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Shakespeare explores what it means to be an honest and honorable men In Henry IV Part I William Shakespeare goes into depth of what characters are like and how they display what It Is to be honest and an honorable person. Shakespeare Is able to delve Into aspects of characters personality traits by presenting them with choices they have to make (Including) from prince Hal having to stand up to his enemy Hotshot to (and) Falstaff lying and deceiving actions that leads him to becoming knighted in the Elizabethan times.
These choices signifies Shakespeare views that it goes not matter who you may be or what you may have done whether you have been stealing, drinking, and abusing others you can still be knighted and be classified by others as honorable. Let’s start off with Sir John Falstaff, Shakespeare has developed a character that is very likeable by those in the Elizabethan times, the audience in particular were intrigued with Falstaff as a character, why? Because he lived his life like there was no tomorrow, he knows that you only deserve one chance at life and this appealed to him and the audience, Shakespeare also delved Into
Falstaff traits portraying them through his Interactions with others In how he would interact with others, these examples Included that he would abuse the bartender at the tavern and worse of all he would Ill to her displaying Falstaff as being dishonest towards others, another example Is when he Is on the receiving end of being robbed by Prince Hal and Points, he lies about the situation, denies everything and that he was not scared, but in the end he covers up these lies by being even more dishonest by saying “l knew it was you” but he didn’t know it was prince Hal and points and that e was covering up his tracks.
Shakespeare also displays Falstaff opinions of honor as a disgrace, he also goes on to say “what is honor air” signifying he does not care one bit about honor. Falstaff however does display being honest to himself but not to others this is evident when Hal and Points repeatedly insult Falstaff by saying “fat as butter you are Falstaff now to the common person they would deny these Insults but to Falstaff he accepts these insults, cops It on the chin, and accepts who he Is no denying from him, this portrays the honest towards himself.
Now on to Hotshot, Hotshot Is a completely opposite character from Sir John Falstaff, hotshot Is a warrior, a medieval knight, a soldier in our modern society If he were alive, he is the honorable men of the play and Shakespeare evidently display this through him dying at the end of the play to hotshot waging war on King Henry.
Shakespeare wanted to create a character that was gallant and skilful who was not afraid of anything, the traits of hotshot provided the platform of what an honorable person is. Also note how Shakespeare presents hotshot as talking very fast paced and if you equalized hotshot he would be standing tall upright, like a king and signifies him as more of an honorable person.
Also Shakespeare addition into the play of Hotshot waging war against King Henry for the fact that Hotshot cousin is not being Included in the throne and that he deserves to be, glandless that hotshot has values upon his family and that he could have let It all go and not had a war but he was determined, he was subjected In his right mind that he needed to protect his family and this signifies to the audience of what it is to have honor even to the battle field, the tart off with how he became the King, King Henry killed Richard the former King to become the new king, in a way Henry is portraying dishonest and dishonorable actions to become the king in our modern society you would have to be subjected to family origin or married to a king but in the Elizabethan times if you kill the king you become the king in which case this is how Henry becomes King happens to Henry. Shakespeare portrays Henry as one of our modern day politician once they are in the top Job aka (prime minister) they can’t seem to keep their promises; in which Henry didn’t keep his promise to hotshot which signifies that Shakespeare was portraying him as being a lire and a thief and that this presents to the audience you really can’t trust the person in charge.
Also note this is how Shakespeare has incorporated into his play the dramatic irony of Henry and hotshot relationship we see at the start of the play how Henry did not want to wage war on hotshot and that if hotshot release his prisoners he would drop his attack on hotshot, but as already discussed we know hotshot traits of being a warrior, soldiers, mediaeval knight displays he has too much nor and dignity to let this pass and that he needed to protect him and his family for Henry not keeping a promise to hotshot. Through the developments of characters to there traits Shakespeare is able to distinguish his opinions and views of what it is to be an honest and honorable men from hotshot gallant stand against King Henry to Falstaff exploring tow ways of being honest to himself but not to others. Through Henry lies and stealing of the throne distinguish Shakespeare presenting what it is to be an honest men and what it is to be an honorable men.