r/shakespeare•
WordwizardW

I Henry IV Act III: scene 1, ll. 1-66 Hotspur's anti-superstition twitting of Owen Glendower

It seems to me that the Bard casts Hotspur as the only person in the canon who doesn't believe in any of the common superstitions. Even though he twits Glendower that if he (Glendower) can raise the devil, he (Hotspur) can shame the devil by telling truth, it suggests that Hotspur doesn't believe the devil can be raised because he doesn't believe in the devil in the first place. His rationalistic viewpoint is at odds with everyone else's in the canon or the time period. Thoughts?

Posted Dec 7, 2025, 10:56 PM UTC

1011
Loading comments…