The Representation Of War In Henry IV

Representations of war in Henry IV Part 2 demonstrate the chaos of rebellion and the fickle nature of kingship. While there are many discussions of warfare in this play, the action is not presented in the text. War is vital to displaying the power and vulnerability of the person who wears the crown and is used as a way to display masculinity as an important virtue. Through the deterioration of King Henry IV and the slow rise of Prince Hal, we witness a borderline stagnant country in turmoil. The question of legitimacy over a weakened king creates entropy throughout the land.

The first representation of war in Henry IV Part 2 begins with Rumor spreading mass confusion on the outcome of the Battle of Shrewsbury throughout England. “I run before King Harry's victory, who in a bloody field by Shrewsbury hath beaten down young Hotspur and his troops, quenching the flame of bold rebellion even with the rebels' blood” (Ind. 23–27). Rumor acts as a means of deflection and confusion, a tactic commonly used in matters of warfare. The confusion that Rumor spreads mostly seems to affect the rebels, which remains consistent throughout the play, and provides a potential foreshadowing of a vulnerability and gullibility that

leads to their future demise.
The rebellion of the nobles is continuously related to fire.

Rebellion against the crown is a continuous cycle, catching fire at the whisper of a word. While the fire flickers and dims, it never ceases to be fully extinguished. Harry Percy's death is what initially sparks the fire of rebellion in Henry IV Part 2, whose spirit is described to have “lent a fire even to the dullest peasant in his camp” (1.1.125–126). Morton recounts directly after Percy's death, “being bruited once, took fire and heat away from the best-tempered courage in his troops” (1.1.127–128). It is notable that immediately after Percy's death, soldiers swiftly started retreating because it illustrates how easily the tides of war can change when the main figure is diminished in the

fight.
Morton describes the cowardice of retreat as “the shame of those that turned their backs” (1.1.42–43). Morton suggests that the death of the leader of the rebellion disbanded the troops and diminished the need to continue the fight. Through this statement, Morton also pointedly indicates Northumberland's own cowardice because he abandoned the rebel cause and his son by not sending troops to the battle. Northumberland, in return, describes himself in a weakened and grief stricken state. Feigned illness and real disease are commonly used throughout the play to escape the reality of war. Falstaff's illness is part of his excuse that deters him from actively participating in the war. The recruits that Falstaff scouts with Justice Shallow are notably weak or ill because these wars and rebellions are destroying England. Falstaff poignantly says, “I can get no remedy against this consumption of the purse. Borrowing only lingers and lingers it out, but the disease is incurable” (1.3.242–244). The ailments that plague warfare are mostly funded by greed. Warfare provides an ample opportunity to obtain wealth. Falstaff demonstrates this by saying, “I will turn diseases to commodity” (1.3.255–256).
Greed turns into a torch that carries vengeance. When describing his blood lust for vengeance over his son's death, Northumberland says, “let order die, and let this world no longer be a stage” (1.1.170–171). This provides an insight into the mentality of the noble leadership in the rebellion as something that was previously just a gory form of acting, another way to play for, and profit from, the title of king. When Northumberland and the nobility take themselves out of reality and into a narrative, they seemingly mistake themselves as being invincible. The results and causalities of war still cease to truly impact Northumberland's perception of war even after his son is killed. Honor, instead, shuns the reality of death for a chance at glory and redemption. Lord Bardolph compares the loss to venturing on “dangerous seas” to a proposed gain. The idea of gaining authority and gold outweighs the potential for failure and loss, demonstrating the boundless greed of nobility. The fire of this insurrection will never cease to be extinguished when social values, wealth, and self-righteousness continue to pervade the social and historical narrative. Understanding and accepting shame have no place in history books or history plays.
War and insurrection bring about questions of religious authority on the legitimacy of divine rights. A topic which is not, by any means, new to Shakespeare's history plays. In 1.1, Northumberland relates the spirit of the rebellion to the spirit of Cain, being awaken to take revenge. The deeper sentiment of the play demonstrates that the spirit of Cain has been reigning over these wars throughout history. Divine rights of kingship is no longer a valid argument that can be made since Bolingbroke ascended to and stole the throne from Richard II. Morton demonstrates the justification of rebelling as being a form of faith because Bolingbroke is an impostor on the throne.
England as a governing body is also shown through the confusion that Rumor spreads. In Henry IV Part 2, England is represented as a fragmented body, or as Northumberland says, “the times are wild. Contention, like a horse full of high feeding, madly hath broke loose and bears down all before him” (1.1.12–14). The rise of Prince Hal and the deterioration of Henry IV demonstrates a country in transition. The question of legitimacy in kingship creates disorder and fragmentation, allowing chaos to reign over England. The state of England is directly correlated to the body of the king, as one deteriorates, so does the control of the other. In 1.1, Morton describes the land as “bleeding”, which acts as a physical representation of the dead bodies littered throughout England as a cause of warfare, but also as a metaphor for the country as a whole. “Then you perceive the body of our kingdom, how foul it is, what rank diseases grow, and with what danger near the heart of it” (3.1.38–40). The decay of the king is essentially destroying England.
The decay of the king is not only manifested as a physical embodiment, but also symbolic of a paranoid mind of a disillusioned king. Henry IV's anxiety of succession manifests in abstract eloquent speeches, specifically in his monologue in 3.1. These abstract ramblings represent a king who has finally grasped the fleeting and terrifying nature of kingship but remains completely out of touch with the commonwealth of England. Henry IV now finds himself in a terribly similar predicament as Richard II, and frantically ponders the potential for his own death.
While the king's body is at war with itself, the otherness that he feels parallels with the otherness attributed to foreign bodies. The rebels feel secure and see ample opportunity for going into a battle against the king because the king is already fighting the Welsh and the French. In most history plays, a war with another country was used as a way to unify the nation and pacify the whisper of rebellion. Fighting with France was a way of asserting masculinity, but England, in this play, is in a state of ruin that it seems almost impossible to restore it to its former glory. The incessant want to fight the Holy Land signifies the kings mental deterioration.
The violence of the war, the theft of kingship, and the social anxiety of otherness, parallels the world of Eastcheap. The Archbishop says, “the commonwealth is sick of their own choice. Their over-greedy love hath surfeited” (1.3.91–92). Nobility continues to cast the commonwealth as dishonest and vulgar thieves, part of this notion seems to stem from the fear of femininity. Femininity casts a web of entrapment, disorder, and disease over the men residing in Eastcheap. “The women of the tavern are increasingly presented as preying on the commonwealth, endangering its (male) citizens and diverting its wealth from authorized purposes” (Howard 178). This is especially prominent with Falstaff. Falstaff acts as a physical representation of fun and anarchy while physically being dominated by diseases that he contracted sexually. These venereal diseases act similarly to Snare and Fang in 2.1, by trapping and poisoning Falstaff's body as he ultimately tries to evade capture and remain illusive.
The limited roles of women in Henry IV Part 2 are seen as social threats and distractions from war. Passivity and femininity are social and corporeal threats that cause death and destruction in history plays. The seductive nature of female persuasion is shown when Northumberland discusses the rebellion with Lady Percy and is persuaded to abandon the rebels once more. This distraction from his duty to fulfill justice and honor for his son leads to the destruction of the rebellion and execution of the rebel leaders.
The otherness of femininity is especially prominent with Mistress Quickly and Doll Tearsheet. Prostitution and being a widow allow for financial mobility. “Interestingly, the sexualizing and criminalizing of Quickly in Part II seems to coincide with an increasing emphasis on her economic well-being” (Howard 178). The tavern in Eastcheap represents female lawlessness that “challenge both gender ideology and the system of stratification distinguishing man from man” (Howard 179). Mistress Quickly's and Doll Tearsheet's arrest at 5.4 is a way of reestablishing order and asserting masculinity.
Wealth and nobility are contrasted by the tavern in Eastcheap. Lord Bardolph insist that because he heard news from the Battle of Shrewsbury from “a gentleman well bred and of good name” that it must be true (1.1.32). His insistence on nobility and wealth as the defining factors of determining a person's sense of morality is absurd though perhaps not entirely unprecedented when you consider characters like Falstaff. This personal absurdity is reflected in the attitudes that started the rebellion. When the Archbishop, Mowbray, and Hastings meet with Westmoreland and Prince John of Lancaster, the conversation revolves around the favor of the king and its potential to extend finances to those who aided his political mobility.
Military prowess is essential for achieving honor, demonstrating royal authority, and uniting the realm. Prince John avoids using physical force and instead uses the art of deception to engage in warfare and expunge the rebel leaders. Prince John's action to slyly trick the rebels with a technicality brings into question how honorable his actions are and under who's authority is he acting? He seems to suggest that he is acting under the authority of the king and divine right, both of which are given to him because of his lineage. Prince John also uses religion as a way of justifying his behavior because the act of rebellion against the king is also an act of rebellion against God. The justification of his actions are morally questionable and reveals how ruthless Prince John is.
Hal's only potential mobility, while his father is still king, is through the glory of warfare. His brief distraction with Poins shows his awareness of the dedication and stresses the virtues that it takes to be king. Prince Hal's moment of idleness is reflected when he says, “belike then my appetite was not princely got, for, by my troth, I do now remember the poor creature small beer” (2.2.9–10). This moment is significant in the question it raises of what it means to be king. The fact that Hal is already questioning and attempting to define what it means to be king implies that he will have a better grasp on kingship than his father because he already seems to understand that “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown,” a lesson his father is just now truly starting to grasp (3.1.31). When Hal says to Falstaff, “I know thee not, old man” and then precedes to banish Falstaff, he asserts himself as a dutiful king (5.5.47).
The ascension of Bolingbroke in Richard II revolutionized the political and militaristic landscape of England. The representations of warfare in Henry IV Part 2 are unusual and uncanny in comparison to other history plays. Through these representations, masculine virtues are asserted and order is restored to the kingdom when Henry V ascends the throne.