Aristotle breaks down the plot of tragedy into three parts: reversal, recognition and catharsis. Shakespeare includes all three components of plot in his play, Henry IV Part I. He establishes a tragic hero, Harry Percy, and allows him to rise to power and influence. Then, at its climax, comes the reversal, which results in a fatal stab, followed by the recognition, which comes in Percy's last words before he dies. The combination of these two components, mixed with the audience's ability to identify with Harry Percy and his fatal flaws, leads to the emotional catharsis at the end of the play. By identifying Harry Percy as the tragic hero of the first part of Shakespeare's Henry IV and examining Shakespeare's use of these three aspects of plot, it becomes clear that the first part of Henry IV can be identified as an Aristotelian tragedy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayAccording to Aristotle, a reversal is “a change of actions into their opposite” (96) which shows the change in fortune of the tragic hero . For a reversal to be successful, it must be developed and must occur “in accordance with probability or necessity” (96). In Henry IV, Part I, Shakespeare begins this development in Act I, Scene I, when the Earl of Westmoreland tells King Henry IV of Harry Percy's valiant efforts at Holmedon. King Henry IV praises Harry Percy's courage and says he is "envious that my Lord Northumberland / should be the father who thus blesses a son - / a son who is the theme of the tongue of honor" (1.1.78 -80). This praise is amplified when King Henry thinks of the “riot and dishonor” of his own son (1.1.84). Shakespeare begins to make Harry Percy the tragic hero of the play by introducing his fatal flaw, his hubris, which renders him incapable of properly assessing his situation and acting accordingly, as demonstrated by his interaction with King Henry IV in the act I, scene III. During this conversation, Percy openly refuses to hand over the prisoners he captured at Holmedon to King Henry, claiming that he will not return them. the king even “if the devil comes to roar for them” (1.3.123). Unlike his uncles who understand the proper way to speak to a king, Percy is unable to behave properly, leading him to speak to the king as if he were an acquaintance rather than royalty. Scene I of Act IV is another case of Percy's hubris. leading to ignorance, Percy discovers that his father has fallen ill and will be unable to fight. Instead of recognizing the real reason his father didn't come to fight, his fear of losing to King Henry and the impact his absence will have. about the battle, Percy ignorantly says, "I prefer to use his absence, / It gives a luster and greater opinion" (4.1.76-77). Percy's hubris comes to a head just before the reversal of Act V, Scene IV. As Percy and Prince Hal finally meet on the battlefield and prepare to fight, Percy says to the prince, " The time has come / To put an end to one of us; and I would to God / Your name in arms was now as great as you. mine” (5.4.67-69). This statement makes the outcome of the battle more shocking as the two men fight and Prince Harry emerges victorious. As he dies, Percy laments the loss of his honor: “O Harry, you have robbed me of my youth. / I had better bear the loss of a fragile life / Than these proud titles you have won for me” (5.4.76-78). The reversal ends when Prince Harry tells the corpse.