Hal's Weeds
King Henry frequently laments the fact that his son, Prince Hal, has rebuked his royal duties and instead spends his time in taverns among commoners and thieves. At one point, Henry despairingly remarks, "Most subject is the fattest soil to weeds, / And he, the noble image of my youth, / Is overspread with them" (4.4). Here, Henry uses a metaphor to compare Hal to "fat soil" and his companions to "weeds" who have taken over.
Warwick's Defense
In response to Henry's disappointment over Hal's chosen companions, Warwick defends the prince and echoes the speech that Hal makes early on in 1 Henry IV, in which he announces that his antics are all part of his kingly strategy. Warwick says, "The prince but studies his companions / Like a strange tongue, wherein, to gain the language, / 'Tis needful that the most immodest word / Be looked upon and learned" (4.4). Here, Warwick uses a simile to suggest that Hal is simply studying the lives of commoners like a language in order to better understand his subjects for when he is crowned king.
The Crown
On his deathbed, Henry confides in Hal about the burden of leadership, saying, "God knows, my son, / By what bypaths and indirect crook'd ways / I met this crown, and I myself know well / How troublesome it sat upon my head" (4.3). Here, Henry uses the physical crown as a metaphor for the difficulty of being king, suggesting that Hal will inherit that difficulty and will have to make similar challenging decisions in his role as king.
A Mad Horse
At the beginning of the play, after learning about the events at Shrewsbury (and the death of his son, Hotspur), Northumberland launches into a fitful invocation of disorder for Britain. He says, "Contention, like a horse / Full of high feeding, madly hath broke loose / And bears down all before him" (1.1). In this simile, Northumberland compares civil war and political strife to a horse that has broken loose from its stall, suggesting that what the country is experiencing is wild and dangerous.
Domestic Violence
In Act Four, the Archbishop of Canterbury compares King Henry to a husband who strikes his "wife" (England) to keep her in line. He says, "So that this land, like an offensive wife / That hath enraged him on to offer strokes" (4.4). In this simile, the Archbishop suggests that the relationship between a king and his people is not only political but familial as well; furthermore, this quotation suggests that some perceive the role of the king as punishing and domineering.
