Question

Analyze this passage from Henry IV, Part One.I know you all, and will awhile uphold The unyoked humor of your idleness; Yet herein will I imitate the sun, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds To smother up his beauty from the world, That when he please again to be himself, Being wanted, he may be more wondered at By breaking though the foul and ugly mists Of vapors that did seem to strange him. If all the year were playing holidays, To sport would be as tedious as to work; But when they seldom come, they wished-for come, And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents. So, when this loose behavior I throw off And pay the debt I never promiséd, By how much better than my word I am,. By so much shall I falsify men’s hopes; And like bright metal on a sullen ground My reformation, glittering o’re my fault, Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes Then that which hath no foil to set it off. I’ll so offend, to make offence a skill, Redeeming time when men think least I will.

Answer 1

In these lines, we see what Harry's objective is in hanging out with people who are not particularly desirable. He tells us that the only reason why he hangs out with lowly people and behaves in an unadmirable way is because he wants to create contrast between his present behaviour and his much more restrained future. He believes that, if he acts extremely irresponsibly now, then it will seem all the more impressive to everyone when he changes his ways and decides to be a proper, responsible king.