Henry IV: Hotspur vs. Harry At the beginning of the play it seems that the chief rebel, Hotspur, is in dispute with the King but as the play progresses we find that the main contest is between Hotspur and Hal, the King's son. At first thought, Hotspur seems to be the easy winner, for all Hal does is spend his time with his friends gallivanting around, stealing and drinking. Hotspur, on the other hand, has returned from a battle in which he defeated the Scots led by Glendower. He has taken many prisoners including the Earl of Douglas, a Scottish warlord. Hotspur is a very valiant warrior who has won a great reputati