henry v

1338 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Shakespeare historical plays

Henry V, a play written by William Shakespeare around the year 1599, is the fourth and final play in Shakespeare’s tetralogy. Henry V is a fictional version of a historical event, that occurred in the year 1415. Shakespeare put a twist on the event in order to portray his creativity and create a fictional play. The play’s main character, and protagonist, Henry V, has recently become the King of England after his father, King Henry IV, died. At the time, England is skeptical and worried for their future under their new, young king. Little did they know, their young, inexperienced king would quickly grow into an ideal one due to his great leadership and pragmatism.

Leadership is undoubtedly the trait that led to Henry’s success as a king, and England’s success. For someone to be a leader, they must grow up from who they once used to be, and display stand out qualities. Once known as ‘Prince Hal’ the prince who got in trouble, Henry is now praised by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely when they say:
BISHOP OF CANTERBURY: The King is full of grace and fair regard.
BISHOP OF ELY: And a true lover of the holy Church. (I.i.24-25)

Honorable kings during the Shakespearean time period were known to display both of these qualities, so the bishops are praising King Henry’s changed figure.

At the beginning of the play when Henry becomes King, he is told by the Archbishop of Canterbury of a loop-holed opportunity to become the King of France in addition to England. Expecting to be taken seriously, he asks to speak to the ambassadors from France, and Canterbury tells them that the French throne cannot be inherited through a female. The ambassadors from France disagree and say that Henry will have to fight the French in or...

... middle of paper ...

... to this fight,
Let him depart. His passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse.
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.”(IV.iii.37-42).

Rather than attempting to get all of the soldiers on his side, he selfishly starts to make fun of some of his soldiers, which a real leader need not do. To further add to his selfishness, some of his troops have been talking while he was under disguise as a troop about giving King Henry up for ransom in order to save all of their lives, but Henry promptly declines, ensuing the unavoidable bloodbath of the battle.

Overall, I believe Henry to be a great example of a king. He conquered lands, fought for his people, and seems to be a realistic and fair ruler. With that said, he did have flaws, and if they were fixable they could have saved many of England troops lives.

Show More
Related

  • Henry V Henry V Comparison

    2706 Words  | 6 Pages

    Henry V has always been one of William Shakespeare’s more popular plays, in part because of the different ways that the main character can be presented. The play is essentially a treatise on what it means to be a great leader, yet the definition of just what that entails changes over time. The way the play is presented and how Henry is characterized and portrayed has also changed over time. Nowhere are these changes more visibly present than in the three best known adaptations of the play, Laurence

    Read More

  • Henry V - Film

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare's Henry V remains very close to the text, with only a few lines left out of the film, the movie portrays a very clear and distinct message about war and Branagh's opinion on the matter. Henry V is fundamentally a play about war, and it would have been very easy for Branagh to make his version of the play into a film that glorified war. Instead, Branagh took the opportunity to make a statement about what he felt was the true essence of wars - both medieval and modern.It is clear through Henry V that

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Olivier and Branagh's Adaptations of Henry V

    2702 Words  | 6 Pages

    A Comparison of Olivier and Branagh's Adaptations of Henry V Media Comparative Essay: (in the medium of film) concerning the 2 well known film versions of Shakespeare’s Henry V of Olivier (1944) and Branagh (1989) in the specific scenes of “A Little Touch of Harry in the Night” and “The Crispin Crispian Speech” A comparison of these scenes in the two film versions of Henry V indicated above in a discussion of all the major cinematic issues in integrating a story like Shakespeare’s and

    Read More

  • Henry V Abuse Of Power

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    of bringing out the best or worst in people. When Henry V acquired power he matured into a knowledgeable king who was responsible enough to handle such power. A prevalent theme in the play Henry V is that a good king must be ruthless. Henry Proves his moral ambiguity when he makes decisions like starting a war with France and punishing his friend Bardolph, and those decisions coincide with the theme that a good king must be ruthless. Initially, Henry seemed like a good person, who was responsible,

    Read More

  • Color on the Set of Shakespeare’s Henry V

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Color on the Set of Shakespeare’s Henry V Differences in color, especially sharp differences, emphasize the differences in moods between two parties; darker colors connote seriousness, while light colors connote frivolity. For a play of such stark contrasts as Henry V, color design like this heightens the divide. By darkening the set and costumes of the English, adding occasional bright swathes of red in a flag or a curtain, while presenting the French in a variety of pastels, accented with

    Read More

  • The Three Captains In Shakespeare's Henry V

    1759 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is interesting to see how people change when they are suddenly given large amounts of money or power. Henry V changed when he became the king of England, however, it is hard to tell how much of the change was real. Henry’s early life was full of drinking and running around town with his friends doing less than reputable things, he knew that if he changed his ways and became a more respectful person the shift of character would be much more pronounced. Henry’s strange manipulations of his own

    Read More

  • Henry V Leadership Analysis

    1655 Words  | 4 Pages

    wisdom, kinship, strength, and diplomacy in order to lead their subordinates successfully in war. In the play Henry V, Shakespeare portrays Henry’s growth through his disciplinary actions toward his old friends, leadership in the battlefield, and by abandoning his past as a childish prince; Shakespeare is illustrating that the role as king comes with the role as the leader, leading Henry to show his dominance by sentencing whoever committed a crime to death. This portrays that moving up in the hierarchical

    Read More

  • Henry V Speech Analysis

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    The play Henry V has some compelling and persuasive moments such as the “St. Chrispin Day” speech. The speech occurs before the battle of Agincourt when Henry V is trying to manipulate the nobles to fight. He persuades the English noblemen with promises of glory and riches worth more than gold. He showers them with fantasies of being great warriors who would mount to be more than the nobles who took the gold like cowards. King Henry uses anaphora, phrasing and tricot to further engage the nobles

    Read More

  • Henry V: The Perfect Leader

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shnyar Gharib April 5th, 2018 LIT 403 Dr. Fredrick Monsma The Perfect Leader Henry V is a history play written by William Shakespeare, it focuses on the story of England’s king Henry V, and the events that happened before and after the battle of Agincourt. Henry is in most ways an example of an ideal king. A king who is wise in using the power he possesses, just in ruling a nation, and courageous in leading an entire army of men to fight his battles for him. According to Machiavelli’s The prince

    Read More

  • Who Is A Corrupt Weapon In Shakespeare's Henry V?

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare’s Elizabethan historical play, Henry V, is a prime example of how “words are potent weapons”, as desired by the author; to portray both “good and bad” (Manly Hall) in the context of conflict. This is exemplified through Henry’s multifaceted portrayal of kingship, which is commonly contrasted between a courteous, benevolent monarch and a feudal, domineering monarch; one who tempers his ruthlessness with mercy. Other minor characters display similar traits of multidimensionalism through

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Henry V

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henry V by William Shakespeare is a play showing King Henry V of England and his goal of obtaining the French crown for himself. After the English learned of their severe disadvantage and their small chance of getting back to home safely, Henry V’s true leadership abilities were seen. Henry’s ability to make the smart, but less courageous decision; his ability to step down from his position as king, and join his soldiers in the camp; and his ability to be ruthless and heartless towards those who

    Read More

  • King Henry V A War Criminal

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thank you, your honour and members of the jury. It is appalling and truly disrespectful to even have the intrepidity to label they King Henry V a war criminal. Given the option of picking an immaculate hero from all English history, I'd go for Henry V, the victor of Agincourt. Your honour, Henry was definitely the most able man ever to sit on the throne of England and has a strong claim as the greatest of all our monarchs. A war criminal is someone that carries out an act during the conduct of war

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Portrayal of Female Characters in The Merchant of Venice and Henry V

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    of Female Characters in The Merchant of Venice and Henry V Shakespeare's presentation and portrayal of his female characters in The Merchant of Venice and Henry V follows a typical pattern that is present in all of the Shakespearean plays that I have read so far. When looking closely at the fate of his female characters, this pattern becomes even more evident for it repeats itself no matter how different the plays are. For instance, Henry V and The Merchant of Venice are different in every

    Read More

  • Henry V Vs Sharrock's

    1940 Words  | 4 Pages

    Henry V, like many of Shakespeare’s other plays, has been assimilated into popular culture in several ways-- with multiple film adaptations, parodies, and references in contemporary literature. Laurence Olivier’s film and Thea Sharrock’s installment in the Hollow Crown series are two such adaptations of Henry V. Despite the many differences between these two variations, the largest difference is in the presentation of the prologue. The contrast in light and dark imagery between the two films-- as

    Read More

  • Functions of the Chorus in Shakespeare's Henry V

    2782 Words  | 6 Pages

    Functions of the Chorus in Shakespeare's Henry V In Shakespeare's Henry V, the chorus plays a prominent role. There are few other plays written by Shakespeare that include a chorus, however in no other play does the chorus have such an important role. The principal purpose of the chorus is that of story telling. The chorus acts as a guide for the audience, narrating parts that wouldn't fit into the action of the play. For example in the Act II Chorus, we are told about treason: 'The

    Read More

More about henry v

Open Document