The Chorus offers us a good insight into the French Monarchy. “Have for the guilt of France (oh guilt indeed)”, this shows that the French are weak having to pay men to commit treason against their King. Also the fact that the French have to resort to corrupt methods suggests that they fear they may lose the battle. This quote also shows the French as corrupt, not playing by the conventional rules of war. Compared to Henry’s actions the French are made to look bad, and therefore the Chorus is praising Henry. The Chorus continues to praise Henry by comparing him to the French in Act 3. The Chorus describes the French King offering his daughter and “petty and unprofitable dukedoms” again this shows the French as weak and trying to buy off Henry so that they do not go to war. The lack of respect of the French is also shown, by offering “unprofitable dukedoms” to Henry. They obviously do not regard Henry as great, as they neglect to offer him profitable lands.
Within “Henry V” we see many qualities that Henry possesses. Shakespeare depicts Henry as a great emotive speaker, in both rousing men and addressing officers and members of the French court. This quality reflects on Henry as a good politician. We see Henry’s quick-witted comments during two main scenes; Act 1 Scene 2 and Act 4 Scene 1. In Act 1 Scene 2, Henry uses a lot of clever metaphors for tennis. Though he is obviously angry he is quick minded when he talks. Using words such as “rackets”, “balls”, “strike”, “hazard” and “courts” all of which are tennis related. He uses all these while telling the French ambassador that he will invade France. The symbolism of a tennis match used by Henry shows him to be a good orator and king, as he is clearly well educated and quick minded. Another point in the play where Henry shows his quick mind is in Act 4 Scene 2, where he meets his men, while he is in disguise. Though Henry never tells the men the truth of his identity, he never lies to them. When Pistol asks, “who goes there”, Henry answers “a friend”. This reply can be viewed on three different levels. That he is a friend and not the enemy, that he is an old friend or that he views himself as equal to Pistol. Again this reflects on Henry’s kingship skills. Also in Henry’s talk with Pistol, Henry tells him his name is “Harry le roi” or Harry the king in its English translation. So again Henry is seen as well educated, as he is able to speak French as well as being a good speaker and is easily able to fool Pistol without lying.
We view also Henry’s speaking skills in his rousing speeches to his men before and during battle. As the English attempt to take Harfleur, Henry attempts to raise his men’s spirits. He uses very flattering language calling the men “Dear friends” this shows Henry making himself equal to his men. His men would have been given a sense of pride as their king has called them his friends. This is a very good quality to have as a king; it shows that although Henry is powerful he views himself as a normal citizen. Henry’s other rousing speech is seen before the battle of Agincourt. “We few, We happy few, we band of brothers” again Henry shows his good leadership skills, he equals himself to his men “we”. It is as if no man is better or worse than he is and that every man is a king in his own way. Henry again almost forces the men to fight saying he would not want to die next to a coward, “We would not die in that mans company”. So to prove that the men are not cowards they fight so as not to be seen as weak. Henry’s speeches and persuasive talks help him win both battles, as then the men want to fight. This is also shown when Henry talks of “us” in the majority of speeches, he talks to his army as an equal collective. His finale of “Cry ‘God for Harry, England, and Saint George!’”. This would also show Henry as a very patriotic king. Though also in Henry’s speech he is quite rude to his men, “Dishonour not your mothers. Now attest that those whom you call fathers did beget you”. This is clever and an effective way of rousing men’s spirits, Henry almost forces his men to fight, as if they do not, it would mean they were illegitimate children.
The fact that he can encourage men with low morale to fight reflects on Henry’s kingship greatly. Henry’s men are outnumbered 5 to 1 and the fact that they emerge victorious reflects on Henry, as his speeches must have roused the men’s morale to go and fight even though they felt they had no chance of winning. ”More will I do, though all I can do is nothing.” This shows Henry’s worries and how he feels inadequate with his possible future and outcome of the battle.
Minor characters also give us a good insight to Henry’s nature of King ship. Like the Chorus, Canterbury and Ely praise Henry as a King before we have met Henry as a king. “The king is full of grace, and fair regard” Canterbury obviously views the king highly and Ely follows this comment with “and a true lover of the holy Church” again this shows Ely’s regard for the King. It is clear that both these characters regard Henry as a very good king and a very religious man. The fact that both Canterbury and Ely view Henry as a very religious man is significant as both are Archbishop and Bishop (respectively) and therefore are also very godly. So the fact they view Henry as a religious king is appraisal for Henry. Ely also tells us how Henry has changed as a person. “The Strawberry grows underneath the nettle”, this is a metaphor for Henry’s younger “wilder” days and the fact that Henry always had great leadership skills but they only blossomed when he was crowned king.
Henry is also viewed as a very religious king. Henry himself tells us how he views him self as a religious man “We are no tyrant but a Christian king”. Henry always believes that God is on his side in his claims and in battle. “But this all lies within the will of god”. He feels that all his actions are justified by his faith in God. He is always seen to thank God for his accomplishments in war. “Praise be God and not our strength” Henry does not want his men to claim the victory as theirs but as Gods. He believes God decided the outcome of the battle. That this was down to his strong beliefs in Christianity.
The Dauphin is unlike his father and more like the youthful Henry of the past. The Dauphin is very uneducated in matters of war. We often see glimpses of Henry’s youth in the Dauphin. “Turn head and stop pursuit, for coward dogs” here the Dauphin is seen as over confident, saying in modern term “his barks worse than his bite”. The Dauphin is also seen as lacking in wisdom. He attempts to rush into things without considering the consequences. “I did present him with the Paris balls” the Dauphin did not think Henry had changed. Sending tennis balls mocks Henry, referring to Henry’s “wilder” days, which is ironic as The Dauphin almost mirrors Henry’s youth. Over all, the French and English monarchs give very conflicting views of the nature of kingship.
Henry’s own view of what it is to be a king is shown in his soliloquy in Act 4 Scene 1. “…Born with greatness… What infinite hearts’ ease must kings neglect that private men enjoy?” Henry recognises the fact he was born with power but with this power comes a responsibility for his nation. This again reflects Henry’s greatness as a king, he realises that he has been crowned king to rule the country not to abuse his power. However, Henry doesn’t want to be viewed as a monarch but as a normal man “What drink’st thou oft, instead of homage sweet”. This shows that he recognises his responsibility but wants to be treated normally as an equal. Henry also talks about how all his power and riches still do not help him sleep at night. “Can sleep so soundly as the wretched slave” this is saying that a beggar could have a better night’s sleep than he would. This reflects well on Henry, we view his character as someone that cares about his duty to his people and country more than his own well being. His soliloquy also shows him as a well-educated man, Henry talks about “Elysium”, “Phoebus” and “Hyperion” all showing that Henry has been taught about ancient civilisations. Henry tries to show his strong viewpoint by repeating “ceremony” three times in two lines. Things repeated three times are to reiterate the importance of them.
The fact that Henry tells us this in his soliloquy is ironic as he does have doubts about the outcome of the battle, but knows he cannot be seen to be worried. This is a great quality, he can put on a face and pretend to be confident but he actually doubts the outcome of the battle. He never lets his true feelings show so as not to worry his army.
The French monarchy also portrays the nature of Kingship in “Henry V”. The French King is also regarded as a great ruler. He refuses to underestimate the power of the English army and is very cautious with his preparations for war. Like Henry the French king puts his country before him and his family. “Tell Harry that the King doth offer him Katherine his daughter”, this shows the French king making a huge sacrifice to attempt to keep his country. However this can also be viewed as selfish as he is not showing any regard for his daughter or any desire to fight for his throne.
Other characters show admiration for Henry. We see his people’s views of him when he walks around the camp in disguise. Pistol an old companion from his youth describes Henry very admirably, “… a heart of gold, a lad of life…” Again this reflects on Henry as a king he is seen as honest and a good leader. Though Pistol’s opinion is not always to be believed, since he knew the old “Hal” (Henry). This links in with how we also learn that some people do not admire Henry as a king. Bates, another solider in fact shows no compassion for his king. “He could wish him self in Thames up to the neck” this shows he feels Henry has led them to their death, and that this battle is not winnable. He does not view Henry as a good king, rather a king that has led his army to their defeat and eventual death. “I wish he were alone” this shows Bates’ extreme dislike of Henry, he wishes that the King would fight the battle alone, so that his men would not be slaughtered. “A-many poor men’s lives saved”. Bates does however say he’ll fight for the king so this shows some compassion for Henry. It is also ironic that the English emerge victorious, proving Bates to be wrong and showing that Henry’s confidence to have rubbed of on others such as Bates
Shakespeare’s portrayal of kingship within the play shows how men evolve to become kings. Henry’s leaves behind his wilder days to become a very successful king. We also see The Dauphin as uneducated and lacking wisdom, but his father is also a very respected king. So I think the message that Shakespeare is trying to put across is that people are not born to fit the role of a king, but that through experience and education one can become great.
