Joshua Dotson
Professor Rice
English 333: Shakespeare
September 22, 2023
The Decline of Chivalry in Shakespeare’s Henry Fourth Part Two
Shakespeare had an extensive knowledge of
Medieval literature. His The Two Noble Kinsman is a retelling
of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Knight's Tale. Likewise, the great
English playwright knew Medieval history. While fictionalizing scenes and
dialogue in his historical plays, he was certainly familiar with many contexts
of the Medieval world. He knew much, indeed, about how the world of knighthood
was changing in the setting of Henry IV, Part II. Chivalry was
decaying. The once-orderly knighthood had shifted well since the time of
Richard II. Indeed, it had already changed by Act Two, Scene One of the play.
The reasons for this adjustment originated from the declining honor of
knighthood, the conduct of John of Lancaster, and the complexity of a divided
kingdom.
The honor of knighthood was in disarray by
the time of the early fifteenth century, as recounted in Henry IV, Part
II. In Act 4, Scene 2, for example, John of Falstaff is outspoken against
Colevile, a fellow knight: “Well, then, Colevile is your name, a knight is your
degree, and your place the Dale. Coleville shall be still your name, a traitor
your degree, and the dungeon your place, a place deep enough so shall you be
still Colevile of the Dale (Shakespeare, 4.2.4-7).” Later, the knight
easily surrenders to him in the forest, also demonstrating a change from the
once-respected Code of Chivalry. The once-glorious years of Richard II's rule
before his overthrow at the hands of Henry Bolingbroke preceded this radical
switch. Now, with the kingdom’s inability to recover from the successful
revolt, Falstaff and his companions retain a flippant view of the previously
respected institutions which had dwindled to nothing more than ragged men in
dressed uniforms. Furthermore, even though Falstaff strikes fear in Colevile
considering Falstaff's alleged murder of Hotspur at the Battle of Shrewsbury,
the fact that the knight surrenders so easily to Falstaff is evidence of a
declining knighthood in which more and more of the nobility fail to live up to
the sense of honor and duty that their fathers once shared before them.
Additionally, the conduct of John of
Lancaster plays an important role in Henry IV, Part II concerning
the decline of knighthood. A son of Henry IV and a brother to Prince Hal,
John's place is at the center of all the struggles occurring in the play. He
ultimately mirrors a sense of honor, responding to the scandalous knight, “Now,
Falstaff, where have you been all this while? When everything is ended, then
you come. These tardy tricks of your will, on my life, One time or other break
some gallows' back (Shakespeare,4.2.23-26).” In return, Falstaff responds, “I
would be sorry, my lord, but it should be thus. I never knew yet rebuke and the
check was the reward of valor (Shakespeare,4.2.26-27).” While John of Lancaster
feels a sense of moral obligation to fight in battle for the kingdom's future,
John of Falstaff is interested in attaining prizes without any work to first
achieve them. In this scene, John is a symbol of the old knighthood, while
Falstaff is an image of the new manhood. Indeed, the contrast between the two
men also parallels the role of honor in the play.
Once upon a time, knights were perceived
as worthy of honor, but this code devolved during the civil war between Henry
IV and Prince Hal, the king's son. Indeed, Hal's war against his father
produces scandal in the kingdom as morality declines, with men having little
interest in upholding the former ideals of chivalry. Falstaff explains the cause
of war, “Herof comes it that Prince Harry is valiant, for the cold blood he did
naturally inherit of his father he hath, like lean, sterile, and bare land,
manured, husbanded, and tilled with the excellent endeavor of drinking good and
good store of fertile sherries, that he is become very hot and valiant. If I
had a thousand sons, the first human principle I would teach them should be to
forswear thin potations and to addict themselves to sack (Shakespeare, 4.2. 104-112).”
In these final lines of the scene, Falstaff informs the audience of his
admiration of Prince Hal, who squanders all in his pathway. Knighthood, as it
was once known, has clearly died. When Falstaff says, “Herof comes it that
Prince Harry is valiant, for the cold blood he did naturally inherit of his
father... (Shakespeare, 4.2.104-106),” Falstaff seems to be attributing the
declining morality of the kingdom to its internal divisions, which have stemmed
from the war between father and son.
Henry IV, Part II is
another great classic in the history of English literature. Shakespeare's story
of a king facing the consequences of a successful revolution against a
weakening realm is as relevant now as when it was written. Throughout history,
people eventually become weary of every government or political party, and the
established institutions themselves become challenged by a potential overthrow.
On a second note, however, Henry IV Part II also reflects the
importance of Chivalry’s decline in the late Medieval era. Over time, the
successors of knights would become “gentlemen” who did not seek to work and
toil for the protection of other people as their ancestors had done. The fact
that knighthood was losing the dignity that it was once known for also
demonstrates the turn of men from their noble duties to uphold God's law and
protect their families. Falstaff's disposition of attaching a prize without a
necessary battle beforehand reflects many modern men's sentiment that a woman's
heart can be won without a struggle for her honor. Just as honor slips away
from many in the second part of Henry IV, quite tragically, so also
has it faded from most men in the modern world.
Works Cited:
No Fear Shakespeare:
Henry IV Parts One and Two. (2005).
