Leaning on His Sword

Within Shakespeare's plays there are many villains. There is the highly egoistic and conceited Malvolio, and the cunning and manipulative Iago, as well as the treacherous and vilely exploitative sisters Goneril and Regan. Henry 'Hotspur' Percy is another such villain, with his own distinct boldness, a penchant for impudence, and the hotheadedness that grants him his nickname. Hotspur is a villain characterized by his irreverence for authority and faith in his own magnificence. He has a tongue as blunt and witty as a schoolboy's and lies incessantly. But above all, his most defining characteristic is his trust in actions over diplomacy, and the sword over anything.

From the moment Hotspur is introduced in Act I Scene 3 of Henry the Fourth Part One his lack of honor and respect for the King is apparent—the first utterance from Hotspur's mouth is a lie. He even comes close to admitting the truth when he says, “My liege, I did deny no prisoners” (l. 29). With the removal of the negative, his statement would be true, but Hotspur boldly lies, right to King Henry's face. This shameless scorn of the King's authority is purely a Hotspur characteristic. The fact that he includes the honorific epithet “my liege” is even more revealing of his character, as he puts on a veil of respect when before the King while behind his back he spouts his insubordinate comments. It is not evident on the page, but one can imagine the tone with which this line would be performed—a tired, impatient tone, hinging on insubordination.

Hotspur now goes into his account of what happened to the prisoners which he claims he does not deny the King. He begins by giving a vivid description of himself after the battle, “dry with rage and extreme toil, / Breathless and faint, leaning upon [his] sword” (l. 31). A sense of the reverence Hotspur has for himself can be found in this line. He is the mighty victorious warrior, gallantly fighting with his every bit of strength, and now he rests, tired and deserving of said rest. He depicts himself as supported by his sword. He leans on it—it is the strength that supports him and holds him up as a man of power, but unknowing to him it is also his crutch, and he leans on it, crippled by the reverence and value which he places solely in the sword and not in the court.

Next in his account, “a certain lord, neat and trimly dressed, / Fresh as a bridegroom, and his chin new reaped” (l. 33) comes onto the battlefield strewn with the aftermath of battle. Hotspur portrays this supposed lord in stark contrast to his own image. Hotspur is rugged and dirty in some commendable way after the battle. He has proven his worth by fighting and sweating and soiling himself in the process of battle, while the lord is clean, well dressed, and freshly shaved. Demonstrably the lord was not involved in the battle and by the tone of Hotspur's description undeserving of any respect for this reason.

Hotspur's description and subsequent contrast of himself and this seemingly fabricated lord is a veiled stab at the King to whom he is speaking. He holds no regard for a man who is pampered and sits on his throne far from the ugliness of battle, does not lift a finger to fight, and then bosses around the honest and brave Sir 'Hotspur' Percy. Hotspur even cheapens the lord's image by likening him to a “milliner” (l. 36), a seller of fashionable gloves and hats. Further on he describes the nameless lord pestering him for his prisoners as a “popinjay” (l. 50). The choice of describing the lord as a parrot incessantly spouting nonsense in an obnoxious voice shows exactly what he thinks of the nobility under whose authority he wages battle. Hotspur sees the King as nothing but a parrot, a nagging nuisance perched on his own valiant pauldron. Hotspur actually believes that in his bravery and gallantry on the battlefield he actually is more important

and more valuable than the King.After King Henry leaves the court Hotspur and the two Earl's remain behind. Hotspur

breaks into his delusive self after berating the King on his refusal to pay the ransom for his brother in law Mortimer. He begins with a very angry, self righteous declaration of what he will do about the prisoners. Hotspur boldly proclaims that even “if the devil come and roar for them, / I will not send them. I will after straight and tell him so” (l. 126). He continues to speak in a very vehement first person tone. He goes on and on about how “I” will do this and “I” will do that. It is obvious what Hotspur's thought process is when making decisions. He puts himself first, above all else and then based on this he acts, usually very brashly. Everything revolves around him, and like a prima donna when something impedes him, he becomes infuriated.

Returning again to the prisoners, Hotspur states that the King “shall not have a Scot of them! / No, if a Scot would save his soul, he shall not. / I'll keep them, by this hand!” (l. 214). Again, Hotspur is insubordinate to the point he is proud of it. But a more telling sign of his character is that he makes the proclamation that he will keep them “by this hand” and at this point one can imagine the actor playing him would hold his fist up and look at it with a sort of fire in his eyes. Hotspur has an incredible reverence for the physical—for force. He holds no stock in what he considers futile mental exercise. There is no reason to speak, there is only action for Hotspur. As his nickname suggests, he brazenly spurs into action.

Even in regards to his wife Hotspur lives by the sword. In Act II Scene 3 when she asks what “carries” him away, he answers “why, my horse, my love—my horse!” (l. 75). He tries to satisfy her curiosity but not divulge to her any of his plans for rebellion. He doesn't even trust his own wife, and with guile belittles her intelligence and concern for him. When she prods deeper, Hotspur explicitly tells her he doesn't love her and does not care for her. Hotspur tells her that “we must have bloody noses and cracked crowns” (l. 91). He alludes to the impeding battle (bloody noses) and the crown he intends to overthrow (cracked crown). Not even Hotspur's gentle wife could find a soft spot in his cold heart. He thinks little of her concern for him and instead of taking comfort in the fact, he dismisses it as a weakness.

Hotspur's last words sum up his existence and what he holds dear in it. As he is dying, he says he would better bear his death than “those proud titles thou hast won of me” (l. 78). His death is his ultimate title. It is an honor for him to die in battle. Any other way would for him have been an insult. His final line, “no, Percy, thou art dust, / And food for—” (l. 84), is very telling of his philosophical outlook on life and death. He makes no mention of a spirit, or of heaven and hell. He focuses purely on the physical. He now turns to dust, and to food presumably for maggots. This is what he envisions is his end. Nothing beyond the scope of the ephemeral realm.

Hotspur is a character focused on the tangibility of battle and physical actions rather than words and diplomacy. He considers those who do no act but instead think and speak, such as the King, as below him. He holds himself in very high esteem, having no shame or regret for his actions, instead justifying them with more brash actions. Hotspur could be seen to subscribe to the adage “live by the sword, die by the sword.”