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DFTBA and Best Wishes!

Henry V

In the past school year, I've read Henry V by William Shakespeare twice. On both of those occasions, I've written papers. So, in leiu of my regular posts, I present the papers for my Honors and Shakespeare courses. There will be spoilers for the content of the play, but I highly recommend that you read or see them if possible. Also, the Kenneth Branagh movie version is on Netflix and is fairly accurate. (Note: the formatting of the second essay is wonky, I know. But that's what the professor wanted.)

Honors:

William Shakespeare’s The Life of Henry V is a tale of war, bloodshed, and the rights of nobles. But, in the play, the focus also switches to moments to a view of common characters that Shakespeare’s audience would have been familiar with from the earlier historical plays. These opposing vantage points, paired with a view of the French as well, makes The Life of Henry V, not only a play about King Henry, but also about all of the other groups of people that participate in this war. Beginning with Act II and continuing through the rest of the play, the scenes alternate between these different groups of people. Through this, it can be noted that Shakespeare intended this work to be one that portrayed warfare in a manner that was less biased than other plays.

The opening scene of Act II is one that depicts the group of common English soldiers. These men were friends with King Henry when he was known as “Prince Hal” in his earlier days that were full of revel. One of their number, John Falstaff, is dying from the rejection that he suffered at the hands of the king. The audience would have taken note of this death because they met and formed a bond with the comedic character in an earlier play. Also, in this scene, we meet three common soldiers and a boy that will reappear when they fight in France.

Another group of characters that appears is the group of English nobles, composed of King Henry and his lords. This set of characters is, obviously, not out of the ordinary in a play entitled The Life of Henry V. Furthermore, the remarkable character of this group is King Henry himself. In Act IV of the play, in the night before the battle, Henry pretends to be a common soldier. During this time, he and a soldier named Williams converse about the king and the upcoming battle. Henry points out to the common soldiers is a man, like any other when he says, “Therefore, when he sees reason of fears as we do, his fears, out of doubt, be of the same relish as ours are” (IV.i.110-112). This serves to prove one of the themes of the play, that while all men might have different stations in life, they are still human men and can die the same as any other.

In Shakespeare’s The Life of Henry V, the audience sympathizes for more than just the king, as would be expected. Instead, they form connections with characters from different stations in life, ranging from common thief, to reveler, to the king himself. With this, Shakespeare humanizes the many participants in war and gives “the masses” of common soldiers faces to recognize. While there will be no work ever presented that gives an unbiased view of a topic as controversial as war, Shakespeare’s play is one that is more even than the others because it depicts the war from different vantage points.

Shakespeare:

Henry V by William Shakespeare is a play that tackles themes including war and nobility. But, it is mostly a play about the character of King Henry and how he copes with the trials of being the sole ruler of a nation, specifically one in war during the course of the play. But, it must be noted that the audience in Shakespeare’s time already knew the character of King Henry as “Hal” in Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2. They see his character develop from an irresponsible boy to a man who is held accountable for an entire kingdom. King Henry is shown in a variety of situations throughout the course of the play. He takes advice from clergymen and advisors, orders the execution of Bardolph, speaks with soldiers in disguise, soliloquizes to himself, and discusses love with Katherine. The entirety of the play demonstrates that King Henry V is a strong king, willing to do anything for his kingdom. But, he feels the stress of that responsibility and will go to great lengths to prove that he is not the reckless “Hal” from earlier in his life.

In IV.i, The infamous “campfire scene” shows King Henry conversing with three soldiers- Bates, Court, and Williams- while in disguise. Towards the beginning of this scene, Henry points out that the king is a man just like the soldiers. He says that, “I think the king is but a man, as I am… all his senses have but human conditions… in his nakedness he appears but a man…” (92-94). He continues with this short speech with pointing out that the king also has more responsibilities than a common soldier because, “no man should possess him with any appearance of fear, les he, by showing it, should dishearten his army” (98-99). The soldiers and Henry go on to argue if a soldier killed in battle is on the conscience of the king. Henry strongly emphasizes the point that “every subject’s duty is the king’s; but every subject’s soul is his own” (145-146). Once the men leave, the king continues to think upon this argument with a soliloquy. He considers the duty of a king and how much they are expected to bear by their people for so little a reward. He states, “upon the king! Let our lives, our souls, our debts, our careful wives, our children, and our sings lay on the king! We must bear all. O hard condition!” showing the pressure that he is placed under (185-188). He goes on to say that all a king gets in return is worthless ceremony. Also, he stresses that a poor slave that does physical labor all day sleeps sounder than the king because he does not have to worry about the welfare of so many people and that none of the ceremony or special items that the king is privileged to is worth the lack of sleep. In the final section of the soliloquy, Henry appeals to God to keep his soldiers alive through battle the next day and wishes to atone for the bloody sins of his father.

In the context of the entire play, the campfire scene gives the audience the chance to view Henry when does not have to bear the full responsibility of his title. This is the only time when he converses with people that are not aware of his identity and delivers a soliloquy. In this scene, the audience can hear his true thoughts without the judging from another party on the stage. This scene contrasts many of the other situations that we see Henry in throughout the play. He is adamant in trying to convince the soldiers that the king does not hold responsibility for their souls if they are killed in battle. This combined with the prayer in the end, show that Henry is not the strong and ruthless king that he is portrayed as when he orders the execution of the traitors, and later of his old friend Bardolph. He is allowed to curse the office that he holds and discuss the fears that he has for the upcoming battle. The campfire scene is a unique perspective into the true nature of the character of Shakespeare’s Henry V, and is one more piece of the puzzle that is the many facets of Henry’s character and what it means to be a true and just king, no matter the responsibilities or trials he must undergo.

DFTBA and Happy Reading!

Nadia