Henry IV Part 1 Language and Communication Quotes Page 4

When Hal defeats Hotspur in battle and asserts himself as rightful heir to the throne, it's not surprising that Prince Hal literally gets the last word. Here, we're interested in the way Hal completes young Percy's final sentence after Hotspur dies. If we recall Hotspur's vehement insistence on the importance and power of language in matters of rebellion in Act 1, his inability to complete his very last phrase on earth becomes all the more dramatic. And, as cliché as it may sound, the play suggests that, in the end, death is the ultimate silencer.