King Henry is one of the most successful kings of England. He brought two warring kingdoms crashing together, and melded them into one united country. Henry is an extremely interesting and dynamic character. From a young age he associated with criminals, drunkards, and other lowly citizens. When his father was on his deathbed, he requested that Henry stopped being a criminal, and begin acting like a king. Henry made that oath, and stayed true to it until his dying day.
As a king, he became a king after being a criminal. He went from a criminal prince to an upstanding kind king who understands justice and follows the righteous path for the rest of his life. It is such a crazy transformation; from criminal hiding crimes from the king to
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Directly after that event, he judges three people to death for attempting treason. Reasons like this are the reason Henry progresses the story as the main protagonist. He is the main driving force that is pushing the plotline forward. Every time he is in a scene he enhances it, and brings the act more color and flare.
While Henry does adapt his ways often, he doesn't always change. One of the examples of him sticking to old ways is how he is a religious man. Early in the story, he listens to the Archbishop, and starts this war because of him. The Archbishop is the prophet of god, which correlates with being a pious person. The English win the Battle of Agincourt in an astounding manner; only losing less than 30 men while the French lost 10,000 men. He decides the reason behind them winning the battle God's will. Another example of this is his choice to end people's lives.
Henry V is a man of God, which is again shown on the eve of the Battle of Agincourt when he is talking with his men. One of his men wishes they had more men fighting, yet Henry wishes the opposite. If God has chosen them to lose this battle then more men would die. On the
other hand, if God had chosen them to win, extra men wouldn't be needed, so they can use those extra men to suppress the Scottish rebellion.
Henry doesn't blame always blame the innocents for others crimes either. There is an example in which Henry V has no quarrel with the innocent. The time arrives when
The powerlessness of Henry VI is a central factor of the outbreak of the war. He was known to be too soft and malleable to the wishes of his surrounding that had influence and control of him. Henry was considered to be a person who was very uninterested in the politics of the country. He also felt the lack of cleverness and strong features of character that were fundamental
As a king, Henry becomes known for being a man of resilience, strategy, and combat. These traits, according to Machiavelli, are necessary to become the “ideal king.” As stated by Machiavelli, “…a prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules.” (Machiavelli) This can be seen when the Dauphin presents Henry with a gift of tennis balls and an insulting speech practically telling him to stay out of grown men’s affairs. This gives Henry the leverage he needs to start a war with France without looking like the instigator. He can now put the blame of war on the Dauphin and the many lives of whom will be killed. Henry uses this to move toward his strength and show his full potential.
Henry V, written by William Shakespeare, is by far one of his more historically accurate plays. This play is the life of young King Henry V, who ascended to the throne after his father, Henry IV's death. These times were much different for England, as Henry V was a noble lord whom everyone loved, whereas angry factions haunted his father's reign. Shakespeare portrays a fairly accurate account of the historical Henry V, but certain parts are either
From the beginning of his life as a warrior to the end as a king, he gains and develops glory, responsibility and courage, all vital to his reign as a successful king.
Henry shows heroic traits fighting in the war. At the beginning of the story Henry runs to the woods, by the end of the book Henry fights and it turns out he actually likes fighting. This quote shows heroic traits by showing Henry actually fought. He like fighting and should not have ran the first time. Henry almost regrets running the first time.“He had fought like a pagan who defends his religion. Regarding it, he saw that it was fine, wild, and, in some ways, easy.” (Cane ) This quote proves that when Henry started fighting he liked and and he fought like a beast. This is not the only instance in which Henry shows heroic qualities.
As he is walking, a few soldiers that seems to be fleeing run into him. As Henry tries to stop them to ask what’s been happening, one of the soldiers swings at him with a rifle, opening a bloody gash on the top of his head. After a long while of waiting, a friendly soldier finds him and leads him back to camp, where a friend tends to his wound. After a few days of waiting, they come across another battle. This time Henry doesn’t flee, instead he thinks about all the people who have fought and died in the war, and decides to do the same: fight. Not only for the glory this time, but for the people he was
During the war, Henry’s emotions overcome him which compels him to make wicked decisions. After the war begins, Henry is committed to winning and does not care about the obstacles that lie ahead. After his friends are slaughtered, Henry decides that “every soldier kill his prisoners.” (4.6.38) All the prisoners taken by the English were slaughtered because Henry’s emotions interfered with his decision making. Moreover, Henry’s intellect got in the way with his decision-making, which cost the lives of many
First, Henry might have been scared. He saw what happened in the first battle and it affected him in a way it didn't the others. This was the first time he fought in a war or battle with other men. He made friends with some of the soldiers in his regiment. If he stuck
In Henry V written by Shakespeare, Henry V is exhibited as an idle Christian king. But throughout the play his actions and his past show him to be a typical man. Although, some of his characteristics as a king show him to be as he was perceived. King Henry started out as a Christian king but as the play goes on he is further seen as an average man in his speeches and his actions, but is still seen by the audience as a man of God.
Henry V demonstrates his ability to make all of his men feel valued and equal by saying “ If we are mark’d to die, we are now doing our country loss; and if to live , The fewer men, the greater share of honour, which means that he is encouraging them to fight with a stride of pride and if they go down in flames so be it, own that moment. Also i would like to include that Henry V is making each and every one of them feel special by giving them a pep talk. Henry V led by example, situating himself in the middle of fighting, whereas with the French king. He trusted his nobles by leaving them under the leadership of the army.
Henry VIII realized that he needed to expand his territory in France, so in 1513 Henry VIII and his troops invaded France. They defeated France, and this battle came to be known as the Battle of the Spurs. At the time of this battle the Scottish invaded England as an attempt to distract Henry VIII from invading France. The Scottish’s attempt failed to get Henry VIII’s attention. Not long after this event, the Scottish were defeated at the Battle of Flodden Field. The battle between England and Scotland went from 1513-1517.
King Henry V, is one of the only successful monarchs in Shakespeare’s plays. He displays great strength and intelligence. King Henry V is capable of uniting all of his people in his St. Crispin’s Day speech as they prepare to go to battle. The troops were greatly outnumbered and believed they had no chance at winning. But King Henry makes them feel like they are part of something important, and by doing this he motivates them to fight their hardest.
The king does this so that the governor will surrender and Henry can conquer Harfleur without a bloody battle. Although his speech sounds menacing, a quality not found in the characteristics of a hero, it is only a tactic Henry uses to achieve the outcome he wants. Henry's reluctance to make good on his promise of this massacre is proven when he states, "use mercy to them all" (III.3. 54). Henry is not the monster he appears to be; instead, he is a leader using any method he can to gain land while keeping his troops out of harm's way. At the final Battle of Agincourt, Henry's ragged army expresses concern about their odds against the French; the British are outnumbered five to one. Henry's Cousin Westmoreland. Henry, being the talented rhetorician that he is, soothes the army's fears by delivering the inspirational speech: "[...] If we are marked to die, we are now To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honor. [...]But if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive." (IV.3. 21-30). Henry explains that there is a certain amount of honor to go around once the British defeat the French. It is fortunate of those soldiers that are at the battle that they do not have to share that honor with men who are fearful and therefore unworthy of honor. Henry says that honor is most important to him and that it should also be important to
Henry V is a wise and loyal king, changing from a wild youth to a mature king. He is described to be an intelligent, thoughtful and an efficient statesman. He thinks carefully whether to invade France or not which represents his responsible character. King Henry gives a very strong speech which gave courage and confidence to his army that they could win the battle. This character describes him to be a king of great ability to fight and having good administrative skills. Throughout the play Henry’s nature is religious, merciful and compassionate.
Henry the Fifth has been noted as England’s best King throughout history. He was loved among the common people and nobles alike for his fairness, his effectiveness on the throne, his justness, and his ability to relate to people of all classes. The kings that reigned before him, especially his father King Henry IV and King John, provide a striking contrast to Hal’s attitude on the throne. Kings of the past had not experienced the life of the common people, and chose to lead their lives in the realm of the castle. As we witnessed in I Henry IV, Hal’s father even went as far to discuss this approach to ruling at length with Hal. Henry IV believed that a king was best admired and supplicated if he was kept