I think you’ve hit the nail on the head when you said Henry was portrayed in a variety of different ways. Shakespeare seems to fundamentally understand how complex humans are, and, therefore, the dissection of one’s decisions should also be complex. Henry is a king who continually looks for ways to win, whether it’s peoples’ opinions of him or a war or Kate’s love. Yet he seems to believe in an honor code that balances his decisions. This shows how many decisions in life are not black or white, but truly exist in the grey. And King Henry’s kingship only heightens the complexity of his decisions.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head when you said Henry was portrayed in a variety of different ways. Shakespeare seems to fundamentally understand how complex humans are, and, therefore, the dissection of one’s decisions should also be complex. Henry is a king who continually looks for ways to win, whether it’s peoples’ opinions of him or a war or Kate’s love. Yet he seems to believe in an honor code that balances his decisions. This shows how many decisions in life are not black or white, but truly exist in the grey. And King Henry’s kingship only heightens the complexity of his decisions.