Prince Hal: Waiting for the Crown
First appears: Act 2, Scene 2
Hal is largely offstage in Part 2, which is the point. His father is dying. His brother John is handling the rebel alliance at Gaultree Forest. Hal is waiting: for the throne, for the moment when the performance of waywardness can finally stop.
He appears in Act 2, Scene 2 with Poins, planning one last outing to spy on Falstaff at the tavern. In Act 4, Scene 5, he takes the crown from his sleeping father's pillow, believing him dead. Henry wakes, and the confrontation that follows is the most emotionally direct scene between them. Hal explains his reasons. His father does not fully believe him.
The rejection of Falstaff in Act 5, Scene 5 is immediate and complete. It has been prepared for two full plays. Mistress Quickly's verdict ('The king has killed his heart') is the play's final word on what that preparation cost.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“I know thee not, old man. Fall to thy prayers.”
Prince Hal — Act 5, Scene 5
“I have long dreamt of such a kind of man, so surfeit-swelled, so old and so profane; but being awaked, I do despise my dream.”
Prince Hal — Act 5, Scene 5