Good Strong Words

Written in my Cultural Context: Shakespeare course with COL. Miller.

Civic order and rebellion are topics that consumed Elizabethan era society and politics. The threat of rebellion from the common people consumed the gentry. In response, Queen Elizabeth and the nobility published a great deal of propaganda within the church in order to suppress insurrection, based on the belief of the divine right of kings. Rebellion was then viewed as one of the highest forms of sin that one can commit against God and country. So, it is no wonder that it has also found its way into the media, specifically plays, which commonly commented on English society. In King Henry IV, Part I by Shakespeare, we see this topic take front stage as rebellion consumes the relationships of all the characters. From Prince Hal’s rebellion against his father, to Hotspur’s revolt led against King Henry IV, to the aftermath of King Henry’s rebellion against King Richard, we see rebellion hold consequences for all these characters. However, in some instances, there is sympathy and redemption for those that rebel. King Henry IV, Part I then reflects the view of rebellion held by Queen Elizabeth and the monarchy, while also contradicting the magnitude of the sin that was portrayed through propaganda.