I feel like Poins had to evaporate from the narrative quiet style because it would’ve fucked with Hal’s image more if he didn’t. Like you can banish that old man because you can paint him as an older corrupting influence. You can ignore the other guys I guess because they’re not shown to be as close to Hal (if I’m remembering correctly). But you can’t banish Poins because he was, like, a childhood friend. But you can’t throw him too close to Hal like all the other guys showing up in the army or whatever because if Poins is there then that means Hal’s transformation is complete. And so dear Ned dies a quiet narrative death.
His last scene in part 2 definitely shows how shakespeare pushes him out of the narrative by implying that he's similar to Falstaff in that he's only using Hal for his status. I would like to see a productions that attempts to flesh out their relationship, cos I've never seen a really interesting Poins
i'm also forever haunted by the fact that hal is canonically with poins the day henry iv dies.
falstaff and co. are fucking around in gloucestershire but poins is the one hal leaves when he gets the news that his father is on his deathbed. and then he doesn't show up to the coronation. he's never mentioned again. shakespeare i just want to talk.
I adore act 2 scene 2 but honestly I think looking at act 2 scene 4 for 'where the hell did Poins go' is also really important. Falstaff is actively trying to push Poins out of Hal's life, but even he has to admit that Hal likes Poins because he's discreet, and wouldn't try to gain favour with people through gossip - a quality that absolutely makes Falstaff look bad. So he has to try and get Poins out of the way. Which doesn't work because Hal, for the first time, doesn't find it funny or strangely endearing.
I don't think Shakespeare is implying Poins is actually using Hal, so pushing him away is as "justifiable" as pushing Falstaff away. I think Poins is there to show that Hal is so concerned with how he is, and will be, perceived, that he even pushes away people that have his best interests at heart. Hal's strategy works perfectly, but that doesn't mean there was no collateral damage
