It is absolutely vital to remember that this play is as
much about the makings of a perfect king as it is about anything else. Henry has a lot
to prove. Remember how he was famed for his dissolute days with Falstaff and how he
disappointed his father. Now, he is the King of England, and as such, he needs to show
that he can act like a King. This of course involves incredible harshness when
necessary. In Act II scene 2 this does become necessary, as his three most trusted
friends, Grey, Scroop and Cambridge have been found out to be traitors and Henry must
face them, administering justice.
He does this by giving
them a hypothetical situation and asking for their opinion: should he show mercy to a
man that drunkenly insulted him? Although he is inclined to show mercy, his three
friends all strongly advise him to punish the man harshly. However, as he hands them the
papers with the information about their treachery on it, and they plead for mercy, he
tells them that:
The mercy that was quick in us but
late
By your own counsel is suppressed and
killed.
Henry has to show
himself strong and unyielding. His personal attachments must not enter into what he does
as King here. We can almost see the other faithful advisers in this scene, Bedford,
Exeter and Westmore-Land, watching carefully whether Henry is able to administer the
justice that he needs to administer on his friends, especially his former
"pillow-fellow," Scroop. Some productions have Henry really upset and torn in this
scene, doing what he knows he has to do, yet angry with his former friends for putting
him in this impossible situation. Either way, this scene is an important part of Henry's
path to becoming the perfect King.
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