Prince Hal is a figure on the cusp of reform and the play’s principal protagonist. In Henry V Part 1, he shared his complicated plan with the audience: Thinking ahead to the time when he would take over from his father, he deliberately damaged his own reputation so that he could publicly grow and mature in such a way that his kingship would seem like a powerful transformation. In the earlier play, however, he was forced to contend with the limitations of this plan as he was called to war alongside his father. In Henry IV, Part 2, he experiences the further consequences of his earlier decisions. With his father’s health rapidly diminishing, he has begun to recognize the responsibilities and the duties of the king and how these do not necessarily align with his method of public relations management. If he became a prince in Part 1, then Part 2 charts a more difficult character arc: toward becoming a king. 

This places Hal in a difficult position regarding The Evolution of Relationships Through Life Changes. While he may look unkindly on Falstaff and others with whom he previously surrounded himself, he cannot quite disentangle himself from their world.