ABSTRACT
Harry, Prince Hal, Henry V: he’s quite a character. And in the end – whereas many of William Shakespeare’s principals trespass strangely into the sphere of the human – a character is all Hal becomes. This chapter examines him through two philosophical lenses: the first provided by Martin Buber’s paradigm of the “I-You, I-It” duality of human, relational existence, and the second taken from Emmanuel Levinas’ theory of “face” and “character.” Both of these theories, Levinas’ knowingly following Buber’s, understand humanity and the possible creation of authentic human existence in terms of relational opportunity and responsibility. Individual identity is more complex than simply the “is” and “was” of existence. It entails the hope of what “could be” and even the wish to live up to what “should be”. In Buber’s terms, Hal demonstrates the dual attitude indicative of the divided human condition, as well as the requisite longing for relationship, and these characteristics do much to vitalize the drama.
