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MonkeyNotes-Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare
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Elizabeth's subjects were thus reminded often that she was the
head of the Church of England and the supreme figure of authority
in the land. A play like 1 Henry IV, which showed that those who
rebelled were massacred, would, presumably of course, suppress
any sort of rebellious attitude toward the queen. Indeed, throughout
the Elizabethan era, rebellions and revolts were portrayed
negatively and their consequences were shown as dangerous and
dire, and the inculcating of morality, at least through officially
sanctioned works, was an integral part of the theater.
It is open to debate how strongly Shakespeare himself towed the
political line of the day. While Shakespearean drama is not
necessarily steeped in morality and didacticism, both good and
evil, and the rewards and punishments thereof, are both dealt with
distinctly. In the area of Henry's guilt, Shakespeare is quite
orthodox: If Henry IV has committed the sin of murdering Richard
II, he is punished in his own peculiar way, by God and not by man:
his own son Prince Hal seems likely to duplicate Richard IIÂ’s
lowly acts and wavering steps and he himself must endure many
years of political rebellion. Some critics have seen Shakespeare as
the representative of individual liberty. To them, Falstaff is the
hero of 1 Henry IV, undermining the political rhetoric of the day in
the disguise of a comic buffoon. Others have seen Shakespeare as
much more conservative and representative of the official
Elizabethan line. To them, 1 Henry IV (and especially 2 Henry IV
and Henry V) show clearly the necessity for dealing effectively
with rebellion and the punishments that await those who fail in
their duty to the crown. Whether Shakespeare was subversive,
orthodox, or simply politically pragmatic, 1 Henry IV shows the
wide range of opinions and attitudes prevalent in the era and
effectively brings them to life.
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