Hotspur

Play

Henry IV, Part 1

Summary

Henry Percy, called "Hotspur of the North," is the fiery young warrior whom Henry IV openly wishes were his son instead of Hal. He is Hal's perfect foil: where Hal is calculating, Hotspur is impulsive; where Hal dissembles, Hotspur cannot conceal his passions for a moment. His obsessive cult of personal honour drives him into rebellion against Henry IV, and despite his undeniable military valour he is killed by Prince Hal at the Battle of Shrewsbury — the symbolic transfer of chivalric honour from one prince to another.

Notable Quotations

"By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap / To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon." *(1H4, 1.3)*

"O gentlemen, the time of life is short! / To spend that shortness basely were too long." *(1H4, 5.2)*

"But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool, / And time, that takes survey of all the world, / Must have a stop." *(1H4, 5.4 — Hotspur's dying words)*

"Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere." *(1H4, 5.4)*

Cross-references

• Henry IV, Part 1 — the play
• Histories — the genre
• character_prince_hal — Prince Hal, his foil and killer at Shrewsbury
• character_king_henry_iv — King Henry IV, against whom he rebels
• character_worcester — his uncle Worcester, who engineers the rebellion