Ryan Freiwald                                                                                       Help Received:

Col. Miller                                                                                             Works Cited

ERH 321WX-01

7 September 2017

Summary and Analysis of the Early Modern Periods

Methods of Educating Princes:

Summary/Analysis of “The Education of a Prince:”

Contrary to popular beliefs about the education of royalty (i.e. upcoming leadership such as princes and dukes), the education of princes had “little or nothing to do with school rooms.” (Barbara Page 275) When most people think about the education of princes, they usually tend to think about private professors and elitist private schools. Thanks to the analysis of Shakespeare’s Henry IV and Henry V plays, the public is offered a glimpse into the education of princes.

As was stated previously, the education of princes had “little or nothing to do with school rooms” but instead, education was benchmarked “in terms of experience.” (Barbara Page 275) This experience, however, was not in government functions or royal obligations. On the other hand, it was meant to come from experiencing life which in this time period, was sometimes referred to as “tavern education.” (Barbara Page 277) Similarly to the way rich kids have their parents fund yearlong world travels to “find themselves,” Princes would go out into the world to enjoy themselves, make mistakes, and figure out who they were deep down. In Henry IV, Prince Hal did a lot of enjoying himself and making mistakes. Some of the most popular experiences that Prince Hal had were “beating the king’s watch, robbing passengers, brawling in Eastcheap, and boxing the ears of the Lord Chief Justice.” Just from these recorded events, it can be easily concluded that Prince Hal hung out with a rough crowd and that he was “a full participant in a joyful lowlife community of masterless men, thieves, and apprentices.” (Barbara Page 277) However, according to Barbara Hodgdon, “understanding Shakespeare’s representation of Hal’s coming of age” is key to understanding “his political and psychological development.” (Barbara Page 276)

People love to be able to relate with their leadership and in some cases, a shaky past can gain “the confidence of the Commons” and positively influence public opinion of their leadership in the future. (Barbara Page 276) People are influenced positively by this for two reasons. The first reason is that people like to know that their leadership is not putting on a false face and if politics in the early modern time period were anything like politics today, people are more likely to trust a person they went out drinking with on the weekends and got in fights with then a politician who denies ever doing anything wrong. Even though a lot of leaders put on a façade that they have never had a wild streak, people know deep down that it is not true and destroys trust and relatability. The second reason (which was also mentioned previously), is that people want to be able to relate to their leadership which, in cases such as this, a leaders past flaws can inspire subordinates with similar past experiences to strive for greatness.

Scene Analysis:

Prince Hals “tavern education” can really be seen in his friendship with Poins and Falstaff. Poins and Falstaff are by no means model citizens. (Barbara Page 277)  Falstaff for example, might be classified as an alcoholic by modern standards but Prince Hal is still friends with him. In Act II scene IV it can be seen how Prince Hal interacts with Poins in the tavern as they have a good time hearing Falstaff’s story of heroics when he described how he fought off “fifty” attackers who were trying to rob him. (Henry IV Act II Scene IV line 151) Of course this was not entirely true and as taverns were very busy public places in the early modern times, it can be assumed that at least a few of the common people there knew the true story, were in on the joke, and knew that Falstaff was exaggerating a lot. Sharing laughs and drinks with subordinates can be an effective strategy for gaining the respect of subordinates which adds to the fact that Prince Hal was a leader of the people for the people. Just as Prince Hal was experiencing common life in the way he and Poins robbed Falstaff as a joke in Act II scene II (lines 82 and 83), the common people were able to experience a mischievous and humorous side of the prince.

 

Works Cited:

• Shakespeare, William. The First Part of King Henry The Fourth. Barbra Hodgdon. New York: Bedford Books, 1997. Print.
• Barbra, Hodgdon. The “Education “of a Prince. New York: Bedford Books, 1997. Print.