Cadet Will Reeves
1/30/16
Help Received: Seek works cited
Short Assignment on Henry IV
Part 1
It was common in sixteenth-century England for the sons of the nobility who were attending college to fail to take their education very seriously. They often became involved with groups of people who exhibited rowdy behavior and drew their attention away from their studies (Hodgdon 277-78). In the house of Tudor, the young men received an education that was based on the code of chivalry. They learned to fight, ride horses, and fulfill their duties in the court and in the household (Hodgdon 278). However, social reformers began attacking this sort of education by the early sixteenth century, condemning it for teaching skills that were only useful for worthless activities of leisure. These social reformers emphasized that education should instead equip students to benefit the economy, as well as cultivate virtues such as piety, while discouraging laziness and rowdy behavior (Hodgdon 278).
In the Book Named the Governor, Sir Thomas Elyot advocated a humanist education, rooted in classical models of education, which would instill virtue in students, thus bettering them as individuals as well as equipping them to benefit their communities (Hodgdon 278). The Schoolmaster by Roger Ascham supported Elyot’s message, but focused more on the actual implementation of these ideals into education (Hodgdon 278). The main emphasis on the part of these writers was that the content of students’ education is a crucial supplement to what they learn through personal experience. It was paramount that the rulers come to know who they themselves were, as well as know those whom they were governing (Hodgdon 278).
During the Elizabethan period, humanists advanced that concept that one did not simply inherit nobility by being born of a certain bloodline, but instead could make oneself a noble through education. Nobility of the intellect was deemed a truer nobility than nobility through blood. Nobility of the intellect was made evident through one’s service to the community as a courtier or statesman (Hodgdon 279). In Book of the Courtier, Baldessare Castiglione emphasized the model of the ideal man, who was skilled in athletic and combat abilities, possessed a high sense of morality and a sharp mind, maintained an excellent physical appearance, and spoke eloquently (Hodgdon 280).
Roger Ascham’s greatest concern with the characteristics of English society during his time was the disturbing absence of discipline. In The Schoolmaster, he compares this reckless behavior and disregard for authority to the high intellect and courage of the Athenians of the classical Golden Age (Ascham 282-83). He criticizes the fact that young boys and teenagers were being raised in a disciplined environment, but were being given an unhealthy degree of freedom throughout the latter days of their youth, when they became lustful and vain, and thus their disciplined upbringing would come to nothing (Ascham 284). In order to combat this disobedience, noblemen must make suitable laws for their society, as well as exercise self-discipline in their own personal lives (Ascham 286-87). Furthermore, Ascham also warns against the belief of some that while education may be helpful, life experiences, interactions with different groups of people, and “street-smarts” are sufficient for youths to make wise decisions about matters of great importance. He points out that while experiences may teach some valuable life lessons, these lessons often come at severe, even fatal, costs (287-88). Ascham notes that he does not mean for all young noblemen to always be merely poring over books. They should indeed engage in various athletic, artistic, and other activities (Ascham 289). However, they may still learn perfectly well through education how to act wisely and avoid evils (Ascham 288).
Part 2
At the very beginning of Henry IV, it seems as though Shakespeare may be affirming the views on education espoused by Roger Ascham and the other social reformers. The audience first hears of Prince Henry in the play when his father compares him to Hotspur. The audience’s first impression of Prince Henry is that he is a young fool, pursuing the passions of his youth, and unfit to one day inherit the crown of England. The negative first impression of Prince Henry is reinforced by the fact that he is introduced into the play by being compared to Hotspur, who is the same age as Prince Henry (in this play, at least), and yet has already accomplished significant feats that demonstrate military prowess. Hotspur actually seems more deserving of the English crown than Prince Henry, whose claim to the crown is through his bloodline. In fact, King Henry himself confirms this idea by lamenting to Westmorland, “Thou mak’st me sad, and mak’st me sin in envy that my lord Northumberland should be the father to so blest a son” (I. i. 77-79). He even wishes he could show that some fairy had switched his own son with Harry Percy at birth (I. i. 85-89). Indeed, it appears that Prince Henry has fallen into the same pattern of behavior against which Ascham and his fellow social reformers warned when the audience first meets Prince Henry in person as he lounges in a tavern with rowdy, worthless drunkards and even criminals. He exhibits a careless attitude toward assuming the responsibilities of the king of England. He jokes with Falstaff about appointing him as a hangman (I. ii. 47-57), and, when Falstaff tells Henry that he had earlier been trying to ignore a wise old lord who was publicly criticizing him, Henry replies nonchalantly, “Thou didst well, for wisdom cries out in the streets and no man regards it” (I. ii. 64-69). Finally, Henry seems to display the ultimate degree of youthful foolishness by agreeing to partake in a prank involving a robbery (I. ii. 123-47).
However, Henry’s soliloquy at the end of the scene provides an early plot twist by which Shakespeare begins to challenge Ascham’s views on the education of princes. Prince Henry proves that he does in fact possess a certain kind of wisdom, although it is certainly a different kind of wisdom than Ascham and his fellow social reformers had in mind. His plan for building his credibility and establishing his authority as a future king is not based on those virtues that Ascham believed princes should learn through education, such as honesty and obedience. Thus, while Prince Henry may not possess “wisdom” as Ascham would define it, Shakespeare credits him with possessing a unique kind of intelligence, especially since his plan does in fact work: He regains some of his father’s respect by vowing to amend his ways and prove his worthiness and loyalty (III. ii. 129-59); he publicly acknowledges that his recent behavior has been contrary to the chivalric values, and seeks to not only redeem his reputation, but also save lives, by risking his own life in single combat with Hotspur (V. i. 93-100); and, he ultimately fulfills his vow by defeating Hotspur, the man whom King Henry once wished was his own son instead of Prince Henry. The fact that Prince Henry’s plan had its intended effect on his father and even on the entire kingdom shows that Shakespeare is taking a jab at the social reformers who placed such an emphasis on a formal education based on book-learning.
Yet, while Shakespeare does praise Prince Henry’s wit, he also leaves several hints that Henry will not be able to continue with his old habits much longer. Moreover, walking away from his former patterns of behavior may cause a degree of pain; that is, that way of living, surrounded by rowdy company, often comes with a cost, just as Ascham warned. Specifically, Shakespeare hints that Prince Henry, now that he has brought his plan to fulfillment and redeemed his reputation, will no longer be able to have the same relationship he had enjoyed with Falstaff. In the scene where Prince Henry pretends to be his father, and Falstaff takes on the role of Prince Henry, Falstaff jokingly warns Prince Henry not to banish him when he becomes king. It is at that point that Prince Henry realizes that that is exactly what may happen (II. iv. 377-83). Later plays confirm this. Thus, while the scenes involving Falstaff and Prince Henry are comically entertaining, and while Shakespeare presents Prince Henry in an admirable light for his intelligent plan, he also acknowledges the solemn truth that the days of Prince Henry’s education have nearly drawn to a close, and the prince must be ready to assume to the grave responsibilities of the English crown very soon.
Works Cited
Ascham, Roger. The Schoolmaster. The First Part of King Henry the Fourth. By William Shakespeare. Ed. Barbara Hodgdon. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. Print.
Hodgdon, Barbara, ed. The First Part of King Henry the Fourth. By William Shakespeare. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. 283-91. Print.
Shakespeare, William. The First Part of King Henry the Fourth. Ed. Barbara Hodgdon. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. Print.