In Henry V, How Does Shakespeare Create Different Impressions of Henry?

1878 Words4 Pages

Shakespeare has written three different ‘types of genre’ in his plays. One of these is his Tragedies like ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Another genre he writes within is Comedy, an example of which is ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.

The last genre Shakespeare uses is History; an example of this is ‘Henry V’ where he bases this play on actual historic events. The play is set around the year 1420 and King Henry is faced with the difficult decision, whether to attack France or not. There are a lot of incidents in this play where Shakespeare exaggerates the qualities/attributes of King Henry; he changes the way we think of King Henry. The attributes of King Henry are exaggerated to such an extent we believe that he must have been ‘the perfect king’, cunning, merciful, charming and an excellent speaker.

In act 2 Scene 2 Shakespeare shows Henry as cunning, when he cleverly manages to catch Scroop, Cambridge and Gray trying to plot treason against him.

‘If little faults, proceeding on distemper, shall not be wink’d at, how shall we stretch our eye when capital crimes, chew’d, swallow’d and digest’d appear before us?’

This is a very clever line the king uses, because the ‘capital crimes’ include treason which is what Scroop, Cambridge and Gray are committing. He uses this in such a clever way that Scroop, Cambridge and Gray, did not even know that the King was referring to them, and they gave the King the answers which lead them to their own prosecution.

In...

... middle of paper ...

... last issue Shakespeare uses in his play is Responsibility. This is shown in Act 4 Scene 1 when Henry goes out pretending to be a Welshman to see what he soldiers think of him. ‘So if a son that is by his father sent about merchandise do sinfully miscarry upon the sea, the imputations of his wickedness, by your rule, should be imposed upon the father that sent him.’

Henry is trying to tell Bates that the King is not responsible for whatever happens to a soldier at war just because he has sent him, and uses the example above to illustrate this.

Show More
Related

  • Shakespeare's Portrayal of Henry V as the Model Monarch

    3054 Words  | 7 Pages

    shall firstly do a summery of the play and give a basic image of what

    Read More

  • Hate, Anger, and Aggression in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    “This, by his voice, should be a Montague. Fetch me my rapier, boy. What dares the slave come hither, cover’d with an antic face, To fleer and scorn at our solemnity? Now, by the stock and honour of my kin, To strike him dead I hold it not a sin.” (Shakespeare, page 54).

    Read More

  • Self-Perception in Shakespeare's King Lear

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Put on what weary negligence you please, / You and your fellows. I'd have it come to question. / If he distaste it, let him to my sister" (14 -15).

    Read More

  • Leadership in William Shakespeare's Henry V

    3282 Words  | 7 Pages

    in Act I Scene I and has all the qualities of being a great leader. He is able to manage people exceptionally well shown by his unification. of the army as a strong force. Shakespeare shows Henry's physical. Courage is never in doubt as he is a brave responsible soldier who does all that he can to protect his men.

    Read More

  • Othello in Shakespeare's Tragedy Othello

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s dramatic and poetic techniques and his use of hyperbole are used to describe the characters emotions and weaknesses. The use of dramatic irony is used to create personal conflict. This is done throughout the play to describe the characters concerns and their situations.

    Read More

  • Who Is John Proctor A Tragic Hero

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    This revelation is not taken lightly, as it tarnishes John Proctor’s reputation and leads to his arrest. After his confession, John says, “I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name - you will believe me, Mr. Danforth!” (Miller, The Crucible, 111). However, even Proctor’s powerful statement is not enough to change the trials, and even more importantly, he has set the stage for his own arrest.

    Read More

  • Does Shakespeare matter?

    437 Words  | 1 Pages

    William Shakespeare has become landmark in English literature. One must be familiar with the early days of English literature in order to comprehend the foundation of much of more modern literature’s basis. Shakespeare’s modern influence is still seen clearly in many ways. The success of Shakespeare’s works helped to set the example for the development of modern dramas and plays. He is also acknowledged for being one of the first writers to use any modern prose in his writings.

    Read More

  • macbeth

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...n which it was based in the areas of characters, events, and settings. He changes these aspects of the history in order to make a more intriguing story. Making dramatic plays based on historical events is one reason that Shakespeare became the popular poet and playwright that he was during his lifetime.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Romantic Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, and Twelfth Night

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    In all of Shakespeare's plays, there is a definitive style present, a style he perfected. From his very first play (The Comedy of Errors) to his very last (The Tempest), he uses unique symbolism and descriptive poetry to express and explain the actions and events he writes about. Twelfth Night, The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream are all tragicomedies that epitomise the best use of the themes and ideology that Shakespeare puts forth.

    Read More

  • Hamlet by William Shakespeare

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    The complexity and effect of father-son relationships seems to be a theme that Shakespeare loved to explore in his writings. In Hamlet, the subject is used as a mechanism to identify the similarities between three very different characters: Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet. They have each lost their fathers to violent deaths, which leads them to seek vengeance. As different as they may seem, they all share the common desire to avenge their father’s deaths. The method they each approach this is what differentiates each of their characters, and allows the audience to discern their individual characteristics. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet’s intense loyalty to their fathers drives them to individual extreme measures of revenge, exemplifying Shakespeare’s masterful use of describing the human psyche during Elizabethan times.

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare Research Paper

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare, poet and playwright, utilized humor and irony as he developed specific language for his plays, thereby influencing literature forever. “Shakespeare became popular in the eighteenth century” (Epstein 8). He was the best all around. “Shakespeare was a classic” (8). William Shakespeare is a very known and popular man that has many works, techniques and ways. Shakespeare is the writer of many famous works of literature. His comedies include humor while his plays and poems include irony. Shakespeare sets himself apart by using his own language and word choice. Shakespeare uses certain types of allusions that people always remember, as in the phrase from Romeo and Juliet, “star-crossed lovers”.

    Read More

  • Skakespeare and his style of writing

    2363 Words  | 5 Pages

    Shakespeare’s plays are a product of the Elizabethan theatrical context in which they were first performed. A lot of pressure was put on Shakespeare as he wrote his plays because he was not allowed to upset the royal family. His style would have been different than others in those times and a lot more thought has gone into his writing than people listening would think. Usually, the audience take for granted the cleverness and thought of Shakespeare’s writing, however, now we have studied and gone into great detail about Shakespeare’s writing, we can appreciate it more than they did:

    Read More

  • Effects Of Trauma In Hamlet

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare consists of classic tales, as some would say. He uses such a beautiful language and a strong depiction of his characters, atmosphere, background and even the overall message he tries to send through his productions. Specifically, Hamlet is a very important play because it covers a broad range of themes that we encounter today in the 20th century ranging from love, betrayal, politics, war, death, insanity, espionage and so on. Shakespeare’s work was a form of art and you can get a lot out of his

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of Tragi-Comedy In Shakespeare's 'Othello'

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout Shakespeare 's playwriting career he was regarded an architect of the combination of genre 's; tragedy and comic components into the plays. An example of this intertwined genre is The Winter 's Tale, one of Shakespeare 's later plays performed between years 1610-11. This play defies any specific genre such as tragedy or comedy, however is distinctly an amalgamation of both; 'tragi-comedy. ' Susan Snyder explains the attributes of Shakespeare 's genres as;

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare's Comedies

    488 Words  | 1 Pages

    William Shakespeare's plays come in many forms. There are histories, tragedies, comedies and tragic comedies. Among the most popular are the comedies which are full of laughter, irony, satire and wordplay. Many times the question is asked: what makes a play a comedy instead of a tragedy. Shakespeare's comedies often use puns, metaphors and insults to provoke 'thoughtful laughter'. The action is often strained by artificiality, especially elaborate and contrived endings. Disguises and mistaken identities are often very common. Opposed to that are the tragedies, where the reader would find death, heartbreak, and more serious plots and motives. The plot is very important in Shakespeare's comedies. It is often very convoluted, twisted and confusing, and extremely hard to follow. Other characteristics of Shakespearean comedy are the themes of love and friendship, played within a courtly society. Songs often sung by a jester or a fool, parallel the events of the plot. Minor characters, which add flavor to the plot, are often inserted into the storyline. Love provides the main ingredient. If the lovers are unmarried when the play opens, they either have not met or there is some obstacle to their relationship. Examples of these obstacles are familiar to every reader of Shakespeare: the slanderous tongues which nearly wreck love in "Much Ado About Nothing", the father insistent upon his daughter marrying his choice, as in "A Midsummer Nights Dream", or the confusion of husbands in "The Comedy of Errors".

    Read More

More about In Henry V, How Does Shakespeare Create Different Impressions of Henry?

Open Document