Beth Theobald 4/14/14 What Makes a Good King?

: Richard III and Henry IV Comparison

Even though Richard III and Henry IV are both stories about kings, or at least have kings in them, there is a significant difference between what Richard III thinks it takes to become a good king and what Prince Hal thinks makes a good king. While Richard III is a power hungry man, willing and needing to kill multiple people to take the crown, Prince Hal has the kingdom at his disposal, and instead of fighting hard for what he needs/wants he spends most of the play running around with people that he meets at the tavern. However, even though the ideas of the two separate future kings are completely different the actual characters themselves arent that different from each other in certain ways. They both have a plan to become king, they both are willing to use people to get what they want, and they both have people who are loyal to them, even though their friends arent always that reliable. Richard III is probably one of the most dark and demented of Shakespeares main characters. Richard III or Gloucester as hes known in part of the play, is literally willing to do anything it takes to become king. This includes killing children, Killing his brothers, and anyone else who dares to disagree with the fact that Richard III is the rightful heir to the throne. Hes even willing to kill his own wife in order to keep the true heir off the throne. Its easy to tell Richard III is one of the most notorious bullies in Shakespeares writings, because of the way Shakespeare writes him. Richards language tends to be extremely poetic and yet sharp at the same time. The first time the readers or audience members meet Richard they see or hear an extremely long monologue. Full of vowels with eerie and kiltered consonants. The

Beth Theobald 4/14/14 What Makes a Good King?: Richard III and Henry IV Comparison

way Shakespeare writes the character you know that there is something as twisted and messed up in this mans mind as there is in his body. which aids the reader and or performer to see the harshness thats underneath the character. A blessed labour, my most sovereign liege: amongst this princely heap, if any here, by false intelligence, or wrong surmise, hold me a foe; if I unwittingly, or in my rage, have aught committed that is hardly borne by any in this presence, I desire to reconcile me to his friendly peace: 'tis death to me to be at enmity; I hate it, and desire all good men's love. first, madam, I entreat true peace of you, which I will purchase with my duteous service; of you, my noble cousin Buckingham, if ever any grudge were lodged between us; of you, Lord Rivers, and, Lord Grey, of you; that without desert have frown'd on me; dukes, earls, lords, gentlemen; indeed, of all. I do not know that Englishman alive with whom my soul is any jot at odds more than the infant that is born to-night I thank my God for my humility.(Richard III II,i). Another thing that can be seen by this passage is that if this was put in a verse format it would be very long. A trend I spotted throughout the play is that Richard III, who is a very power hungry man, also tends to have the most and longest dialogues. This is shown throughout the play, even when another character has a monologue if Richard is present he almost always has a monologue bigger or more cutting than the previous persons monologue.

Beth Theobald 4/14/14 What Makes a Good King?: Richard III and Henry IV Comparison

Shakespeare is letting Richard III take the power away from the other characters by simply talking more than the rest of them. He also has a more elevated tone than the others. From what the audience sees of Richard III What he thinks of as a good king is someone who has the knowledge, power, and cunning to manage to take the crown from whomever has it at the time. Richard III charms everyone in the play and even the audience he is only evil because the people he is plotting against made him that way. He charms his way in and out of situations as well as easily as water slips through a clear drainpipe. Another thing about Richard III that makes him slightly different to Henry IV is in fact Richard III is so power hungry in the play he takes over the role of both protagonist and villain. The character of Richard III literally morphs into everything he needs in order to become what he believes is the Perfect King which is someone who can rule with an iron fist and keep the people under his protection in check so that they do not try to revolt against him. This is ultimately what is Richard IIIs downfall, the inability to make the people love him instead of fear him, and when they revolt he cannot let them win which ends up getting him killed. The final thing worthy of pointing out, since the class did discuss the difference between prose and verse is, Richard III does speak in verse at least most of the time from what I could tell. Unlike Richard III, Prince Hal doesnt need to fight tooth and nail for the crown because he was born first in line for the throne. Because of this Hal tends to spend more time goofing off, stealing, drinking, and being merry than Richard III ever had time for. As stated in

Beth Theobald 4/14/14 What Makes a Good King?: Richard III and Henry IV Comparison

class Hal has a unique ability to change from conversations with the upper class to conversations with the lower class. The reason for this being pointed out is the fact I believe whether Hal knew or not this is one of the things that will make him a good king later on in his actual reign, though I havent read Henry V yet to test this theory. In the beginning of the play Hal is a wild child who gives both his father and the rest of the law enforcement problems. However at the end of Act II we see that the trouble he gets into is only a disguise for when he shall become the good true king the country needs him to become. I know you all, and will awhile uphold the unyoked humour of your idleness: yet herein will I imitate the sun,who doth permit the base contagious clouds to smother up his beauty from the world, that, when he please again to be himself, being wanted, he may be more wonder'd at, by breaking through the foul and ugly mists of vapours that did seem to strangle him. If all the year were playing holidays, to sport would be as tedious as to work; but when they seldom come, they wish'd for come, and nothing pleaseth but rare accidents. So, when this loose behavior I throw off and pay the debt I never promised, by how much better than my word I am, by so much shall I falsify men's hopes; and like bright metal on a sullen ground, my reformation, glittering o'er my fault, shall show more goodly and attract more eyes than that which hath no foil to set it off. I'll so offend, to make offence a skill; redeeming time when men think least I will (Henry IV, I.II).

Beth Theobald 4/14/14 What Makes a Good King?: Richard III and Henry IV Comparison

Another difference between Prince Hal and Richard III is that the while Prince Hal is a scoundrel, he doesnt have the innate desire to be completely evil all the time like Richard III. Hal ultimately has the needs and wishes of his country on his mind, even if there is a slightly selfish meaning behind it. While there are many differences between them there are many similarities. While Prince Hals plan was a way to show the people who did not think he was fit to rule the opportunity to see how he really was fit to lead and how he would become a better person because of it. And while he had no ill intent for anyone to actually get hurt in his plot to become the best king ever, the plot was still very scheming and very dark. This is very similar to the fact that Richard III had a scheme not only for the taking over of the kingdom, but also a way of ruling it when he had it. Neither one is their fathers first choice for being king. In Richard III Richard has to kill multiple people to become next in line for the throne. While Hal has the first in line to the throne spot, because of his foolish and nonsensical behavior King Henry IV believes that Hotspur would be the best for the throne. All in all while the two future kings have major differences, mostly being their sanity they also have some of the same features as each other. They both talk in verse, they both have plans to become the best king according to their own definitions.

Beth Theobald 4/14/14 What Makes a Good King?: Richard III and Henry IV Comparison

Work Cited Shakespeare, William. "The First part of King Henry the Fourth." . MIT. Web. 14 Apr 2014. <http://shakespeare.mit.edu/1henryiv/full.html>. Shakespeare, William. "The Life and Death of Richard the Third." . MIT. Web. 14 Apr 2014. <http://shakespeare.mit.edu/richardiii/full.html>.