How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Norton edition.
Quote #10
PRINCE
Why then I see
A very valiant rebel of the name.
I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy,
To share with me in glory any more.
Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere,
Nor can one England brook a double reign
Of Harry Percy and the Prince of Wales. (5.4.62-68)
When Hal confronts Hotspur on the battlefield at Shrewsbury, he deploys yet another celestial metaphor (Hal and Hotspur are like "two stars") to describe his path to kingship. Throughout the play, Hotspur poses a major threat to Prince Hal's lineal succession to the throne. Just before he kills his competition, Hal notes that only one man will remain standing because England cannot sustain a "double reign." In other words, England's not big enough to hold the two of them.