Stereotypes In 'King Henry V'

World Literature: Shakespeare Unit During the 14th and 15th century there were many conflicts between the English and the British over land, and power. There were also conflicts involving the ultimate ruler (god) and the Kings of Land over who had power. Besides conflicts with each other and god, there were still women's rights issues. Both Saint Joan, and King Henry V are similar in which they both lack the rights of women. They disrespect women in the sense of itemizing, name calling, and stereotyping.
In scene 1 from Saint Joan: A Chronicle Play In Six Scenes And An Epilogue by George Bernard Shaw, the scene shows that there is little to no trust in women during the 14th century. The lack of women's respect is shown in the scene by the …show more content…
Shakespeare places specific gender based roles on the character Katherine who is the princess of France. He stereotypes her as the typical damsel in distress, while men are fighting out on the battlefield killing one another, Kathrine is away from the fight away in a quiet and peaceful town waiting for the end results of the battle. She is far from the battlefield so that once the battle is done she can marry King Henry and reunite the two kingdoms. King Henry does end up winning Paris and goes directly to Katherine, whom he has never met and says “I know no ways to mince it in love, but directly to say, “I love you.”” (Sparknotes King Henry V Act 5 Scene 2). Immediately after meeting Katherine, King Henry (even though he barely knows her) already is telling that he loves her, and even asks about marriage. King Henry is doing this as a power move, in this time period for a women to say no to a King was not an option. He has cornered Katherine into an inescapable position. She must show interest in the idea of marriage proposed by the King even if that is not what she