Act IV, Scene 5

Summary

The scene is the same room in the palace of Westminster. The same group of people is attending the King. He is taken to another room and laid down on the bed. Feeling much depressed and oppressed by the respectful silence around him, he asks for some music which may activate his spirit. Warwick orders music in the next room and then the King tells them to place his crown on the pillow next to him.

Hal enters the room, and from Clarence he learns that his father is seriously ill. Clarence and others leave the room so that the King can rest without being disturbed, but the Prince sits beside his father. Seeing the crown on the pillow he thinks philosophically why the crown, which is a symbol of anxiety and care, lies there. On his fatherÂ’s lip he notices a feather which remains stationary. If the King is breathing it must move, so the Prince concludes that the King is dead. In a soliloquy, the Prince thinks that for the imperial crown, he is going to inherit from the King he owes him his heart-felt grief. Hal then places the crown on his head and thinks that just as he inherited it from his father, he will pass it on to his son and keep up the line of succession. He leaves through another door. The King wakes up and calls Warwick and asks him why they left him alone in the room. Warwick says that Hal was in the room. The King notices that the crown is missing and asks who took it. Assuming that Hal had taken the crown, the King asks Warwick to call him. The distressed King says to Clarence and Gloucester that when the sons are big, they turn against their fathers. When gold becomes their object, they forget their fathers. Warwick returns and reports that Hal is in the room crying. He is then called in and the King asks to leave them alone. As soon as Hal enters, he says that he had not hoped to hear the King speak again. Hearing this the King is very much pained and reproves his son for being impatient to wear the crown and look forward to his fatherÂ’s death. The King points out that his undisciplined life also is an indication of his lack of respect and love towards his father. The King says that he can order the ringing of bells to announce his coronation and the funeral of his father. Sadly, he predicts that when his son is crowned Henry V, vanity and disorder will flourish in the country, wise counselors will be dismissed and ruffians will flock to the court, and the new ruler will promote disorder and vice. Hal kneels down and says he has kept quiet till now because he is choked by grief.

Affected deeply by his sonÂ’s words, the King replies that God had sent his son to comfort him. Sorrowfully, he asks his son to hear what may be his last words. The King admits regretfully that he has won the throne unjustly and so God has punished him by giving him a troublesome reign. But young Henry is inheriting the throne rightfully from his father, so he will surely have a peaceful reign. All the old hatred will be forgotten but Hal must be tactful enough to be an efficient ruler. The King discloses his plan that if order is restored, he will take a long journey to the Holy Land. The King asks GodÂ’s forgiveness for being the cause of Richard IIÂ’s death and prays for a tranquil reign for his son. Hal vows that since his father has won the crown and given it to him, he will see to it that the crown remains with him only. Then John of Lancaster enters and greets the King. The King praises his son for bringing happiness and peace. The King asks the name of the room where he first lay and is told that it is the Jerusalem Chamber. He recalls that years ago it was prophesied that he would die in Jerusalem. Henry IV directs them to carry him to that chamber where he will die.

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