Henry V by William Shakespeare is the fourth part of a serious that deals with the rise of the house of Lancaster. Henry V treats King Henry as a man who has grown up to be an adept king unwavering in determination to claim the French throne contrary to how he was portrayed as a reckless teenager in earlier plays. The play itself shows events between the battles of Agincourt a battle that was a major turning point in the hundred-year war. The play has since become synonymous to how audiences view their own wars and political position due to the large amount of war imagery and motifs. With this, it is easy to see how an awareness of the history of the period that the play is set can help us to understand the text and the significance it would
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A period in history where the English and the French fought for the rights of the French crown. During this period, Henry V was the king of England. Scene one with the Archbishop and Bishop Ely discussing the qualities possessed by Henry and his exploits. There is much emphasis placed on the difference between his younger self and the wise man and leader he has now become as king. This has the benefit of showing the audience the change that has taken place in the Henry who a supposed rebellious youth liked to spend his time in taverns and brothels and partook in brawls has accepted the responsibility and the duty of being King of England. Due to political enmity between him and his father, this picture of Henry though is probably untrue where J. M. Pressley states “But the prince-gone-wild character of Henry V seems more of a popular tall tale than truth, and may have more to do with political differences between the crown prince and his father” (Pressley). Shakespeare seems to portray Henry as a rebellious character but it seems this tradition is only immortalised by history and Henry was in fact a great …show more content…
Canterbury seems to be only interested in the preservation of the church and that the churches revenue is not lost as noted by Tim Spiekerman where he says “a self-interested church that stands to lose a good deal of land if a bill currently before parliament passes” (Spiekerman). The result of this is a want to convince Henry to invade France under the theory that Henry is entitled to land. Canterbury seems to believe there is a great chance of this happening with Ely saying he is a “true lover of the holy church” (Shakespeare 1.1.24). Throughout this period monarchs where in power through the grace of God, it was his will they were on the throne. The Archbishop is using this to his advantage in order to get Henry to invade France so the church is not left wanting. A good monarch would never go against what God or a representative of God wanted. The play therefore is set against a background of political intrigue brought about by representatives of the
A period in history where the English and the French fought for the rights of the French crown. During this period, Henry V was the king of England. Scene one with the Archbishop and Bishop Ely discussing the qualities possessed by Henry and his exploits. There is much emphasis placed on the difference between his younger self and the wise man and leader he has now become as king. This has the benefit of showing the audience the change that has taken place in the Henry who a supposed rebellious youth liked to spend his time in taverns and brothels and partook in brawls has accepted the responsibility and the duty of being King of England. Due to political enmity between him and his father, this picture of Henry though is probably untrue where J. M. Pressley states “But the prince-gone-wild character of Henry V seems more of a popular tall tale than truth, and may have more to do with political differences between the crown prince and his father” (Pressley). Shakespeare seems to portray Henry as a rebellious character but it seems this tradition is only immortalised by history and Henry was in fact a great …show more content…
Canterbury seems to be only interested in the preservation of the church and that the churches revenue is not lost as noted by Tim Spiekerman where he says “a self-interested church that stands to lose a good deal of land if a bill currently before parliament passes” (Spiekerman). The result of this is a want to convince Henry to invade France under the theory that Henry is entitled to land. Canterbury seems to believe there is a great chance of this happening with Ely saying he is a “true lover of the holy church” (Shakespeare 1.1.24). Throughout this period monarchs where in power through the grace of God, it was his will they were on the throne. The Archbishop is using this to his advantage in order to get Henry to invade France so the church is not left wanting. A good monarch would never go against what God or a representative of God wanted. The play therefore is set against a background of political intrigue brought about by representatives of the