A Warrior After the War Is Over: An Insight into the Flaws of the Warrior Archetype

A Warrior after the war is over: An insight into the flaws of the warrior archetype

William Shakespeare’s history play 1 Henry IV, written circa 1598 centers around the civil unrest in England during King Henry’s reign and the glorious renaissance of a prince. Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300 written in 1998 is also a story of war, bravery, deceit and the ultimate demise of the fearless 300 Spartans in the Battle of Thermopylae. Both epitomise warrior society and the attributes integral to the warrior archetype. However, these very same qualities of strength, honour, glory and ultimate sacrifice that exalts a warrior to a God-like status renders him a misfit in everyday society. An obsession with machismo, exaggerated notions of honour, a fixation on glory, reckless disregard for life and their brutality is immortalised in the characters of Hotspur in 1 Henry IV and Ephialtes in 300. I will consider the portrayal of both these characters and how they reveal the inherent limitations of a warrior society.

A stereotypical warrior is a robust, masculine combatant. A delusive obsession with physical strength and adroitness can be seen in warrior societies, where only male members of the society are considered warriors. Miller enumerates the trials and tribulations adolescents are put through on the path to warriorhood. There is a strict adherence to set standards of perfection and infants who did not measure up to them are mercilessly killed. Those who clear the first trial are subject to rigorous training, starvation, and physical abuse (Chapter-3). In most societies, there is no tolerance for the blatant practise of infanticide and child abuse but in 300, these are portrayed as acceptable norms. Their whole life tapers down to the sole aim of becoming the perfect warrior, failing which they are condemned to ostracism and a life without purpose. An example of this is when Ephilates’ parents are shunned by the Spartan warrior society because of their son’s congenital deformities. Regardless of his strength and skills in military combat King Leonidas rejects Ephialtes on account of his deformities. He is called a ‘monster’ by his fellow Spartans (Miller Chaper-3). This humiliation and the failure to redeem his father’s lost honour, drives him to the desperate measure of attempting suicide by jumping off a cliff.

The word ‘honour’ runs in tandem with the word ‘warrior’. A warrior’s actions are governed by a warrior code. In warrior societies, honour is treated as a tangible entity, treasured more than life. This is seen in Hotspur’s vivid description of honour,                                                                    

To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon,
Or dive into the bottom of the deep,
Where fathom-line could never touch the ground,
And pluck up drowned honour by the locks; (1.3.201-204)

Honour can also be conceived as an instinctive desire not to lose face. King Henry is ashamed of his dishonourable son Prince Harry and wishes that his enemy Hotspur is his son instead, who is “the theme of honour’s tongue.”(1.1.80)  Honour makes Hotspur goes to war with the King of England because he feels wronged. One of the best critiques of honour is given by Falstaff in 1 Henry IV, during the battle of Shrewsbury. Falstaff sees honour as an abstract and therefore useless entity (Sparknotes). He sees Sir Walter Blounts’ body at the battlefront and remarks, “There’s honour for you. Here’s no vanity.”(5.3.32-33). The only people who have honour are the dead because honour gets people killed and many great gallant warriors have lost their lives needlessly in the name of honour.

Another pitfall of a warrior society is a warrior’s fixation with glory, fame and wealth. Glory is the Holy Grail that warriors seek. In 300, Ephialtes betrays the Spartans by becoming a spy for the Persians in return for glory and wealth. “I want it all land, wealth, women and one more thing, I want a uniform.” (Miller, Chapter-5) By uniform, Ephialtes reveals his desire to share the Persian army’s glory in victory. In 1 Henry IV when even as he is dying, Hotspur mourns more for his lost glory than for his life. “I better brook the loss of brittle life/ Than those proud titles thou hast won of me. They wound my thoughts worse than thy sword my flesh.” (5.4.77-79) This particular excerpt from the play can be contrasted with a famous Machiavelli quote “It is not titles that honour men, but men that honour titles.” (Knightnon, December 2011) A man gains eternal glory through his virtues, rather than his titles. Warriors are selfishly preoccupied with their own honour, pride and glory.