Chapter Themes of Henry IV Part I - Study Guide by William Shakespeare

HAL

Hal’s concept of honour is ambiguous because although by the end he appears to adhere a military view of honour, initially he mocks and parodies it. In the beginning Hal’s lack of honour is a defining point of his character – it is the only indication that he will come to hold his future position comes in his soliloquy at the end of Act I, Scene II:

"And like bright metal on a sullen ground

My reformation, glittering o’er by fault"

Hal cannot even be seen to possess honour in relation to his loyalty towards his supposed friends such as Falstaff at Gadshill. Nonetheless as the play progresses and certainly by the time the King and Hal are reconciled in Act III, Scene II, Hal has accepted the traditional view of honour. He calls Hotspur "child and honour" and says:

"I shall make this northern youth exchange

His glorious deeds for my indignities."

By the end Hal has gained his honour through his military success: he has slain Percy (Hotpur) and saved the life of the King. In Act V, Scene IV his father says "Thou has redeemed thy lost Opinion". We might question the state of honour towards his friends, however.

FALSTAFF

His concept of honour is the antithesis of the accepted and traditional view – it can even be argued that in this world of overblown military valour he serves as the voice of reason. Initially he appears as a wholly dishonourable character – he lives a life of debauchery and theft which he calls "my vocation" in order to excuse his behaviour. His exploitation of his charge of foot in order to generate personal profit by allowing his wealthy officers "toasts and butters" to buy out their service and employing the poorest most ill-equipped soldiers to fight (all 350 of who die) only exacerbate this view.

Nonetheless it becomes apparent that Falstaff has a unique perception of honour i.e. it is more useful and worthwhile to focus on preserving your life and avoiding the horrors of war, than actively seeking death.

In Act V, Scene I Falstaff says "What is honour? A word….What is that honour? Air….who hath it? He that died – a – Wednesday." Falstaff sees the futility and emptiness of this ideal, he values tangible concepts such as his own morality as shown in Act V, Scene IV where he states that "The better part of valour is discretion". This echoes the view of the Elizabethan public whose contempt for such outdated concepts was widespread.

OTHERS

The King, his nobles and the rebels all pursue the chivalric ideal of honour. But this is in a way tainted by the connection they all have with Henry IV’s shady succession to the throne: so can they really be considered as honourable?