Better part of valor Why Should I Care

Why Should I Care?

If fake deaths and lying to the king on the battlefield don't do it for you, then how about this? Henry IV, Part I is all about honor.

It's perhaps the play's most important theme, but it's also the most difficult concept to pin down. In the mouths of various characters, the definition of honor ranges from being synonymous with an individual's courage on the battlefield to a mere "word" used in an attempt to elevate the physical horrors of warfare to something more lofty and intangible. (That one was Falstaff.)

From Henry IV Part 1's beginning, Hotspur is praised as the very embodiment of honor, while Prince Hal is marked by the "stain" of "dishonor." This allows the play to consider the kind of behavior that makes one a good leader and a strong king.

It's pretty clear from the get go that Falstaff would never be anyone's king. Hal thinks the concept is so funny that the pair play a little game of dress up where Falstaff plays Hal's dad, the king.

But does Falstaff have a point? Is valor or honor just a word? It is something we like to throw around when we should just keep quiet about it? We'll let you one decide for yourself, Shmoopers.