Communication in King Henry

While reading King Henry IV, I noticed two distinct patterns regarding communication

1. The characters communicate differently depending on who they are surrounded by.
2. Because certain characters fail to communicate what they feel, relationships are damaged.

Prince Harry is the perfect example of one who changes his communication patterns based on who he is speaking with. In the beginning of the play, Harry appears to the audience almost as a teenager. He is witty, opinionated, and he is quick to criticize his friends and his family. He is constantly taking friendly jabs at Falstaff especially, speaking as if he is a commoner. In reality, the audience knows that the Prince is part of the Royal family, and I assumed he has been told (probably numerous times) how to act and how to speak and how to conduct himself in public. Despite these instructions, harry chooses to communicate in the way his friends do. This also reveals something about the human tendency to fit in. One of the easiest ways to fit in is to communicate like everyone else. Hal talks like his friends, he talks ABOUT the things they talk about, because he doesn't want to stick out as something different.

Then, there is a dramatic shift as Hal wishes to redeem himself to his family and the Royal Court. Now, he finds himself wanting to fit in and so his communication so drastically changes. He speaks to his father now, with certainty and confidence. He is well aware that his Father is no pub-crawler or rebel and knows exactly how he SHOULD sound. By then end of the play, through Harry's communication, the audience sees a true transformation of a boy into a man. And eventually, that man will have to change his communication to become a King.

The second pattern in Henry IV is that miscommunication or a lack of them lead to blemished relationships. This is seen as King Henry and his son have a revealing conversation. Hal has just saved his father's life and his father tells Hal that he has "redeemed [his] lost opinion". The King clearly looked unfavorably upon his son, but also thought his son looked unfavorably upon him. Hal reassures his father that he would never betray him and it is as if this one fact fixes there complicated relationship. Because the King simply saw his son as a "mess-up" or a "lost cause", he decided not to even try to communicate with him to find something different. Once the two communicate, the audience can sense that the relationship is completely different.