Shakespearean Structure
(An Analysis of Shakespeare’s choice of structure in Henry V) There are many components of literature that add to its effectiveness. While one may think that literature is merely good or bad based on the plot and use of words that is not necessarily the case. Much of literature is based on the structure of the plot itself. While this can seem like a minute function of a powerful story, it actually lends itself to make the story so powerful. Without proper structure, some of the most famous stories wouldn’t be considered that impressive at all. This point can be made true be simply looking at the plays of William Shakespeare. While Shakespeare is one of the most famous play wrights partly because of characterization …show more content…
While King Henry V’s speeches are well placed due to their assistance in raising morale during battle, they actually help move the play along in a certain direction. For example, King Henry delivers a speech before the battle of Harfleur that affirms the audience’s faith in the English forces. Later, the king delivers another speech, his most famous speech, before the Battle of Agincourt. This speech is not necessarily one that promotes the idea of success, but rather the idea of acceptance of fate and encouragement of faith. Not only does this boost morale in the troops, but it gives the audience the feeling of acceptance that the battle will not end in the favor of the English. This is where Shakespeare’s genius comes in because he sets the audience up for tragedy, but then the next scene comes. The next scene comes as a surprise to the audience when the English overtake the French, and barely lose any men. This plot twist is what makes the story truly interesting, and the classic tale of the underdog. Shakespeare knew what he was doing by setting the audience up in a certain way so that they would have the ultimate surprise. This all happened because of the well-timed speech that encouraged acceptance of loss. The speech placement is key to the revelation factor of this
(An Analysis of Shakespeare’s choice of structure in Henry V) There are many components of literature that add to its effectiveness. While one may think that literature is merely good or bad based on the plot and use of words that is not necessarily the case. Much of literature is based on the structure of the plot itself. While this can seem like a minute function of a powerful story, it actually lends itself to make the story so powerful. Without proper structure, some of the most famous stories wouldn’t be considered that impressive at all. This point can be made true be simply looking at the plays of William Shakespeare. While Shakespeare is one of the most famous play wrights partly because of characterization …show more content…
While King Henry V’s speeches are well placed due to their assistance in raising morale during battle, they actually help move the play along in a certain direction. For example, King Henry delivers a speech before the battle of Harfleur that affirms the audience’s faith in the English forces. Later, the king delivers another speech, his most famous speech, before the Battle of Agincourt. This speech is not necessarily one that promotes the idea of success, but rather the idea of acceptance of fate and encouragement of faith. Not only does this boost morale in the troops, but it gives the audience the feeling of acceptance that the battle will not end in the favor of the English. This is where Shakespeare’s genius comes in because he sets the audience up for tragedy, but then the next scene comes. The next scene comes as a surprise to the audience when the English overtake the French, and barely lose any men. This plot twist is what makes the story truly interesting, and the classic tale of the underdog. Shakespeare knew what he was doing by setting the audience up in a certain way so that they would have the ultimate surprise. This all happened because of the well-timed speech that encouraged acceptance of loss. The speech placement is key to the revelation factor of this