HENRY IV Selfie from Elizabeth K.

One, two, three.  Smile for the selfie!  We live in a world that emphasizes self-image.  Whether for public or personal reasons, people care about how others see them.  In the production of Henry IV Part 1, two important characters render different strategies for designing self-image.  King Henry IV (Jasper Britton) hides in life to preserve it; Sir John Falstaff (Antony Sher) parades through life to build it.  Because we live in a “selfie-driven” society, Henry IV Part 1 prompts us to think about our own self-image: how others view us and why we make the choices that we do.

King Henry thinks that self-image needs to be controlled.  After obtaining the crown dishonestly, he has good reason to take care of his personal image and reputation.  The king carries himself with caution, safely guarding his secrets from people.  Even his persona onstage conveys this: handling the crown with shaky hands, shouting at people, making a show of his religion, pondering a corrupt past, and fearing an uncertain future.  King Henry has to play all of the right cards to keep from losing the throne.  Since his plan is to make public appearances sparingly, he carefully controls what the people see, know, and hear.  The king believes this is the key to success, and his self-image is defined by a single rule: secrecy.  

Falstaff, on the other hand, believes that self-image should be flaunted.  He is proud of his less than respectable decisions and enjoys living life as a fat drunk.  Falstaff holds back nothing as the laughing stock of the entire play, pretending to be completely carefree.  However, he has an agenda just like the king.  While King Henry hides his secrets to keep the crown, Falstaff lives brashly on purpose to be remembered.  He cannot be forgotten; he cannot be left in the dust.  Falstaff strives to make the right connections to build up his name, and friendship with Prince Hal (Alex Hassell) is his ticket to a better life.  In fact, there is a tavern scene where Hal and Falstaff tease each other and participate in role-play.  Through his words and actions onstage, we see Falstaff really try to persuade Hal to remain his friend.  Self-image is Falstaff’s tactic for manipulating his way up the ladder.

In this production, staging also contributes to our understanding of King Henry’s and Falstaff’s views on self-image.  King Henry wants to hide his secrets, so the set lights intentionally dim during some of his scenes.  The king is a secretive leader who acts quietly and hides in the shadows.  On the other hand, scenes involving Falstaff are usually bright and very loud.  Many of his main scenes take place in the tavern where he constantly makes a fool of himself.  Falstaff is the physical center of attention, rarely standing on the edge of the stage.  In fact, chairs, lights, and people are usually directed towards him.  These deliberate stage plans contribute to our impressions about their two opposing perspectives.

King Henry and Falstaff spend a lot of energy focusing on self-image like some continue to do our current world.  While there is much that affects self-image, a few pieces distinctive.  Social media profiles carry great weight.  People can spend hours trying to present the perfect Internet image for work, school, dating, family, or friends, regardless of whether it is actually true.  Similarly, the public image King Henry stages in the play is not totally honest.  Another significant piece of self-image is the people we spend time with.  While people are often different from their friends, peers still affect each other.  Falstaff, though not a common person, spends time drinking with people in taverns.  Although they are not on the same level, the tavern people still contribute to Falstaff’s reputation.  Peers are very strong influences.  Finally, personal decisions are an important part of self-image because choices often tell of character.  If a boy chooses to help an elderly person across the street, he is seen as kind.  If a woman tells the truth in a hard situation, she is seen as honest.  If a soldier places his life on the line for others, he is seen as selfless.  King Henry’s and Falstaff’s choices defined their characters; our decisions define us. 

Through characters in Henry IV Part I, we are encouraged to develop our own ideas about self-image.  King Henry’s perspective is very different from that of Falstaff, and our perspectives are likely different from both of theirs.  In my opinion, we should spend some time addressing this to help us figure out who we want to be and who we want to become.  However, I do not believe that it should consume our lives, like it did for King Henry and Falstaff.  Life is about so much more than creating a perfect image.  Young Prince Hal is influenced by these two men, but he eventually chooses his own path and becomes a man of honor who fights battles with dignity.  This personal decision makes Hal a more mature character.  Likewise, it is up to us to decide what we personally believe.  We have to form our own opinions about self-image in our world full of selfies.