Father/Son Relationships in Shakespeares Henry IV, Part One The connection between a dad and his child is a significant subject in Shakespeares Henry IV, Part One, as it identifies with the two principle characters of the play, Prince Hal and Hotspur. These two characters, considered as young people and future rulers to the peruser, are presented to father-calculates whose activities will impact their activities in later years. The two characters have two such dad figures; Henry IV and Falstaff for Prince Hal, and the Earl of Northumberland and the Earl of Worcester for Hotspur. Both dad figures for Hal and Hotspur have evident great and awful implications in their impact on the character. For instance, Falstaff, in his drinking and delighting, is obviously a poor impact for a future ruler, for example, Prince Hal, and Worcester, who shares Hotspurs temper, urges Hotspur to settle on careless choices. The whole plot of the play depends on which father-figure these characters decide to follow: had they picked the other, the result would have been completely different.
