Henry IV, Part One

In Henry IV, Part One, Shakespeare does not imply a lot of fate within the play. He based the play off of real life events and instead of changing the outcome, he kept it and added to it. Of course, there are always the "what if" questions, and I think many of those questions are actually answered in part in Henry IV, Part Two. One of the most relateable questions about fate is the nature vs. nurture debate. In this play, that would seem the most important allusion to fate. For example, would Hal have been a great king if he was taught more by his father instead of Jack Falstaff? Maybe he was born a king and was destined to become great. However, even if he was born great, he would still have to learn how to become great. Falstaff become somewhat of a secondary father to Hal. So how much more or less of an impact did Falstaff have on Hal than his own father? Did Hal's nature allow him to be a respected king or did Hal's knowledge and experience from Falstaff allow that? Or maybe a bit of both. Hal was viewed as one of the greatest kings to ever rule England however his father, King Henry VI was considered an unfit ruler.