Henry V: The Commoner's King Essay

    In Henry’s speech, he first sets the stage by using a proud tone while explaining the importance of war with Britain. His illustrious delivery of the speech itself is very moving, as the efforts to convince America to settle on the side of war. He goes on to convey, “Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of  those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power” (Henry 38). His tone of taking charge and only accepting the best from his country supports the claim that Henry is indeed the proud man he is. Henry also in his speech uses an enlightening tone to inspire his crowd he uses terms to explain how he will settle for only the best for the country. He uses phrases such as, “The war is inevitable-and let it come!” (38). This phrase brings up the emotion of the crowd as they believe in war, and Henry himself is full of power as he enforces that war must go on. He uses such enthusiasm and inspiration to uplift himself and the crowd to ensure that war is necessary. Overall, Henry;s tone of the proudness and

He tried to empower the audience with the idea of religion, having reassured them that God gave them power and they were not weak. He then attempted to use this empowerment to convince that a correct way to use their God-given power was to act against Britain, implying this through the current argument and his stance on the issue. He emphasized this with contradictory words of “weak” and “power” to make it more important in the audience's mind. As a whole, the statement is used to give them feelings of pride toward their country and powerful in the eyes of God. As a result, Henry used the ideas of nationalism and religion to emphasize and create a feeling of patriotism.

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.

What is Henry implying when he says that he is loyal to "the majesty of heaven...above all earthly kings"? What tone (manner in which an author expresses his attitude) does this statement hold?

What is Henry implying when he says that he is loyal to "the majesty of heaven...above all earthly kings"? What tone (manner in which an author expresses his attitude) does this statement hold?

By comparing the “majesty of heaven” to “earthly kings”, Henry is appealing to ethos, or the audience’s concept of ethics.

He uses the ethos described above to persuade his troops to fight. He does this to give them morale, which is necessary in order to fight. His aim was to lead his men into battle not to lose, but to win. He uses the men's emotions and futures as a reason to fight. Another reason is for the glory of the troop and the glory of England. These men have so much fear that all they can think of are reasons to flee. However, Henry gives the men better reasons to stay and fight. He wants his troop to give it their all and not abandon hope or the fleet. St. Crispin's Day is not a battle to dread. It will be a battle to remember for them, and for all people of England.

King Henry IV must also contend with his son, Prince Hal, who’s not the honorable prince he had hoped him to be. He feels it is “an honorable spoil” not to have “a son who is the theme of honor’s tongue,” when he learns of Northumberland’s son Hotspur’s victories, which, should be “a conquest for a prince to boast of” (1.1.74,80, & 76). Pangs of jealousy strike Henry’s heart caused by the differences between his son and Northumberland’s. So much so, he wishes “it could be proved that” someone, or something, “had exchanged in cradle clothes, their sons at birth” (1.1.85-87).

One language device Henry applies to his speech was developing an ethical and credible profile of himself. He this by associating himself with a divine and righteous deity. Henry says that, “...I should consider myself as guilty… of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings” (36). He acknowledges and respects God as an authority figure when mentioning God being above all. All other kings (including King George of England) are below God. This creates an ethical and credible characterization of Henry in the eyes of the audience. Since many colonists were religious, they almost certainly would pay more attention to a man who respects God. Talking about God also gives a reason to rebel. Henry states that the colonists will not fight alone and that, “There is a just God… who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us” (38). This statement implies that Henry believes God is on the side of the colonists if they fight. Asserting that God will help the colonists fight is an appeal to the ethics of the audience because Henry connects fighting to the will of God. With a Christian audience, connecting himself to Christian ideals promotes Henry’s ethical standing.

To persuade the colonist with ethos Henry uses the God almighty as his authority figure. In fact during his speech he says, “Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.” In other words Henry is saying we are not weak, we have God by our sides which is all the strength we need because with God by our sides, we have nothing to be worried about. Henry wants the colonist to understand that if you trust in God then that’s all you need to go into war, God will be by your side leading you through the way. Also Mr. Henry says, “….majesty of heaven, which I reserve above all earthy kings.” Again trying to get the colonist to see that all you need is God by your side and that you should trust in him, believe in him, and that if you trust these kings here on earth then it shouldn’t be a problem for you to trust in God. Mr. Henry using God as his authority figure to persuade the colonist to go into a war with Great Britain helped get them on his side and get prepared and ready for a

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.

Henry saw that the soldiers were particularly happy even the wounded ones. He was envyus of

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

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.

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.