Henry VI, Part 1

Shakespeare’s histories do not always effectively convey the truth of the historical matter. Rather, Shakespeare’s histories are more of a political tale of the events. With this said, it is no surprise that Shakespeare delves into the personal lives of the characters he wrote of. Throughout Henry IV (part one) honor and the power that occurs based on whether a person is considered ‘honorable’ is continually displayed through the main characters of Prince Hal, King Henry, Falstaff, and Hotspur and their constant interest their own honor (“Henry IV”). To begin, Prince Hal, who later becomes King Henry V, has a very interesting transformation throughout the two plays. At the beginning of the play, the King says about his son, “Yea, there thou mak’st me sad, and mak’st me sin / In envy that my Lord Northumberland / Should be the father to so blest a son, / A son who is the theme of Honor’s tongue..” (Shakespeare 890). He is jealous of the Lord Northumberland’s son because his son is so honorable, while his, Prince Hal, is not honorable at all. When we first meet Hal in part one of Henry IV, we realize that our prince does not act at all like what a prince should act like. He spends much of his time in bars and pubs and steals from others while his friends are liars and crooks. After Prince Hal’s first line, Falstaff…

alive today through the numerous adaptations of his work, each with an unique interpretation of his words. In The Hollow Crown’s version of Henry V Tom Hiddleston breathes life into the long dead King Henry V. Juxtaposition is brilliantly used by director Thea Sharrock to contrast the French to the English, as well as emphasize the passion and turmoil that Henry V experiences. The pinnacle of the polarization between the King and the French is witnessed when comparing French Ambassador Montjoy’s…

Henry V is full of confusion and changing tides. The play opens up with the king Henry V who used to be the wild Prince Hal in Pt. 1 of Henry IV, but now he is a valiant and aggressive monarch who does what is “right” for his English nation. History goes back and forth between who should rightfully have the French crown: the English or the French? The English army also fluctuates between honorable men fighting a glorious war and those who are fearful and doubtful of the war’s necessity. Is this…

In the historical play Henry V by William Shakespeare, we are introduced to the story of a young and mysterious King Henry V of England, and his quest to conquer France under the reign of Charles VI of France. (“Henry V (play)”) details Henry’s life leading up to and following the Battle of Agincourt in the year 1415. From the very beginning, the Chorus portrays Henry as a glorious King who is about to engage in an epic and glorifying battle with the French. However, the Chorus then reveals that…

attendees: history has and always will repeat itself. From the battlefields of England and France, all the way to Ancient Rome, leaders of the state will take any action necessary to protect the state, other than place themselves in harm’s way, as without them, no state exists. King Henry IV fascinated Shakespeare; the author tells the man’s achievements over the course…

time when 1 Henry IV was written. For instance, a contemporary issue demonstrated in the play is a phenomenon known as helicopter parenting. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, helicopter parenting is when a parent is extremely involved in a child’s life (“Helicopter Parenting”). Parents will often place expectations on their children to achieve certain dreams they have for their kids. This places a tremendous amount of anxiety and stress on their children. This idea is demonstrated…

Tragic love stories have fascinated humans since ancient times. They conquered the hearts of many and opened the ways for more love stories. Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343 – to October 1400) is one of the most famous English authors of the middle ages. Chaucer is considered the father of English literature and thrilled the mass with his literary works. His most famous works include the Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde. Yet, again a tragic love story that is still widely popular in the 21st…

Falstaff Throughout the world, there have been many renowned writers that left their mark in literature such as, Christopher Marlowe and Robert Greene, but none more revered than Shakespeare. In his lifetime, Shakespeare composed many great plays with distinctive characters; however, one of the most noted characters of all is Falstaff in the The First Part of King Henry the Fourth (Henry IV). The essential reason Falstaff is timeless and able to continuously resonate with people is because of…

For my book review I read the book Shakespeare And The Problem Of Meaning written by Norman Rabkin. This book was published in 1981 by the University of Chicago Press. In this book Rabkin looks at several Shakespeare plays including The Merchant of Venice, Henry V, and The Tempest as well as many others. Rabkin uses these to support his argument that the plays do mean something more than can be conveyed by description alone. He shows that there are many complex paradoxical elements present in…

manipulated in killing his wife. Therefore, Othello fell into Iago’s trap because of his gullible nature. Furthermore, Othello’s tragedy is as a result of his naivety because he still holds on to his insecurities; he still does not believe that a woman of high class like Desdemona would fall for a man of a ‘lower class’ like him. However, what Othello does not realise is that despite his race and colour, his war or military merits and achievements have earned him a better position in the…