Honor In Julius Caesar Essay

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THESIS: Shakespeare introduces multiple characters ranging from different backgrounds and social classes in Henry the IVth Part One and Julius Caesar. These characters have different perceptions and understandings of honour. In these two plays, honour is an expected trait for a leader, but the characters’ search and perusal of honour leads to their downfall.
This essay will focus on three characters from two of Shakespeare’s plays: we shall look at Falstaff and Hotspur from Henry IVth Part One, and Brutus from Julius Caesar.
Honour is a recurring theme in many of Shakespeare’s plays. There are many ways in which we can look at honour: honour as personal integrity, honour as fame or glory, honour as a privilege or pleasure, honour as great …show more content…
Hotspur, a courageous young nobleman susceptible to impulsive actions, maintains an obsessive desire for honour. Through-out Henry IVth Part One he demonstrates his love for honour through his actions. Right from the beginning of the play, we are given an image of Hotspur by the King: “A son who is the theme of honor’s tongue” (1H4 1.1. 81). This passage reveals a lot about the characters of the play as we get an insight into how the King perceives Hotspur and his own son. He clearly states that he wishes Hotspur was his son, not Harry. This passage allows us to reflect how the theme of honour is related to power, but also what it means to be King. According to King Henry, honour is a valuable trait necessary for a Prince: he scolds his son for not being like Hotspur, he says: “Whilst I, looking on the praise of him, / See riot and dishonor stain the brow / Of my young son Harry.” (1H4 1.1 84-86). This proves the importance of honour for the King who is ashamed of his son for not displaying such a quality. If we look more closely at the character of Hotspur, his vision of honour is firmly related to power: through-out the play, we can see that his search for honour is his top
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