Is King Henry V Truly Epic?

Between the years 1489 and 1499, Henry received three main threats to his royal authority: the Yorkshire Rebellion in 1489; the pretender, Perkin Warbeck (from 1491 to 1499); and the Cornish uprising in 1497. All of these threats were quelled successfully; however each one presented problems to Henry and highlighted his instability on the throne. I believe that Henry dealt with the challenges successfully, but his policies suffered as a result.

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

How far do these sources suggest that young Henry VIII was an impressive figure as a king?

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 VIII is one of the few English monarchs recognizable even in America, for his antics are legendary on both sides of the Atlantic. He is as notorious for killing important people as he is for getting married six times and his break with Rome. Indeed, Henry's reign would make a good comic book, for he was always off on some new half-baked project, be it invading France or plotting a crusade. His whole life was marked by impulsiveness and his "OK, that was fun, what's next?" attitude. He never outgrew many childlike character traits, at times stubborn and the next moment almost a gullible pushover. This childish disposition is the key to why he

Brutality is not often associated with generosity, but King Henry V reveals both of these qualities when he says, “Therefore to our best mercy give yourselves, /or like to men proud of destruction/ defy us to our worst “(3.4.3-4) to the governor of Harfleur. Henry V threatens to decimate the town of Harfleur if they fail to surrender, but afterwards he shows mercy to its people. In Henry V, Shakespeare draws upon Henry’s brutal and generous actions, creating the image of a balanced warrior who makes sound decisions .By using brutal language and making generous decisions, Henry achieves merciful outcomes for both his enemy and his own people.

n Shakespeare's King Henry V, King Henry prepares his troops for battle with a passionate speech about fighting, honor, and kinship. Henry uses strong ethos and pathos to persuade his men to fight the French, though they are outnumbered in the battle. Henry notes that his troops feel unprepared and overwhelmed for battle. This speech marks the moment where the boy Hal transforms into King Henry. For the first time, Henry takes on the role of a valiant king and takes control of the situation. He seizes the moment to prepare them and inspire them. Henry hopes by making an effective speech his men will understand why they need to fight.

Shakespeare’s Henry V presents a man transformed from rowdy teenager to righteous king. With the death of Henry’s father, Henry’s “wildness…/Seemed to die too” (1.1.26-27). While Henry has seemingly transformed into a powerful man awarded praise, his actions at times seem morally questionable and disingenuous as he continually deflects blame on others and contradicts his notions for peace. Throughout the play, Henry’s speeches persuade and manipulate audiences as he effectively uses the power of rhetoric to achieve his goals. He has the power to intimidate his enemies, uplift his soldiers, and mold himself into whoever he needs to be. With the change of Henry’s character came a greater title and the responsibility for an entire nation, causing him to abandon his outwardly destructive behavior and dissemble. Shakespeare thus contends that there is a difference between being a good person and a successful leader; national heroism and effective kingship is not necessarily attained through moral actions, but rather through the art of powerful rhetoric and the ability to seem moral and virtuous rather than to be moral and virtuous, thereby mimicking some characteristics of how a successful ruler should appear, as suggested in Machiavelli’s The Prince. While Henry is certainly ruthless at times, his ability to assume the roles necessary for successful leadership is what makes him a great king.

Is Beowulf an epic hero or a proud fool? In most cases, people would look at him and say that he is both a proud fool and an epic hero. A epic hero possesses certain heroic characteristics, Beowulf shows that he truly possesses these characteristics by his actions of bravery, power, and his honor. Beowulf show’s that he is brave when he goes across the sea to help those in need even though he would be risking his life in the process. He shows that he has strength when he takes on the mighty dragon and kills it along with so many other fearsome beasts before it. Also, Beowulf shows that he is honorably to his people when he stands beside them and risks his life for them and for the Danes. While Beowulf may have been an epic hero in the poem Beowulf, there are many great and fantastic heroes right here in America. Beowulf may have fought sea monsters and a dragon, but people here in America have fought against others who are out to destroy us like the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York. The day of 9/11 when the planes hit the buildings was a day that will forever be remember as one of the worst day in American history, but brave men came together to help those in need. Police officers, Firefighters, EMT’s, Doctor’s, and many more where there to take care of those who needed it. Heroes

Throughout the entire story, Henry really does grow as a character. He show's not only maturity, but heroism as well. In Henry's first battle, he really nails it. He snaps right into the fact that it is time to fight. And that he needs to stand up and really prove that he can do this. And that's exactly what Henry does. He get's through his first battle. But his second one wasn't so great. In the second battle, Henry did end up running away from the battle. But, what Henry didn't understand was that it was okay to do that. He doesn't realize that it is okay to be afraid in a situation of

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 characters, or should I say people, were a big part of the story. For most of them we knew them from the start until the end. I especially liked how they showed both sides of each person, the good

Even after he had come of age, Henry suffered from a lack of popular support, something that invariably helps the "other side" in a civil war. He was considered a fool by the general populace, which weakened his authority. During his reign, there were many charges of seditious libel to come before the courts (Storey, 34) and they usually dealt with someone slandering the king. Common people and yeomen were calling the king a "lunatic", a child, and a fool (Storey, 35). For instance, one Sussex yeoman called the king a "natural fool" and said that "the king was no person able to rule the land" (Storey, 35). Evidently, if even the common people were slandering the king, they must have had some basis for it. The king did nothing to prove the people wrong, rarely going on progresses to smooth out his image. He stayed in the Home Counties for much of his reign, and even that did not improve his image with the people.

Many will argue that focusing on race keeps us from moving forward, but when faced with reality people soon realize that the world judges irrationally by the color of one’s skin. This is extremely obvious in Mexico. Socio-economic inequality characterizes indigenous groups in this country. These communities live in environments with higher levels of poverty; have worse health outcomes, lower life expectancies, and poor academic performance (Servan-Mori para.1). Based on these facts, is it strange to think that these people might want to associate with a specific ethnicity? Considering how discriminated against the indigenous race has been throughout Mexico, it is no wonder they would rather be identified as anything but

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.