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  • Essay / Analysis of the character of Prince Hal in Henry IV, part 1

    So he does everything he can to prove to his father that he is ready to take part in the coming battle. He wants to prove that he is a good prince worthy of his father's appreciation, so when he says: "Henceforth, my thrice gracious lord, I will be more myself" (3. 2. 92-93), he means he will. to be the son his father wants. He will therefore be the one he speaks of in his monologue, the one who is wise, moral, just and courageous. When he says he will be more himself, he means he will be the person everyone wants and expects of him. He is willing to put his own needs aside for the good of the people. His father needs him to be the man to stand up to the rebels, so he will fight. Thomas Rand says that “Hal's daring actions will forever separate him from his old life and draw all astonished eyes to him” (20). Then Hal will “redeem all this on Percy’s head” (3. 2. 132), or die trying. Then one day, Hal will become king because "Hal has built a model in which, […], he will return and defeat opposing forces and rise as the glorious new hope of England, […] he is ready to resurrect to the new life of England. a courteous prince and heir apparent” (Groves 248). From this moment on he will no longer waste time finding his way at the bottom of a glass, or in a robbery, but he will find himself in the eyes of the people by becoming king.