An Actor’s Guide to Prince Hal “Do not think so”

From Act 3, Scene 2 of Henry IV Part 1, this is Prince Hal/Harry’s “Do not think so, you shall not find it so”.

Prince Hal is the son of King Henry IV. His name is actually Henry (Hal is a nickname) and in the next play he becomes King Henry V, after his father dies. You will also see him referred to as Harry (another nickname), and as the Prince of Wales, which is his official title. Occasionally he is referred to as Harry Monmouth. Monmouth is his family name.

Hal is kind of the main character of the play. He’s an interesting character, because he’s not always likeable, and he goes on quite an extreme character journey.

At the start of the play, we see Prince Hal hanging out with some very dodgy friends, who drink a lot, steal, and sleep with prostitutes. Hal admits to us in a soliloquy that he knows his friends are terrible, and that at some point he plans to renounce his dodgy friends and bad behaviour and become the prince he’s supposed to be. We see this happen during the course of the play, and by the end, he is almost unrecognisable.

This monologue is a pivotal moment in the play for Prince Hal.

In this scene, his father, King Henry IV, has called him to the palace and proceeds to give him a thorough telling-off (about 3 monologues worth of yelling at his son, to be exact). He talks about Henry Percy, who is rebelling against the King, but who somehow appears to be more honourable and princely than Hal. (Actually, in the very first scene of the play, King Henry admits that he’s envious of Henry Percy’s dad for having such an honourable son, while he’s stuck with a useless layabout like Prince Hal.)

He goes as far as saying that he thinks Hal would actually join with Percy and rebel against his father, to which Hal responds, “Do not think so, you shall not find it so” and proceeds to tell his dad about his plan to become an honourable prince.

The relationship between father and son is at the core of this monologue. As an actor, I would begin by building detail around the relationship. Read and watch the play to find clues in the text that illuminate anything about their relationship, and then make your own choices beyond that. When do you think Hal decided to rebel against his dad? Why?

In preparing this monologue, you will also need to decide how much this moment is a shock to Hal. He knows his dad doesn’t think much of him, and he has a plan to eventually become a decent prince, but did he expect it to happen today? Was he ready for it? How much of what his dad says to him is a surprise to him? Does he feel hurt that his dad sees him this way?

When, exactly, does Hal make the decision to change? Is it at the start of the scene, or maybe just in the line right before he begins speaking? Make sure you read thoroughly through the scene to develop a good understanding of all the insults (ahem – harsh truths) his dad throws at him.

Something to keep in mind is that by speaking this monologue, Hal manages to convince his dad of the change in his behaviour. This means it needs to be genuine. Hal needs to not just be convincing, but also believe in himself that he has the ability to make this change, and has, in fact, already begun the process of becoming the man his dad wants him to be.

In full, this monologue runs close to 90 seconds, so really you don’t need to cut a lot to make it fit comfortably into a 90 second limit. If you’re worried about running over time, or you would like to cut a little to allow yourself some time for dramatic pauses, etc (I recommend keeping this to a minimum, by the way!), you could cut the following lines:

“When I will wear a garment all of blood
And stain my favours in a bloody mask,
Which, wash’d away, shall scour my shame with it:”

If you need to get the monologue down to 60 seconds, you can cut a few additional lines towards the end.

Percy is but my factor, good my lord,
To engross up glorious deeds on my behalf;
And I will call him to so strict account,
That he shall render every glory up,
Yea, even the slightest worship of his time,
Or I will tear the reckoning from his heart.

Something to keep in mind with this cut is that the above lines (“Percy is but my factor… from his heart”) would usually be the CLIMAX of the monologue. That means that you will need to make sure that you are building to a decent climax slightly earlier, around “That I shall make this northern youth exchange / His glorious deeds for my indignities”.

Do not think so; you shall not find it so:
And God forgive them that so much have sway’d
Your majesty’s good thoughts away from me!
I will redeem all this on Percy’s head
And in the closing of some glorious day
Be bold to tell you that I am your son;
When I will wear a garment all of blood
And stain my favours in a bloody mask,
Which, wash’d away, shall scour my shame with it:
And that shall be the day, whene’er it lights,
That this same child of honour and renown,
This gallant Hotspur, this all-praised knight,
And your unthought-of Harry chance to meet.
For every honour sitting on his helm,
Would they were multitudes, and on my head
My shames redoubled! for the time will come,
That I shall make this northern youth exchange
His glorious deeds for my indignities.
Percy is but my factor, good my lord,
To engross up glorious deeds on my behalf;
And I will call him to so strict account,
That he shall render every glory up,
Yea, even the slightest worship of his time,
Or I will tear the reckoning from his heart.
This, in the name of God, I promise here:
The which if He be pleased I shall perform,
I do beseech your majesty may salve
The long-grown wounds of my intemperance:
If not, the end of life cancels all bands;
And I will die a hundred thousand deaths
Ere break the smallest parcel of this vow.