Edward IV of England

Elizabeth Bear, the author of the book Range of Ghosts writes, “If you could disagree with kings, were gods so far above?” Bear compares the power of a king to that of a god by saying, those who dare to oppose their king are also challenging their god. On the same token, Thomas More’s disapproval of King Henry the VIII's divorce indicates that More holds the true authority. In Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons, the author characterizes Thomas More as honest, inflexible, and moral to demonstrate how…

To become a good human, one has to be self-aware that he or she has to take action in order to accomplish a task. In Richard II by William Shakespeare, King Richard went through many of these tasks in order to become a good human. He starts off as a king who takes advantage of his position and uses verbal dramatization by making long speeches. He experiences multiple regrettable events and as the play goes on, he soon realizes his humanity. Throughout the play, Richard transitions from being…

Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare based on the life of the real Henry V. The play shows King Henry's development from his youth when he was considered to be wild, to him becoming a respected king whose soldiers willingly follow him into war. A letter is sent from the King of France's son to Henry questioning his claim to French land. This leads Henry to invade France, attacking and against odds of five to one wins the battles. It could be seen that it is King Henry's speeches that…

Shakespeare’s Henry IV part I follows the transformation of numerous characters. The King of Wales son, Prince Hal, is seen going through one of the most apparent transformations, a form of self redemption. Initially, Hal is introduced as a thief, associating with the gutter of Wales. He completely disregards any responsibility given to him by his father which provides as a huge disappointment to the King. Eventually it seems as if Hal’s bitterness towards his fathers admiration for Hotspur, a…

In Act 4 scene 1, Henry tries to impose the idea to Williams, Court, and Bates that the king is just like any other man. He implores the three men to think of the king as one of their own comrades. That the king thinks and feels like the lower class, he’s just not allowed to show any other emotion than confidence. “I think the king is but a/ man as I am…Therefore, when he sees reason of fears as we/ do, his fears, out of doubt, be of the same relish as/ ours are.” (4.1.105-114). Henry’s…

While Henry IV Part I (Henry IV) may seem only a quintessential medieval tale of revelry and victory in battle, as we delve deeper into Shakespeare’s representation of the motivations and actions of its characters we begin to appreciate the latent political messages at play. The story of Henry IV Part I is fundamentally driven by a quest for legitimacy and an examination of what is required of a political leader. These personal and political ideas are similarly present in Peter Jackson’s film…

danger, and deserved death”. When glancing at the scansion those words pop out at stick with me as poignant words Richard speaks. Without a doubt Northumberland will remember Richard’s foresight of them falling out and fighting each other in Henry IV through Hotspur and King Henry these statements from Richard are coming to fruition. In closing I do not think there is any better way to view Richard with pity, perhaps it is seeing the best in people. Because when he was King and even after he was…

In the opening scene of the play Prince Harry or Hal is not seen rather the audience hears what his father, the king, thinks about him. The audience first meets Hal and a drunken Falstaff. They are having a witty banter, but this could be Hal’s first betrayal of Falstaff. Though Hal explicitly tells Falstaff that when he becomes King that he will not spare a thief, even if it is his friend. This honesty can be a betrayal, because Hal is trying to blend into this the society outside of court…

power. Henry II, being the King of England, displays a great sense of knowledge in the status of his empire as well as how to negotiate with neighboring countries. For example, when meeting with King Philip of France, Henry began the negotiations, stating, “Your grievances, as we have understood them, have to do with Princess Alais and her dowry” (13). Henry’s professional tone and use of political terms, such as “dowry”, project a sense of confidence that gives England the status of being…

Rabkin starts his second chapter by summarizing that Shakespeare’s art includes a world whose principles are never in doubt, but it is never as simple as one expects. Henry V is another one of Shakespeare’s controversial plays. There have been many different ways of looking at the controversy, but Rabkin argues that they are all wrong. Rabkin states that “Shakespeare created a work whose ultimate power is precisely the fact that it points in two opposite directions” and ultimately, Shakespeare…