Question

king henry iv part ii
by william shakespeare
act 2, scene 2

in this excerpt from king henry iv, part ii, the plays main protagonist, prince henry, has returned from war. he is accompanied by poins, one of his friends. prior to this scene, henry was a young, carefree prince who preferred spending his time in taverns, rather than learning the responsibilities of being a king. but having experienced war, henry is considering an earlier promise made to his father that he will reform and act like a true prince.

london. another street.
(enter prince henry and poins)
prince henry: before god, i am exceeding weary.
poins: ist come to that? i had thought weariness durst not have attached one of so high blood.
prince henry: faith, it does me; though it discolours the
(5) complexion of my greatness to acknowledge it. doth it not show vilely in me to desire small beer?
poins: why, a prince should not be so loosely studied as

select the correct answer.
which detail best supports the inference that prince henry is embarrassed to admit he feels tired?

\before god, i am exceeding weary.\ (line 1)
\...weariness durst not have attached one of so high blood.\ (lines 2-3)
\doth it not show vilely in me to desire small beer?\ (line 5)
\...though it discolor the complexion of my greatness to acknowledge it.\ (lines 4-5)

Explanation:

Analyze the question and context

The question asks for the detail that best supports the inference that Prince Henry is embarrassed to admit he feels tired.

Evaluate the options against the target inference

• "Before God, I am exceeding weary." (line 1): This is a direct statement of tiredness, not an indication of embarrassment.
• "...weariness durst not have attached one of so high blood." (lines 2-3): This is Poins's observation, not Henry's own admission or feeling.
• "Doth it not show vilely in me to desire small beer?" (line 5): This shows his desire for a common drink, not his feelings about being tired.
• "...though it discolor the complexion of my greatness to acknowledge it." (lines 4-5): Henry states that admitting his weariness "discolors" (stains or diminishes) his royal status ("greatness"), which directly supports the inference that he feels embarrassed or compromised by admitting it.

Answer:

• (A) "Before God, I am exceeding weary." (line 1)
• (B) "...weariness durst not have attached one of so high blood." (lines 2-3)
• (C) "Doth it not show vilely in me to desire small beer?" (line 5)
• (D) "...though it discolor the complexion of my greatness to acknowledge it." (lines 4-5) (Correct answer)