Henry V is the fifth in the sequence of Henry plays, which deals with Henry’s war against France.
Henry V, perhaps William Shakespeare’s greatest play, tells the story of Henry V’s decision to go to war against France in order to claim what he believes is his rightful inheritance as king of both England and France. Henry V is a character of exceptional wit and charisma, a military genius who turns a ragtag group of soldiers into a powerful fighting force. Henry’s luck runs out when his resolve to press the war on France is questioned by the French court after Henry successfully captures Harfleur. Henry responds with an impressive victory at Agincourt.
Henry V is a complex character; Henry is both a skilled and honorable military leader and an opportunist who takes advantage of the political turmoil in France to claim his inheritance. Henry’s complex nature can also be seen in Henry’s relationships with other characters throughout the play – Henry seeks approval from his father, King Henry IV, yet Henry still feels driven to prove himself as a capable king throughout the play. Henry is shown as both loyal and defiant towards the Archbishop of Canterbury, even as Henry rejects his advice multiple times.
Henry’s most significant relationship is that with Glendower, the Welshman whose magic cannot produce what he promises because there are no such things as magic and witches (I ii 5-6). Henry wants to be the hero in this story of conquest, but ultimately Henry is just a man out of his element. Henry’s best skill is that he’s very good at conquering other people’s countries while ignoring his own that needs him.
Henry V presents Henry as both flawed and exceptional; Henry wants to achieve greatness through war, yet Henry also experiences self-doubt throughout the play. Henry is not entirely heroic or entirely villainous; Henry’s motivations are complicated, which makes Henry V an exceedingly complex character who fails to fit easily into either category (Good King? No).
Henry V was a complex character in many ways. He fought against the French during his time as King, winning some battles and losing others. Henry is remembered for being a brilliant military strategist, but what does Henry’s military prowess say about him? Was Henry truly a strong king or just another great warrior manipulating the people around him to ensure that he stayed on top? In this article, we will explore Henry through multiple lenses: Henry’s personality, Henry’s political views and Henry’s conquests during the Hundred Year War.
Through these lenses we can attempt to understand how Henry wanted to be seen by his people and if this image is accurate even today. Before delving into Henry it would be beneficial to understand Henry’s historical context. Henry lived at the end of the English Medieval Period when lawlessness and disorder were common in England because there was no centralized system of government. Henry’s immediate predecessor, Henry IV , gained the throne through force by overthrowing Richard II in 1399.
Henry IV had taken power by force creating a precedent that could give way to rulers who wished to take the crown not by right but by conquest. Henry V came into power after his father died in 1413 when Henry V was just 16 years old. Henry began his reign with much promise but he struggled for most of his life to control his nobles since they were constantly challenging him for being too young or because they did not agree with his foreign policies. Henry’s campaigns in France were an attempt to unite his country and give himself a topic that never failed to unify the English people.
Henry was also vastly outnumbered during these battles which inspired many of Henry’s famous sayings such as “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…” Henry used this imagery throughout his campaign in order to create unity within the ranks. Henry would talk about how they were all fighting together and for one another so that when morale was low Henry could count on the fact that these messages had been ingrained into their daily lives and they would be fought harder than ever before. Henry was not just a great military leader, but he eventually became respected by his men and feared by his enemies.
Henry’s army grew to the point where Henry could consider himself an equal, if not better than other Kings in Europe because of his power over so many territories. Henry V’s reign was short lived since he died of illness at the age of 35 after becoming severely ill while campaigning in France. Henry died without an heir which meant that Henry’s brother ruled as King Henry VI . Henry VI lacked all of Henry V’s qualities and was seen as a poor king who caused England great turmoil during his rule.
Henry V used fear to keep control over his men but also commanded respect from them through tales of bravery and words that created a bond between them through shared hardship. One perspective on Henry would be Henry’s personality. Henry was a very pious man who saw himself as God’s representative on Earth. Henry was thought to have been born with the ability to lead since he showed no fear during his first battle at age sixteen where Henry lead an army of archers into combat despite never having seen battle before.
Henry used religion as a tool for encouraging loyalty among his men by saying that God had chosen him to unite his country and take back France. Henry also encouraged loyalty within England by writing letters to encourage high morals throughout all levels of society; Henry even wrote to the clergy in many cathedrals around England asking them not “to exercise secular authority or temporal judgment” because only Henry could protect the church and Henry believed that the church should only be involved in religious affairs.
Henry used religion as a tool to unify his people but Henry used other means to keep control over his men, Henry could provide little rations or supplies for his men so Henry was able to command complete loyalty because Henry needed them more than they needed him. Henry also had a tendency to act irrationally at times; Henry’s foreign policy towards France was probably one of the most controversial subjects because Henry told parliament that he would not seek peace with France until every inch of English land was under English rule .
Henry often made irrational moves like this during combat because this style of leadership encouraged maximum effort from his troops since they were always for something greater. Henry V was a great military leader and had essentially complete control over his men and Henry proved to be a very capable king who lead an army that ultimately invaded France and conquered Henry’s old enemy, not all of Henry V’s decisions were correct though.
Henry led his army into battle with no real plan other than to win which ultimately ended up in Henry suffering such severe injuries that he died from illness at the age of thirty-five. Henry also failed to deal effectively with the church when Henry turned on Cardinal Beaufort because Henry believed him to be conspiring against Henry which created a division between Henry’s family and the church.
