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Dramatic Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Father and Son:
In a scene that exemplifies dramatic irony, King Henry IV unfairly accuses his son, Prince Harry, of wishing for his death. Furious after learning that Harry has taken his crown, the King berates him:
Thy wish was father, Harry, to that thought.
I stay too long by thee; I weary thee.
Dost thou so hunger for mine empty chair
That thou wilt needs invest thee with my honors
Before thy hour be ripe? O foolish youth,
Thou seek’st the greatness that will overwhelm
Thee [...]
My day is dim.
Thou hast stol’n that which after some few hours
Were thine without offense, and at my death
Thou hast sealed up my expectation.
He criticizes his son harshly in this scene, suggesting that Harry is so greedy for “mine empty chair” (or in other words, the royal throne) that he eagerly awaits the King’s death, and accusing him of taking his “honors” (or the crown) before he has even died. Further, he suggests that Harry is not yet ready to assume the responsibilities of kingship, a “greatness that will overwhelm” the young man. Last, he suggests that Harry has confirmed his anxieties and offended his father, who would have likely died “after some few hours” anyway.
The audience, however, witnessed the previous scene, in which Harry mourned his father under the mistaken assumption that he had already died, and so too does the audience know that Harry considers kingship a painful burden. At this point in the play, the audience has watched Harry develop into a responsible young man, but his father still considers him to be a wayward and rebellious youth—a prime example of dramatic irony.
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