Hotspur's Virtue

When you think of honor, you might think of a strong and bold war hero jumping in front of his fellow soldiers, taking a hit to save them, or a brave man in a valiant fight against a dragon to save a beautiful princess. I, Sir John Falstaff, say that’s stupid. Honor is a pointless virtue; it shouldn't be sought after by anyone that is halfway intelligent. I know you must be thinking, ‘that man is a fat old drunk! He’s not intelligent!’, but if it weren’t for my understanding of the pointlessness of honor, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Honor is also a powerful virtue that can change the outcomes of men's lives. Many men stupidly strive for honor, which is a complete waste of time. Hotspur ventured for honor by fighting bravely in war. Hal …show more content…
In his last moments, Hotspur said,“O Harry, thou hast robbed me of my youth,”(5.4.78). Even Hotspur knows that he died too young and that it wasn’t at all necessary. He died in battle because he believed that fighting was the only way to obtain more honor. He equated honor with glory on the battlefield and thought it was important to defend his reputation and family name. Hotspur waged war on the King because he had a false sense of honor. He thought that he must protect his family’s honor. Hotspur also believed he was entitled to respect because he was born a Percy. Honestly, I was really surprised when I saw that Hotspur had not faked his own death just like I had, questioning, “Why may not he rise as well as I?” (5.4.128). If Hotspur was truly an intelligent man, he would have faked his death long before he got into that battle with Prince Hal. Since he did not, he died in an “honorable” way; he went down swinging. After his defeat, he attempted for even more honor by sneaking in a quick death speech saying, “But thoughts, the slaves of life, and life, time’s fool,”(5.4.82). When he said this, he couldn’t have been referring to anything besides the honor that caused his downfall. His thoughts of honor have been the slaves of his life, causing him to waste his time and die such a young death. Honor didn’t help Hotspur, but rather it caused him to die a tragic and early …show more content…
Prince Hal became stressed about becoming a son that his father could be proud of, so he took after Hotspur, and tried to achieve honor through fighting as well. When he was speaking to his father, he spoke of Hotspur very highly when he said, “I do not think a braver gentleman, / More active-valiant, or more valiant-young, / More daring or more bold, is now alive,”(5.1.90-92). The tone that he took when referring to his supposed enemy was full of pure lust. Hal knew that Hotspur, although the enemy, had the exact drive that his father wanted him to have as the prince, so Hal took Hotspur’s hunger for honor and strived for it as well. Not only did Hal want to be as honorable as Hotspur in order to make his father proud, but he also wanted to kill Hotspur, to in some twisted way make Hotspur’s honor his own. I was lurking just outside, in hopes to not face any battle, before Hal and Hotspur faced off in their fight. Just before entering I heard Hal say to Hotspur, “To share with me in glory any more. / Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere,”(5.4.65). Hal was referring to the two stars as him and Hotspur, declaring that they couldn’t keep sharing their glory. This meant that either must’ve died at the hand of the other, for neither could live while the other survived. Hotspur was too hungry for honor, but Hal wanted that