This greatly encourages the King, and he declares that Hal will one day be the commander of an army. Hal promises his father that he will defeat Hotspur when the moment arrives for him to do so, and that this will mark the successful completion of his transformation into the prince that everyone hopes he will be. It is important to take note of the muted tension evident in this scene it plays out very much as the moment of calm before the storm. The menвЂ™s wives arrive and sing in Welsh, but Lady Percy refuses to join in. Worcester demands Hotspur restrain himself. Glendower especially gets on the nerves of Hotspur while the former speaks in the language of poetry and mysticism, claiming to be able to identify omens from the natural world, the latter is far more conservative and is infuriated by what is to him absolute nonsense. But playing the King, Hal says that Falstaff will indeed be banished.Дisagreement and tension erupt amongst the rebels as their excitement over the prospect of success against the King mixes with their uncertainty and doubt as to whether the rebellion is a good idea at all. Playing Hal, Falstaff begs the King not to banish Falstaff. Initially, Falstaff plays the King and Hal plays himself, but eventually Hal tires of this and demands that he play the role of his father. Obviously embarrassed and humiliated by the prank played on him, Falstaff claims he knew the robbers were Hal and Poins all along.ДЇalstaff then reveals some troubling news: he has heard of the coming rebellion, and suggests to Hal that the pair roleplay as the King and his son to prepare Hal to face the King.

HotspurвЂ™s wife, Lady Percy, demands her husband to reveal what is troubling him вЂ“ he has been restless, lately, and while the horrors of war never previously weighed on his mind, it seems recently that they are beginning to he is agitated, distant, and struggles to sleep вЂ“ but Hotspur is evasive. The robbery goes according to plan, and Hal and Poins rob the robbers.

Eager to see war and attain glory for himself, Hotspur urges other members of his family to support MortimerвЂ™s claim to the throne, with Worcester (HotspurвЂ™s uncle) leading the rebellion. It is here that Hal reveals his true intentions, and foreshadows his characterвЂ™s destiny, in the playвЂ™s key speech: he states that when he feels as though the time is right, he will reform himself and mature, and that such a process will be more impressive to others than if he had been dutiful all along.Д®lsewhere, Hotspur refuses to return the prisoners to King Henry, and goes on a rant against the flamboyant and effeminate appearance of the messenger that was sent to inform him that the King wished to speak to him. At the tavern, Hal joins with Poins and Bardolf in plotting to trick Falstaff into participating in a robbery, only for it to end with him being exposed for his cowardice. Here, we are introduced to Sir John Falstaff, the man who is apparently responsible for leading Hal astray. Scene Two takes place at the BoarвЂ™s-Head Tavern in Eastcheap. Though Hotspur is an enemy, the King fantasises that Hal and Hotspur were swapped at birth, so that his lineage would not be at risk of failing due to incompetence and immaturity. Towards the top of his list of concerns is the behaviour of his son, Hal, who he sees as a failure in comparison to the young and promising Hotspur.

In the face of this crisis, the King contemplates organising another crusade to unite England and distract the population from his illegitimate claim to the throne the idea is that the massive success of such a campaign would legitimise his power to the world.Д«ut the King concedes that he must prioritise things and resolve the situation at home before he can even begin to seriously consider something like a crusade. At present, DouglasвЂ™ campaign is challenged by the Percy family (the rebels including Hotspur), but that is to change shortly. Mortimer is backed by the warlords Glendower and Douglas. The KingвЂ™s power is being challenged by Edmund Mortimer, who it is later revealed is apparently the rightful heir to the throne. England is in the midst of a civil war that has erupted as a direct result of the KingвЂ™s usurpation of Richard II. From the outset of the play, Shakespeare immediately establishes the desperation of King Henry VвЂ™s situation.

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