Henry The V ( Twelfth )

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.

In Henry V, Shakespeare clearly shows that powerful speech and eloquent rhetoric is more effective in times of war than threat of sharp swords and numerous soldiers. King Henry V - the young and bright king of England - establishes himself as a devout leader to his country and his people. Throughout the story he demonstrates his ability to articulate in order to manipulate his audience, whether it be commoners, enemies, or friends. After an argument with the Dauphin of France over land claims, Henry gathers an army to invade French territory. Following a surprising march through the country against all odds, the king and his soldiers find themselves in a five to one battle, destined to fall defeated. The character of King Henry is exemplified

In addition to banishment, Henry was also unfairly taken of his families' wealth, land, and title, from which he was the rightful heir. Henry contrasted Richard in many ways, in that he was honest, and very practical. Furthermore, Henry was very reluctant to assume the role of future King, eventually accepting after urging and support from the other nobles.

In 1509, Henry VII died and Henry, heir apparent, became King of England at eighteen years old. After the death of Henry VII and the accession of the throne by his son, Henry became Henry VIII and his first assignment was to execute his father’s ministers. It wasn’t until a few months after the death of his father that Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon (“Henry VIII King of England” 2). In the early years of Henry VIII’s reign, he was tall and handsome. Henry VIII was very talented in many things, including playing various musical instruments, being athletic, being a good linguist, dancing, hunting, and a musical composer among many other attributes (Fry 95). When Henry VIII first came to the throne, he had little to no interest in

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

As a youth, Henry gained many allies due to his boundless charm, but as he grew older, he began to transform into a bitter and suspicious man who arrested and executed others for no valid reason. Many of his marriages were political advantages, as some of his wives had strong political ties to other countries and therefore created strong ties between those nations. In Louis's case, he tended to make more enemies than allies. The English and Dutch wanted him dead and gone for one reason or another. Many people worked in businesses or were artisans, so when they were driven out of France due to persecution, France lost a vital part of its industry. Very few people supported Louis and his own people spat at

The result of such an insulated youth and lack of kingly training is predictable. Henry grew older, but he never grew up. Even in 1540, by which time Henry was advanced in age, the French ambassador Marillac wrote of him that he suffered from "lightness and inconstancy" which "has perverted the rights of religion, marriage, faith and promise, as softened wax can be altered to any form" (Douglas 394). One might not expect the ambassador from France, Henry's now-and-again archenemy, to be neutral in his assessment, but Henry's actions also reveal his immaturity. During the first half of his reign the king was more interested in partying than politics. The Venetian diplomat P. Pasqualigo described a visit to Henry's court in 1515:

Throughout the play Henry is described as a “true lover of the holy church” (I.i.23), and “the mirror of all Christian kings” (II.Cho.6). He is played up as the ideal and seamless Christian king. Then during the battle of Agincourt, King Henry tells his army that it is up to “Gods will” (IV.iii.23), which shows that he had great faith in God. This is an incredible demonstration of confidence and trust in God and it stresses his honorable Christian qualities. Another example of him being a Christian king is in scene two when Henry says “God quit you in His mercy” which I took as you got God’s mercy and the person receiving it was lucky to have God’s mercy on their side during the event happening.

Among the upper classes, he proved over and over again that he was not a good king. He rarely, if ever, participated in Parliament, and often did not attend sittings of the king's council. When the council sat at Westminster, Henry usually managed to be somewhere else (Storey, 35). These actions give a picture of a king who, though solicited for his opinions, did not want to get involved in the

Despite how long Prince Henry disregards his father, and neglects returning home for long periods of time; it is clear that Prince Henry respects his father to a certain degree due to the respect that he yearns to receive from the King. If the Prince truly does not care about his image in the eyes of the King, then he would consort with the tavern folk forever ceasing to rise to the position of future king of England. However, this is not the case. In the line: “I do beseech your Majesty may salve, / The long-grown wounds of my intemperance” (III.ii.155-156) the Prince begs for his father’s forgiveness if he can stay true to his word, and win the battle between himself and Hotspur. The lessons that the Prince acquires from his father do not

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.

However, as he grew older, Henry slowly began to have a worse disposition of mind, and it was often said by his friends that he seemed wholly different person in private than in public. Although he was of many strong opinions, very few of them were the result

In Act 5 Scene 2 Shakespeare shows Henry as charming when he manages to win over Katherine; the princess of France. ‘Upon that I kiss your hand, and I call you my queen.’

Act one, scene two takes place in the “presence chamber” of the palace. The archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of Ely convince Henry to go to war for his rightful claim to the French throne. One of the strongest reasons for him to claim the French throne was that Henry’s great-great-grand mother named Isabella was French. She was supposed to become the queen of France but because of the “Salic” law she could not be crowned. The “Salic” law meant that ladies were not allowed to become rulers of the country. The archbishop of Canterbury encourages the king in the quote “When a man dies, let the inheritance descend unto the daughter”. This quote explains the archbishop is urging the king from the bible that he has a right to become the king because of Isabella. The archbishop of Canterbury was forcing the king because invading France meant that the archbishop was going to become more powerful in wealth. King Henry V agreed with the archbishop and thought that invading France was a great idea. King Henry calls the French ambassador, the French had sent Dauphin. Dauphin’s delivers an insulting message, he gives the king tennis balls saying that he is too immature to become a king yet. Henry V becomes insulted and says in the quote, “Hath turned his balls to gunstones, and his soul

King Henry V also touched on a subject very pertinent to many people of that time: God. In many instances, he places God before all else. In Act 1, scene 2, England receives a message from France in the form of tennis balls. This is when he decides to make war with France final. He tells his lords: