Impressions Versus Reality: Hal's First Lines
Carley Becker
He's fun, he's charming, and he's royal: Henry V is one of the most charismatic characters in the Shakespearean histories. Throughout the Henriad, the crown prince makes a name for himself both for his military prowess and his wit. His first words, spoken when he is still fooling around with his tavern friends, exemplify just how powerful his language can be. In response to Falstaff's question about the time, Hal says:
Thou art so fat-witted with drinking of old
sack, and unbuttoning thee after supper, and
sleeping upon benches after noon, that thou hast
forgotten to demand that truly which thou wouldst
truly know. What a devil hast thou to do with
the time of the day? Unless hours were cups of
sack, and minutes capons, and clocks the tongues
of bawds, and dials the signs of leaping-houses,
and the blessed sun himself a fair hot wench in
flame-colored taffeta, I see no reason why thou
shouldst be so superfluous to demand the time
of the day. (I.ii.2-13)
Hal is answering a question as simple as "what time of day is it" (I.ii.1), and essentially responds with, "Why do you care, you fat, drunken oaf?" Instead of coming off mean, though, the prince sounds funny. This is in part because Hal does not make his comments in a vulgar, tavern-worthy manner. Even when insulting someone, he cannot lose his princely tone or his glamorous manner of speech. His listed metaphors, rhythmic pattern, and advanced language elevate his speech far higher than what the average person would have said.
This inability to speak plainly sets Hal apart from his friends. By the time we hear him speak, there is already a preformed image of Hal as a scoundrel and rogue. Henry IV has lamented his son's "riot and dishonor" (I.i.84), so it is surprising to hear that Hal's lines are so eloquent and lofty, even when discussing something as base as sack. There is a huge juxtaposition between what Hal speaks and how he speaks it, as well as between the audience's predetermined images and the charisma with which Hal actually presents himself.
However, Hal's words reveal more about him than his sense of humor; they connect the historical Hal with the previously usurped king, Richard II. In talking about time, Hal is not only answering a trivial question, but referencing a theme that runs throughout Richard II, as time is used to represent Richard's limited rule and eventual usurpation. In R2, Richard uses lines like, "His time is spent, our pilgrimage must be," "for our time of stay is short," "For time hath set a blot upon my pride," "Ha, ha, keep time! How sour sweet music is / When time is broke and no proportion kept" (II.i.162, 232, III.ii.82, V.v.43-44). That Shakespeare uses "deliberate repetition through [a] play of at least one set of words or ideas in harmony with the plot, is propounded by F. C. Kolbe (Shakespeare's Way: A Psychological Study)" (Suzman, 357). This is definitely apparent in R2, as the word "time" appears on twenty-two different occasions.
This reference may appear because, historically, Hal and Richard were friends, despite Hal's father's role in Richard's usurpation and death. In 1399, "Richard went on a voyage of pacification to Ireland and took Henry with him, dubbing him knight soon afterwards" (Allmand, 1). The two travelled and spent time together, and when Henry IV, then known as Henry Bolingbroke, began to usurp the throne, Hal "was placed in a difficult position, but he persuaded Richard that he had nothing to do with the course of events now rapidly developing" (1), so Richard kept him for "security or, perhaps more likely, as an honourable hostage" (1). Then, during his reign as Henry V, perhaps out of respect for his old friend, Hal had Richard reburied. Sixteenth century historical chronicler, Edmund Hall, wrote, "he caused the body of kynge Richard the second to be remoued with all funeral pompess conueniente for his estate, from Langeley to West-minster, where he was honorably enterred with Quene Anne his firste wife" (Hall, 34). Hal's words connect him to Richard and remind the audience that he is not an isolated figure.
Shakespeare uses Hal's first lines to make him likable and to remember the historic relationship between two English kings.
This inability to speak plainly sets Hal apart from his friends. By the time we hear him speak, there is already a preformed image of Hal as a scoundrel and rogue. Henry IV has lamented his son's "riot and dishonor" (I.i.84), so it is surprising to hear that Hal's lines are so eloquent and lofty, even when discussing something as base as sack. There is a huge juxtaposition between what Hal speaks and how he speaks it, as well as between the audience's predetermined images and the charisma with which Hal actually presents himself.
However, Hal's words reveal more about him than his sense of humor; they connect the historical Hal with the previously usurped king, Richard II. In talking about time, Hal is not only answering a trivial question, but referencing a theme that runs throughout Richard II, as time is used to represent Richard's limited rule and eventual usurpation. In R2, Richard uses lines like, "His time is spent, our pilgrimage must be," "for our time of stay is short," "For time hath set a blot upon my pride," "Ha, ha, keep time! How sour sweet music is / When time is broke and no proportion kept" (II.i.162, 232, III.ii.82, V.v.43-44). That Shakespeare uses "deliberate repetition through [a] play of at least one set of words or ideas in harmony with the plot, is propounded by F. C. Kolbe (Shakespeare's Way: A Psychological Study)" (Suzman, 357). This is definitely apparent in R2, as the word "time" appears on twenty-two different occasions.
This reference may appear because, historically, Hal and Richard were friends, despite Hal's father's role in Richard's usurpation and death. In 1399, "Richard went on a voyage of pacification to Ireland and took Henry with him, dubbing him knight soon afterwards" (Allmand, 1). The two travelled and spent time together, and when Henry IV, then known as Henry Bolingbroke, began to usurp the throne, Hal "was placed in a difficult position, but he persuaded Richard that he had nothing to do with the course of events now rapidly developing" (1), so Richard kept him for "security or, perhaps more likely, as an honourable hostage" (1). Then, during his reign as Henry V, perhaps out of respect for his old friend, Hal had Richard reburied. Sixteenth century historical chronicler, Edmund Hall, wrote, "he caused the body of kynge Richard the second to be remoued with all funeral pompess conueniente for his estate, from Langeley to West-minster, where he was honorably enterred with Quene Anne his firste wife" (Hall, 34). Hal's words connect him to Richard and remind the audience that he is not an isolated figure.
Shakespeare uses Hal's first lines to make him likable and to remember the historic relationship between two English kings.