... do. In order to understand the connection that Henry has to some characters in the novel, we have to go back to Henry IV. In Henry IV, King Henry is Prince Hal; a rambunctious youth that hangs out with, Pistol, Nym, and Bardolph, the lowest of common folk and has fun. One of these folks that Hal hangs with is Falstaff, an old man who becomes like a father to ... him. But when Hal becomes king, he has to stop hanging around with him ... and others to take his role as king, rejecting Falstaff and ... ...

• Word Count: 850
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... best. Shakespeare capitalizes on this myth to heighten the drama in his histories. - Henry IV, parts I and II dramatize much of Hal's carousing and his close relationship with the fat, jolly drunkard, Falstaff. Falstaff is much older than Hal and takes to Hal as a bit of a father, perhaps to replace the anxious king who did not understand his son's traits or friends. As a prince, Hal ... plays the role of a common thief much better than that of a king's heir. This dramatically changes once Henry IV dies. Henry V claims that "Hal" was just an ... act, a time to enjoy himself and get to ...

• Word Count: 565
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... and Two In the beginning of Henry IV, King Henry seems pre-occupied with re-establishing his moral legitimacy to the throne. He talks of atoning for Richard II's death by going on a crusade, "to ... and dishonor." The King seems more than a shade hypocritical, for the worst thing that Prince Hal ever does is commit a robbery as a joke. Hal is the adolescent prankster. He is dissolute and rude, but unlike his father, he has no ghosts to haunt him. He doesn't seem kingly in the bar-room scenes with Falstaff, but those scenes ... debauchery and wild behavior by his father, which never tru...

• Word Count: 289
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School