Henry V
In the course of the play Henry V, we see the King adopting various roles and masking a variety of characters to fit the occasion; with such convincing tones as to move the audience who are watching his performance, to place their allegiance to his majestic leadership: to be fully behind him in his actions and judgments. Edward Hall summarized Henry as the ideal king who 'was merciful to offenders, charitable to the needy, indifferent to all men, faithful to his friends, and fierce to his enemies, toward God most devout, toward the world moderate, and to his realm a very father' (Hall, E. 1548, The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancaster and York, Henry V course text, p.9). Henry's Machiavel skill in dealing with his subjects, enemies and commoners is supremely displayed in his well-crafted rhetoric. His language is adroitly executed to maximize the support of his listeners while, at the same time, used to intimidate his opponents into submission. The play, however, is not without some disturbing undertones. Upon closer reading of the text, one is forced to consider the morality of his actions in some scenes and the contradictory remarks of his soldiers and enemies that provided some contrasting opinions of the K
Why so didst thou. Seem they religious? The sweetness of affiance! Show men dutiful? At this instance, the king lays out his so-called commission letters to them, which were in fact their charges against them for treason. They then unanimously confess their crimes, but are denied mercy since they themselves would not show mercy to the minor offender. This scenario is an example of a classic dramatic irony that helps the audience appreciates the wisdom of the king as well as his altruistic nature. Scroop, in particular, had been a bosom friend of Henry who “knew'st the very bottom of my (Henry's) soul” (line 97). Thus, in putting his personal loyalties aside for the sake of his country, Henry wins the support of his followers even further. Why so didst thou…' (p.85, lines 126-131) ry, Henry makes a brutal decision in the following scene, which caused some of his followers to debate the King's integrity.
Some topics in this essay:
Act II,
Exeter Harfluer,
Orleans Bourbon,
Henry IV,
Henry's Machiavel,
Cambridge Grey,
Gower Fluellen,
Agincourt English,
York Henry,
Richard II,
french army,
didst thou,
act iv scene,
battle agincourt,
act iv,
york henry,
iv scene,
minor offender,
nobles act,
act ii,
reading text,
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Approximate Word count = 1754
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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