Source: "The Education of the True Prince," in Tennessee Studies in Literature, Vol. XII, 1967, pp. 13-21.

[Mitchell offers a detailed account of Hal's education, drawing attention to the characters Hal learns from. In discussing Hal's relationship with Falstaff, Mitchell argues that Hal explores aspects of human weakness. Mitchell also examines how Hal's conception of honor changes through the course of the play due to the King's lecture on the subject and to Hal's association with Falstaff. Hal's View of Hotspur's conception of honor also aids the Prince in confirming his own understanding of honor, observes Mitchell. The critic also notes that the battle between Hal and Hotspur is representative of the "confrontation of true and false honor."]

. . . By definition, a king must be superior to other men; on the other hand, if he feels only the superiority of his rank, as does Henry IV, he is not...