Prince Hal's soliloquy: The legacy of King Richard in Shakespeare's second tetralogy
Date
1991
Authors
Yorath, Linda Carol
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
In addressing the problem of thematic continuity in Shakespeare's Second Tetralogy (Richard II to Henry V), this thesis examines the solar imagery that links Prince Hal with his ill-fated predecessor King Richard, and explores the far-reaching ramifications of such a connection. Hal's "imitation" of the sun, announced in his first soliloquy, is viewed more specifically as his identification with King Richard, whose personal badge or emblem "the sunburst"--in heraldic terms, "a sun emerging from behind clouds"-undoubtedly inspired the playwright's intricate development of this imagery in the previous play. Just as Richard's "sun" had been eclipsed by the "clouds" of Bolingbroke's treason, so does Hal mask his sun-like identity with the "base contagious clouds" that represent his tavern companions. His later "throwing off" this pretence will likewise signify the rejection of Bolingbroke's illegitimate reign and Hal's emergence as the new sun-king: Richard's true heir.
A close look at the solar imagery of Richard II reveals that much of the playwright's imaginative treatment of later events is pre-figured in this first play of the tetralogy.
For example, it becomes apparent that, whereas Richard's reign is dominated figuratively by the sun and its correlative images, Bolingbroke's "misruled" kingdom is "sunless," "stormy," the dominant image being water instead of the sun's fire. Moreover, in light of Richard's characterization of Bolingbroke as "the thief who reveled in the night," Falstaff emerges in Henry IV as the ideal double for a treasonous king.
It becomes apparent that, during his prolonged truancy from princely duty, covered roughly by the two parts of Henry IV, Hal's purpose is to purge the stain of treason from his own accession to the throne. He accomplishes this vicariously through his interaction with Hotspur and Falstaff, both of whom function as dramatic "doubles" or alter-egos of the Prince and Bolingbroke respectively. This symbolic process unfolds in two stages. Whereas killing Hotspur banishes his own treasonous tendencies, Hal's rejection of Falstaff marks a final expunging of Bolingbroke's crime.
Henry V can be seen as the fulfilment of Hal's earlier promise to emerge a renewed sun-king. His style of kingship is marked by a return to solar images, divine sanction, and chivalric values, all of which were abandoned during Bolingbroke's reign. Also functioning to dissociate him from the previous reign are his identification with the illustrious ancestors he shares with Richard, as well as his choice of a French campaign over Bolingbroke's dying wish for a Crusade to the Holy Land. Henry's revelation on the eve of Agincourt that he has honorably reburied King Richard serves as the culmination to his longstanding symbolic identification with the wronged king. It is this positive bond between the two monarchs that lends not only consistency of character to the Prince who becomes Henry V, but thematic unity to the entire tetralogy.