OPPapers.com

Henry's Insomnia

Henry’s Insomnia
Winston Churchill once stated, “the price of greatness is responsibility”. In order to be powerful one has to be able to deal with all the responsibilities and struggle that comes with that position. In the soliloquy from William Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part II, King Henry is seen as sleepless and anxious as a result of the overwhelming duties he possesses as king. By analyzing his thoughts in the soliloquy, one is able to understand his state of mind.
King Henry opens the soliloquy by saying how extremely tired he is, and that he cannot seem to fall asleep at all. He starts by talking to “sleep” as a person by saying “O Sleep! O gentle sleep! Nature’s soft nurse…” (lines 2-3). Using “nature’s soft nurse” is a form of imagery. King Henry’s lines and wording the in the first couple of lines show exhalation and seduction.
Further on, King Henry realizes that he, the king, is the only one able to sleep. The poorest of his subjects can sleep in their small beds but he cannot in his “perfum’d chambers” (line 9). He goes on with a insulting attitude towards sleep by calling it a “dull god” (line 12). The king compares his lack of sleep to a ship boy who is able to sleep even with “the visitations of the wind” (line 18). King Henry questions sleep by saying “canst thou, o partial sleep, give thy repose to the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude, and in the calmest and most stillest night…deny it to a king” (lines 26-30). He is confused and annoyed by sleep and does not understand its reasoning. King Henry closes the soliloquy by saying “then happy low, lie down! Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” (lines 30-31). The king finally deals with his bad insomnia by simply accepting it. He comes to understanding that his powerful position as the king comes with a lot of baggage which includes sleepless nights because of too much stress. King Henry also comes to face that if he were not the king he would be care free and happier living a simple life.