King Henry Iv Part 1 Analysis

1065 Words3 Pages

Ideologies concerning the manipulation of political power may be uncertain and diverse as political leaders seek to ensure their political ascendancy. What is certain, however, is that influence is always the ultimate goal in the dangerous game of politics. Composer’s views of these events, political ideas and situations are significantly shaped by the context that they find themselves in. This is reflected in William Shakespeare’s history play, ‘King Henry IV Part 1’ (1597), shaped by the complex political issues during the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which explores differentiating ideologies concerning the power of politics, as leaders needed to be multifaceted in terms of adapting to enemies powers and providing a moral compass. …show more content…

Pearson has crafted one of the most influential political speeches of all time, exploring the political life of Gough Whitlam, a controversial Australian Prime Minister, as his term in office was turbulent and his position never certain, who introduced a number of policy measures and social reforms. Pearson explores this as though his time in government was transitory Whitlam was adamant in establishing a political solution to the problem of disunity within Australia, similar to King Henry and his desire to unite England, highlighted through use of an idiom, “devil-may-care attitude to management as opposed to reform is unlikely to be seen again by government priorities to retain power.” This further highlights the uncertainty of political power as Pearson’s underlines through juxtaposition that though loved by many he was also castigated. The repetition of the intertextual rhetorical question, “and what did the romans ever do for us anyways?’ followed by Parson’s listing of Whitlam's achievements contradicts the jurisdiction that people are ill minded towards his time in power. This hypophora proving to the audience that Whitlam’s political power caused great change as he uses anthropomorphism to state that, ‘cosmopolitan Australia emerged like a Technicolor butterfly’. This declaration proving Gough led with a strong moral compass differentiating himself from the King who was motivated by considerations of Realpolitik. Henceforth, Pearson’s delivery and composition of the speech highlights the uncertainty of political

Open Document