his ambition and become King after deposing Richard II. In his long speech to Hal Bolingbroke compares him to Richard and emphasizes that the likes of Falstaff were “capering fools” who would only add to the indignity and shame he was bringing upon himself. He calls Richard “the skipping king” who did not have the sense not to mingle too much with common friends and bring down his elevated status down to theirs and “had his great name profaned by their scorns”. Richard in his time was popular with his subjects as he was quite egalitarian and approachable. He did not have the airs and magnificence that surrounded kings and his people loved him. However, due to his free mingling with the common folk and not caring to preserve the majesty and dignity of the royal ruler of the land, Bolingbroke was able to discredit him and gain popularity even while Richard was in office. The guiding principle for Bolingbroke had been to remain elusive and exclusive in contrast to Richard. He knew that ‘distance lends enchantment’ (proverb) and the rarer his public appearances the more people would wonder about him. That would trigger curiosity in the minds of the people. The lesser he spoke and exposed himself to public gaze the more people would clamor for a sight of him. He groomed himself carefully and created such a striking image of himself that in his own words “I could not stir but like a comet I was wonder’d at” (1188). After making himself sought after he “stole all courtesy from heaven” and ingratiated himself so much with the people by being humble and recluse, that “I did pluck allegiance from men’s hearts”. On the other hand Richard, who did not follow the same principle, was making himself common and losing ground because there was no novelty left in him and whatever he did was not good enough in comparison to Henry Bolingbroke. The observations of King Henry and his advice to his son shows that beneath the human sentiment lay a very detached, discerning and calculating intellect. The King was upset with his son, no doubt. But the way he went about analyzing Hal’s behavior and comparing him to Richard, of whom Hal had been fond of in his youth, shows that he knew exactly what to say to make his son repent and also change his mind and support his father against Percy. He was able to extract Hal’s allegiance and word of honor that he would curb the impertinence of Hotspur and redeem his father’s honor. Bolingbroke is quite dispassionate when he stirs the pot and praises Percy sky-high knowing full well that Hal would not like his subordinate to be praised so much and would turn against him. It was this quality of detachment and precision that, perhaps, made King Henry IV a more effective king than Richard. We see the same cool and collected thinking from Hal in his soliloquy, which shows us that essentially Hal and King Henry had very similar natures and philosophies. Hal in his soliloquy shows a clinical detachment when he says that he would play along with his friends for as long as it suited him. Once he got tired of them he would assume his royal demeanor and change his behavior so that those who criticized him before would be forced to see the difference in him and be in awe of him. He would indulge in such foolery to please himself and be carefree but this was not what he was meant for. Unlike Falstaff he was not jovial by nature, he was cold and calculating, and would not feel any qualms if he had to forsake his friends. He compares his present carefree state to that of the sun being hidden by clouds when people do not see the sun for a long time they yearn for sunshine and want the clouds gone. In the same way he, Hal, would while away time in “unyoked humor” and let people talk negatively about him. He was sure that when the right time arrived he would be able to shake off his associates and assume his royal duties without any difficulty. The similarity between father and son is also evident from the parallels they draw upon to cite examples from. King Henry uses the instance of the “sun-like majesty” which people look up to admiringly when it shines in its fullest glory. He compares Hal’s companions to “cloudy men” (1188) who help to dim the radiance of the sun and bring gloom. Hal in his soliloquy talks about how he would “imitate the sun”(1160) and allow it to be hidden by “clouds” till people grew so tired of not seeing the sun that they would hail it shouts of appreciation. In other words he would allow his friends to diminish his stature and he would be like the sun hidden behind clouds till he was ready to turn over a new leaf and show his reformed self to the world. He anticipated the appreciating that people, including his father, would have of him then. So he would be irresponsible and vile now so that in contrast he would seem that much more reformed and acceptable by the people. The other parallel that can be drawn from both the speeches is the idea of “being wanted” (1160) acted as sauce and whetted the appetite of people to the positive reception of royalty. Bolingbroke in his speech had said “by being seldom seen…I was more wonder’d at” (1188) meaning that it paid to be exclusive if you were to win over the loyalty and admiration of the gentry and the other noblemen who would support you through your rule. Hal expresses the same feeling when he says that if one were to have fun or “sport” the whole year round then it would be “tedious” to have fun and enjoyment all the time. Just as you need to be elusive for people to want you more in the same way you need to have contrasting activities and companions to be able to fully understand appreciate the value of what you have. He hints at changing his approach, behavior and role when the right time came along. Till then he was content to be as bad as he wanted to be, making “offense a skill” so that when he did turn over a new leaf people would wonder at the change and be fearful of him at the same time feel deep admiration for him. Hal had Bolingbroke’s calm, level-headed and rational mind. Both King Henry and he knew that the easiest way to win over the loyalty of the people was to be polite and graceful. Bolingbroke had “dressed [myself] in such humility” (1188) that people started to compare him favorably with King Richard. Hal realizes that he must come across as being humble and righteous to be popular and says “how much better than my word I am” (1160) and gain their support. To both appearances matter a lot and both are prepared to be hypocritical in their behavior if it was needed to be considered a good and wise king. Both know that they could mould public opinion at will and they were determined not to leave any stone unturned in their quest for approval and power. These two speeches are an excellent example of how well Shakespeare could use vocabulary to bring out the subtle differences and similarities of his characters. These two speeches alone give us an insight into the workings of the minds of King Henry and Hal. The apparent differences in these two personalities are easily visible to the audience. That Bolingbroke is disillusioned by his irresponsible son and that Hal is rebellious and wants to encourage Bolingbroke’s detractors is also evident. What is more intricate is the way Shakespeare uses dialogue to cleverly bring about the similarities in these two antithetical characters. We end up seeing more of the similarities between these two people than the differences. The words too are used carefully to convey the change of mood, particularly, in that of Hal where he finishes off by entreating his father to have faith in him and that he promised not to let him down. So by the end of Bolingbroke’s speech we see Hal is already acknowledging to his father what he had been thinking privately to himself and the rift between father and son is on the way to be mended. Also the common belief that like minds think similarly is borne out by the fact that both Bolingbroke and Hal use similar imagery and turn of phrase to express their opinions. Both use similar examples to illustrate what they want to communicate and that Hal and his father are essentially alike is brought home to us. Work Cited Rowse, A.L. The Anotated Shakespeare. New York: Greenwich House, 1988. Print. Read More