Use Of Control In Henry Iv Part 1

Shakespeare chooses to display power and control in an abstract and twisted way in the character of Hal in Henry IV Part 1. Many of Shakespeare’s plays are about Kings and ruler ship, this was because he was fascinated by the ways people handled power, and the deceit, back-stabbing and planning it requires to get and to stay at the top. The way Hal gains control is twisted because he is doing wrong and causing trouble but gaining control over people at the same time, in the same way a rebel or criminal would, revealing a part of his character.
The first opinion of Hal the audience are revealed too is the one of King Henry, whilst talking to Westmoreland, which is a very negative one at the time. Henry severely disapproves of Hal’s behaviour

and chosen company, “See riot and dishonour stain the brow/ Of my young Harry.” He confesses to Westmoreland about his regret of the son that is his; “O that it could be provide / that some night-tripping fairy had exchanged in cradle clothes are children.” Henry wishes Hotspur was his son, the great warrior who has just defeated the Scots. Hotspur is Hals double through out the play, and Shakespeare uses this as a tool with many characters. He uses contrast to compare the two men. Although we first hear the doubles comparison spoken by Henry, he is also a double to Falstaff as a fatherly figure to Hal.
During the first scene Shakespeare gets the audience eagerly awaiting their first encounter with Hal, “A son who is the theme of honour’s tongue” And he does not let our expectations of him down in scene 2, with the prince awaking around noon to his obviously usual routine of bantering with Falstaff, whilst his Father is busy worrying about the safety of the country.

The banter, “Thou art so fat-witted with drinking of old sack, and unbuttoning thee after supper, and sleeping upon benches after noon,” between the two hooligans shows subtle endearment, unlike the audiences view on the relationship between Hal and his real father so far. Hals clearly unsuitable friendship with Falstaff and the “rogues” may first be seen as an act of defiance against being heir to the thrown; as he never chose to become noble and therefore has no control over his future. This may be where his want for control sprouts from, his father took away his control by setting his future for him so Hal will gain control by being the irresponsible Prince who needs to change, because nobody can make him change therefore he’s in control. Hal is the character in the play who serves as a bridge between the two plotlines, which also places him in a powerful position because he can essentially speak the language of the nobles but also the commoners. And when he is king this will make him a more successful

king.
Harry’s soliloquy opens with the line “I know you all” which screams power and control.

The soliloquy reveals to the audience that he is completely in control and aware of the situation he is in. For the duration of this Hal speaks in verse, in contrast to the informal prose he chats to his friends at the tavern in. This dramatic change creates separation between the person which he is pretending to be and his real thoughts and being, and puts emphasis on the extreme deceit he is performing. His soliloquy tells the audience that he has a plan in process to undergo his very public transformation. Shakespeare does this to illustrate the fact that Hal is intelligent enough and capable to handle the decision-making and planning that a King would have to

do.
Throughout Act 2 Scene 4 Hal and Poins pull pranks on Francis and Falstaff, these are also subtle acts of controlling and manipulating behaviour. It also shows he is mentally able to manipulate people. Another prominent theme in the play is machevelliasm, the quote from the Prince ““It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver” is appropriate for the scene as the audience witnesses Hal’s entertainment and pleasure of deceiving Francis and Falstaff.
The image of Hal sitting on his “throne” in the tavern, above the rogues is the first time the audience see Hal in a public position of power in public. When he banishes Falstaff, it is the first obvious indication of threatening power and seriousness from Hal. Shakespeare enforces the fact that being a King is not only about the divine right of kings or being in the succession for the throne, but about using power wisely, and being able to handle the amount of responsibility being handed to them. His treatment of Falstaff by the end of the play is almost a re-enactment of the scene.
When Hal and Henry meet the King talks for a significant period of time and Hal doesn’t interrupt, which just emphasises again the two different worlds of the Palace and the Tavern, because if this scene had been with Falstaff Hal would have interrupted with a witty comment to demean Falstaff by now.