Language & Literature‪.‬

Father Knows Best: Renaissance Masculinity Modeled on Stage in William Shakespeare's I Henry IV. Bonnie McLean, Andrews University William Shakespeare's I Henry IV (1596-97) acknowledges a fascination with Renaissance masculinity, channeling the quest for identity through warfare and relationships with comrades, enemies, and fathers/sons. It particularly scrutinizes societal expectations through the lens of a father-son relationship, featured in Prince Hal, his counterpart, Hotspur, and their fathers and surrogate parents. Three extremes of masculine behavior emerge: the politically cunning leader; the fervent martial hero; and the effeminate, surrogate parent. Shakespeare portrays Hal as a hybrid male, crafting him from the three behavior patterns his peers and father exhibit, transforming him into a different type of male. His soliloquies and relations with others demonstrate recognition of his identity and eventual competence to inherit the throne. Further augmenting textual analysis, a study of I Henry IV's performance history reveals how productions explore notions of masculinity as prescribed by society by portraying either Hal or Hotspur as the protagonist. The June 21, 2006 Stratford Festival of Canada production of I Henry IV investigates the Renaissance man and his relationships with the other men in the play. This production juxtaposes both Hal and Hotspur, who struggle with identity in their father-son relationships.