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Family Dynamics In Henry IV

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Final Exam I Henry IV 4- What is the role of family dynamics in I Henry IV? In I Henry IV, family dynamics play a significant role, particularly between the King and his son Hal. In the beginning, the King openly states that he wishes Hotspur was his son instead, and that he envied that the Earl of Northumberland “should be father to so blest a son” (I Henry IV 1: I:77-80). Hal on the other hand, though aware of how his father and other view him, reveals to the audience that is all part of his plot to surprise everyone when he reveals himself to be just as worthy if not more so than Hotspur. Hotspur on the other hand, is pushed to turn against the King due to the latter’s refusal to free Hotspur’s brother-in-law Mortimer and even stated that …show more content…

However, despite Cornelia insisting that she loved him, he cast her out, only to realize later that the real betrayal would come from his remaining daughters. Fearing Lear to be “old and reverend” (Lear 1: IV: 247), Goneril and Regan decide to rid themselves of their father and leave him to fend for himself in a fierce storm. Cornelia on the other hand, comes back to aid her father, despite how he treated her and practically disowned her. Feeling ashamed of how he treated her, but she does not rebuke him for his mistakes, instead she is worried about his current state saying that she wishes to “repair those violent harms that my two sisters have in thy reverence made” (Lear 4: VII: 32-34). Hence, Lear and Cordelia are able to reconcile, further proving the strength of Cornelia’s love for her father. Without such a reconciliation, Lear would have likely gone mad and perished at the hands of Cornelia’s treacherous …show more content…

For instance, Caliban is treated rather poorly by Prospero, as seen when he calls for Ariel saying “Fine apparition, my quaint Ariel, hark in thine ear” (Tempest 1:II:319-320), but addresses Caliban by yelling saying he is a “poisonous slave, got by the devil himself” (Tempest 1: II:383). Therefore, it soon becomes clear that Ariel is the preferred servant because he does Prospero’s bidding without resisting nearly as much as Caliban does. As for the reason for resisting Prospero, Caliban states that the island belongs to him, and Prospero has “takest from me…and here you [Prospero] sty me…whiles you do keep from me the rest o’ th’ island” (Tempest 1: II:396-411). Going back to Ariel, although he is also someone who wishes for liberation, he differs form Caliban in that we at least know that Prospero “did promise to bate [Ariel] a full year” (Tempest 1:2:297-298). Therefore, while Ariel also longs for freedom from Prospero, unlike Caliban, Ariel has been given a promise of liberty. Hence, Ariel is more willing to serve Prospero until the promise is fulfilled and freedom is bestowed upon

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457 Words | 2 Pages

Caliban argues that weakness is man’s flaw and cowardice keeps man from making a list of such flaws (Cesaire 28). As Ariel attempts to impact Prospero’s conscience by obeying his orders, Caliban is quick to reject him with a lot of rage stating “We must change Prospero” (Cesaire 28). He adds that they must put an end to his serenity so that he will be obliged to acknowledge his personal injustice (Cesaire 28). Caliban insists that Ariel is a credulous person who believes in everything that Prospero has told him, he makes fake promises that he does not fulfill. Additionally, Caliban tells Ariel that he should no longer trust Ariel because he is close to Prospero and carries out his orders.

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In contrast, other characters in the play, such as Ariel and Ferdinand, are not subjected to the same level of mistreatment and oppression as Caliban. Ariel is a spirit who is under Prospero's control but is not enslaved or physically harmed. Ferdinand is the son of the King of Naples and is initially shipwrecked on the island. While he is briefly made to do labor for Prospero, he is not enslaved and is eventually allowed to leave the island unharmed. While these characters face their own challenges, they do not experience the same level of systemic oppression and violence as

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1077 Words | 5 Pages

His father, King Henry, got the crown handed to him by Hotspur's family. He slowly gained honor but then quickly lost it by being unfaithful to his people. Hal has no worries at the beginning of the play and goes about his life as free as he wants until he believes he will get the crown handed to him and then rise to his duties. Hal supposes that if he sets no expectations for himself then once he does something noble he will be praised for his actions. Hal goes around with Poins pranking his friends and robbing them.

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842 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout William Shakespeare’s tragic play, King Lear, the goal of gaining control over the kingdom and boasting about one’s status drove the characters to deceive each other through the use of lies and manipulation. Right from the start, King Lear demanded that his daughter profess their love for him, causing Regan and Goneril to exaggerate their love all to flatter their father and gain the most of his land. When it was Cordelia’s turn, even though she spoke from her heart about how much her father means to her, her words did not praise her father enough as he insisted she revise her confession. Act 1 Scene 1 started the destruction of the Lear family as Regan and Goneril proved successful in gaining their father’s land by spreading lies

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Introduction The chosen ecosystem is a bush or forest environment with grasses, plants, trees and small mammals and insects. There is little human activity present in this area except for the occasional foot traffic through the area. The abiotic factors of the ecosystem present are soil, sunlight, temperature and a high humidity. The biotic factors of the ecosystem are plants, weed shrubs, insects and small mammals. Materials

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Since part one of Shakespeare’s, King Henry IV, it is quite evident that even though prince Hal tends to undervalue honor, he understands the role of honor in his life. In Henry IV, Shakespeare depicts a young Hal who is ridiculed because his private life is less honorable than it should be, which affects how people view him publicly, but in Act 3, Scene 2 of Henry IV Part 1, Hal promises his father that he will change, and it is evident that prince Hal is able to control his behavior for the public. Therefore, it is not too surprising that in Henry V, King Hal shows different private and public behaviors. In Act IV, Scene 1 of Henry V, Hal is privately disdainful and suspicious of the advantages of the honor that comes with kingship, while

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790 Words | 4 Pages

Colonization has had a significant and lasting impact on the world, with its effects still visible in modern times. Throughout history, colonizers have invaded and exploited the lands and resources of native populations, resulting in the oppression and displacement of countless native peoples. In The Tempest, William Shakespeare explores these topics through characters such as Caliban, who, after his mother’s death, has his island taken away from him by Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, who enslaves Caliban and uses his magical powers in the play to enact revenge on those who wronged him. Throughout The Tempest, Shakespeare indicates that Caliban is most justified in believing that he has been wronged through his experiences reflecting

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Power play is a big theme in the Tempest. This example shows that Prospero wants to be the master, and Ariel the servant. Overall, Prospero just wants power over people. However it can be argued that Prospero changes when he says:

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He made Caliban his servant because he could not trust him, he had lost respect, and had no other choice. Even when Caliban was serving Prospero, he was still treated fairly. Prospero freed Ariel from being eternally stuck in a tree, and in return he asked that for a year, Ariel would serve him and help him get off of the island, and then he would be freed. Prospero did not take partial control of Caliban and Ariel without a reasonable purpose, where the Europeans had no real reason at all. Prospero’s valid reasoning, his open mindedness towards Caliban, and his willingness to set Ariel free are why I believe that the translation of the play that compares it to European colonialism is

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Both characters are considered as rebellious savages that are controlled, Caliban by Prospero and John by the World State. The Tempest can be interpreted as a play about colonialism because when Prospero arrived at the island, he imposed his own rules and put Caliban under slavery, just as Europeans when they took possession of the lands of Americans and enslaved them. From this point of view, Prospero and the World State are very similar because they both use their power to control over people and to preserve their own stability (Prospero using his magic and the World State using soma).

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1015 Words | 5 Pages

Hotspur is seen honourably through the eyes of King Henry the IV. The King’s speech to the people of his court provides a clear understanding of how Hotspur is seen as an honourable and heroic man. The King proclaims his jealousy of Lord Northumberland for having Hotspur as an honourable son, “Yea, there thou mak’st me sad and mak’st me sin / In envy that my Lord Northumberland…” (1.1.77-78).

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1470 Words | 6 Pages

As the play begins, it seems as if the massive tempest is simply a random occurrence, catching the mariners and nobility by chance. However, as the act continues, Shakespeare reveals that the tempest was actually the work of Prospero and his ghostly servant Ariel, who stirred up the seas and set fire to the masts (1.2, 193-194). This establishes Prospero as the executor of a mess of ‘coincidences’ ranging from Ferdinand stumbling upon his daughter Miranda to King Alonso and his party walking directly into the former duke’s cell. Though Prospero may have the same control over the English language as the other characters, Caliban points to his specific source of power. He says, “… for without [his books] /

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1555 Words | 7 Pages

The Tempest can often be seen as a play about colonialism primarily because Prospero came to the island that belonged to Sycorax, Caliban's mother. Prospero subdued her, ruled the land and placed himself as its new ruler. He had full control over everything on the island. Caliban actually loved Prospero at first and was fine with an autonomy but not slavery as he lamented: This island’s mine by Sycorax my mother, Which thou tak’st from me.

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1327 Words | 6 Pages

His view on showing love is expressing it through words, so when Cordelia fails in her declaration of love, Lear sees this fail as a lack of love and ungratefulness, especially when he decides to give the entire kingdom to his daughters. The fact that Lear has good intentions to begin with, prompts the reader to forgive him easier. Regan and Goneril on the

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1123 Words | 5 Pages

In comparison, the inconsistency between diction depicts the power dynamics observed in the play. Shakespeare often uses Prospero’s servant, Ariel and slave, Caliban to portray the differences in the hierarchy of the play. As observed by the audience Prospero often uses threats and insults to communicate and assign task to Caliban, hence “...tonight thou shalt have cramps, side stitches that shall pen thy breath up. ”(I.ii.325-326) Prospero threatens Caliban with pain after his refusal to do work, because he feels as if the isle belongs to him due to the fact that it was inhabited by his mother first.

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