Henry VIII: Overated and Oversexed? Essay

After reading Machiavelli’s The Prince and watching Shakespeare’s Henry V in class, one begins to notice similarities between the authors’ idea of what a “perfect king” should be. The patterns between the ideal ruler of Shakespeare and the ideal ruler of Machiavelli can be seen in numerous instances throughout this story. For the duration of this essay, I will compare the similarities in both pieces to give the reader a better understanding of how Shakespeare devised his view of what a “perfect king” should be.

Born the second son of a royal family, Henry Tudor lived a very interesting life. His future was intended to be the head of the Roman Catholic Church and that fate ended with the death of his brother, Prince Arthur. Henry’s majestic life was full of sports, women, and faith. The young King acceded his father to the throne, married six women, and began the English Reformation when he broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and created his own religion.

One of Luther’s and Henry VIII’s differences were their reasons for religious change. In the German states, Martin Luther realized that the priests were often unqualified, immoral, and corrupted. Due to his lack of assurance of salvation, he felt that salvation could not be achieved through good works or payments, but through justification by faith alone. Since Pope Leo X created an indulgence system to finance the new St. Peter’s Basilica and Johann Tetzel collected the indulgences, he wrote the 95 Theses to indicate the pope’s abuses of power. The churches also had large sums of money and still had absenteeism. The church officials constantly neglected their duties and delegated their responsibilities to others that were unqualified. In contrast to the churches in the German States, the English Church was in healthy condition during the 16th century. They had traditional beliefs that received the loyalty of the people and a well-educated clergy. Also, Christianity was widely-accepted through England. Initially, Henry VIII was against the Reformation. Differing from Luther’s motives, Henry VIII’s motive for religious change stemmed from his personal desire for a son and his love for Anne Boleyn. In 1509, he married Catherine of Aragon, who failed to produce a male heir. He wanted an annulment of his marriage in favor of political stability in England, a future ruler, and love for someone else. Both of their motives stemmed from the actions of the papacy because of the church’s need for support and wealth.

How can power overpower the nature of a man? In William Shakespeare’s Henry V, Henry’s life is centered around his kingship which turns him into a selfish and stern king. Throughout his life, Henry has worked hard to prepare himself for becoming the king of England. Moreover, Henry’s childhood consisted of constant preparation for his future career as king. However, when he becomes king he disregards his foolish childhood, and focuses on his own wealth and prosperity. Unfortunately, his selfishness compels him to do wicked things that harm his country. A king’s job is to protect and provide for his kingdom; Henry, however, makes many decisions that harm his kingdom, which makes him a bad king. Moreover, Henry’s childhood preparation for his kingship has led to much harm to the citizens of England. Henry’s position as king transforms him from a foolish young man into a hard, stern king. As king Henry displays attributes of wickedness, selfishness, and ruthlessness.

King Henry VIII was an important figure in helping to kick start the Reformation in England, even though it was not his intent. His break with the Papacy and his constantly changing ideas on how the new Church of England should be run gave the Protestants the foothold they needed to gain popularity in Europe. Although his intentions were purely politically motivated, he started a change in the way the layman viewed the church and how it should be run.

one that he just couldn't get passed. Henry wanted an annulment with Catharine of Aragon, but

What makes a king an effective king? Is it how long they rule? No, it is actually the way in which they interact with their subjects. The way they are able to separate the personal from the political, not allowing personal feelings to interfere with his ruling. King Henry the 5th is a perfect example of this. He is able to rule his kingdom according to the kingdom's laws and doesn't let his personal relationships with his subjects to change

Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry IV Part I’ centres on a core theme of the conflict between order and disorder. Such conflict is brought to light by the use of many vehicles, including Hal’s inner conflict, the country’s political and social conflict, the conflict between the court world and the tavern world, and the conflicting moral values of characters from each of these worlds. This juxtaposition of certain values exists on many levels, and so is both a strikingly present and an underlying theme throughout the play. Through characterization Shakespeare explores moral conflict, and passage three is a prime example of Falstaff’s enduring moral disorder. By this stage in the play Hal has

King Henry VIII was one of the most powerful rulers in the fifteenth century, who had a very captivating life many people are not aware of. Most people know Henry VIII as a berserk king with too many wives, but there is more to Henry VIII than that. Many few people know about his life and what he truly contributed to our world. Henry VIII was an almighty leader in England who won’t soon be forgotten.

Catherine Parr married Henry in July of 1543 and served more as a nurse than a wife due to Henry’s advanced age. The very next year Henry left her as regent so he could campaign in France. She was able to rule freely during this regency. She handled the logistics of Henry’s campaign and signed five royal proclamations during this time. After Henry died she reigned as Queen until Edward assumed the throne.

supposed to be engaged to Nym at some point in time, but ran off with

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

William Penn once said, “Kings in this world should imitate God, their mercy should be above their works." This would clearly be the best case scenario for a king, but King Henry VIII acted directly opposite to this quote. Henry was a man hungry for power and willing to hurt whoever stood in his way, he proved this by his extensive history with women.

If you had to show Shakespeare’s Anne Bullen around Avenues mall, which places would you take her to and why?