Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Prince Hal

Although Prince Hal spends a lot of time acting like a moral degenerate and a threat to the kingdom's safety at the beginning of the play, he's clearly the protagonist in a story about growing up and transformation. By the play's end, he manages to get his act together in time to save his father's life at the battle of Shrewsbury and defeat the rebel leader, Hotspur. Prince Hal will continue to grow and evolve as a character and a beloved king in later plays: Henry IV Part 2 and Henry V.