The thing that stood out to me the most in these sections was Henry’s comparison of Prince Harry and Hotspur. In Act 3 scene 2 the king mentions that he finds that Hotspur “hath more worthy interest in the state than [Harry], the shadow of succession.”  By this he means that he believes that Hotspur is more deserving of the throne than Harry, despite Hotspur’s betrayal. The Kings reasoning for this belief is Harry’s association with individuals the King believes to be bad company.

The scene seems to be central to Acts 3 and 4. The surrounding scenes focus on either Harry or Hotspur in turn and appear to set them in opposition to each other. Not only do are the two characters contrasted through these scenes, but they also seem to be moving toward an actual physical confrontation.

Harry’s response to his father’s chastise is repentance and what seems to be the beginning of reform.  He promises his father that he will start to conduct himself in a manner becoming his position and begins to take actions that reflect his intentions to do so. Harry raises soldiers to help to augment his father’s army and takes a position of leadership within that army. The impression that Harry gives off in this position is apparently impressive. At least that seems to be the impression that the rebels who see him receive.

In contrast, Hotspur, when chastised by his brother-in-law for the petulant way in which he addresses Glyndwr is not repentant at all. Instead he just gives reasons for his inappropriate behavior. This shows him to be relatively static in comparison to the dynamic quality that Harry has been shown to possess. While both characters began as relatively unrefined, Harry seems to be making a turn towards being a mature and effective leader, while Hotspur is rather set in his ways.