henry iv Flashcards
“…the theme of honour’s tongue/ Amongst a grove the straightest plant…”
personification and accumulation| emphasises his honourable appearance, which Shakespeare akins to King Henry’s role as a monarch, wherein he is the embodiment of Jacobean virtue. Hotspurs determination to uphold his esteemed reputation leads to his pursuit of accomplishments that strengthen his sense of honour.
“By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap/ To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon”.
Hotspur’s pride becomes a potent force of his actions, valuing honour as a metaphorical “prize” that can be readily achieved through Shakespeare’s vivid imagery of “pluck[ing]” it with courageous deeds. Shakespeare skillfully portrays the prevailing chivalric expectations during King Henry’s reign.
“better brook the loss of brittle life/Than those proud titles thou hast won of me.”
alliteration| intensifies Hotspur’s unyielding dedication to honour as he refuses to live a life without it. However, his single-minded focus on honour prevents him from exploring alternative perspectives, leading to impulsive decisions that leave him susceptible to misjudgments.
“What is honour? A word. What is that word honour? Air.”,
soliloquy and hypophora| actively dismisses the significance of honour, likening it to the invisibility of “air”. Shakespeare encourages a deeper reflection from audiences on the nature and worth of honour as Falstaff challenges its traditional importance.
”The better part of valour is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life.”
idiom| delivered as an aside asserts Falstaff’s belief that it is better to be cowardly and live than die as a hero - a belief not so typical of Elizabethan society - showcased through his opportunistic approach and self-serving tactics.
“Lord, lord, has this world given to lying”.
irony| his claim lies in his satirical lack of self-awareness that he did not kill Hotspur, claiming the murder as his own to establish a false sense of honour. Despite his title as a knight, Falstaff remains true to his scheming and self-serving ways, always seeking personal gain or recognition
“Which, wash’d away, shall scour [his] shame with it… wear[ing] a garment all of blood and stain [his] favour in a bloody mask”
“..wear[ing] a garment all of blood and stain [his] favour in a bloody mask”. This monologue of macabre imagery reveals his honour’s disintegrity as a mere facade “Which, wash’d away, shall scour [his] shame with it..”, wherein the metaphor explicates his belief that he can easily accrue honour through warfare and hence Hal will be redeemed from his past dishonour. Shakespeare showcases Hal’s trajectory throughout the play through his eventual adherance to his royal duty and emerging as the integral influence in the Battle of Shrewbury’s victory.
“I know you all, and will awhile uphold/ The unyoked humour of your idleness..”
dramatic irony|mirrors his words at the beginning of the play, emphasising the deception strategy that he has culminated to understand and lead his people effectively, thus fostering newfound maturity.
like feather’d Mercury.. an angel drop’pd down from the clouds
