HENRY V

HENRY V

by William Shakespeare

History plays were popular in Elizabethan times and Shakespeare wrote lots of them. England had begun to achieve stability after years of conflict and people were interested in the dramatic events which had led to the formation of their nation-state. Henry V is one of a series written by Shakespeare about the Wars of the Roses and some of the characters have already appeared in earlier plays: Henry himself appears in Henry IV-Part One as 'Prince Hal' -- a wild young man who spends his time with various unsavoury companions (Falstaff, Bardolph, Pistol, Nym, Mistress Quickly etc.) When the King his father dies, Prince Hal reforms his ways and rejects his old cronies. The young tearaway mounts the throne to become the legendary military leader, Henry V.

This play, written in 1599, tells the story of what would have been seen by Shakespeare's audience as one of the most heroic moments in English history -- the victory over the French at Agincourt in 1415. King Henry asserts the English claim to the throne of the old rival, France; this is rejected insultingly by the vain and boastful French; Henry inspires his troops at the siege of Harfleur, leads them to an incredible victory over a much larger French army at Agincourt and finally marries the daughter of the King of France, thus securing the throne of France for their son.

The play is full of patriotic speeches which show how special it is to be English (of course). Shakespeare even uses a Chorus to introduce each act with a glowing build-up of what you are about to see. Henry is shown as a strong man with great powers of leadership -- the qualities seen as essential in a king in violent times. The play also shows the horror and brutality of war and its destructive effect on civilian life, There is conflict between what the king does as a military leader and his instinctive human feelings.

In the Middle Ages people had believed that kings were appointed by God and that the throne could only pass on by legitimate succession. In reality, of course, some of the English kings were mad, bad and incompetent and had been chased out of power by their rivals. As a result the Elizabethans were increasingly interested in the qualities needed in a good ruler and in the very concept of the king's divine right to rule. Henry V had a number of qualities in common with the Queen of their own day, Elizabeth I: both came from Welsh backgrounds; his father had taken the throne by force, as had her grandfather; both had led their countries to great victories over powerful foreign enemies. The parallels with Shakespeare's treatment of Henry V would have struck a patriotic chord with his audience.