And retirement any sequestration,
From open haunts and popularity.”
Ely says, “The strawberry grows underneath the nettle.”
And wholesome berries thrive and ripen best.
These two lines I think are the most two important lines in Ely's speech. Ely is trying to say, “The strawberry grows underneath the nettle,
And wholesome berries thrive and ripen best,”
It’s saying that underneath Henry’s past yobbish behaviour, that deep inside was a nice man.
The next scene brings about the talk of war.
We enter the king’s palace and for the first time we get to see king Henry and what he has to say. Henry asks the archbishop if he feels that it is right to invade France. He questions the archbishop asking him if his claim to the French throne is strong.
In this speech we hear the king asking the archbishop and in this speech he asks for one thing above all else and that is for the archbishop to speak the truth through honesty, even if it’s not what the king wants to hear.
King Henry also asks of the law of Salic.
This is the law by which no claim can be made via the roots of a female relative, no female claim, this shows us that the king takes war very seriously.
Reading this speech makes you realise that he does not want to rush things, he actually sees war as a good thing.
Canterbury, involved in this speech begins his very long reply to the question. The answer is a very interesting and intriguing, detailed speech.
Canterbury tells the king yes. He notifies the king, telling him that the law of Salic only applies to the Salic land and that France it’s self has no such restrictions to the throne.
Henry then really shows us his true characteristics of being a king.
King Henry is a master tactician of war and he realises that if he goes to France and leaves England with no defences England would be exposing themselves for invasion, so he comes up with the idea that half of the army should stay at home and look after the country.
This would guarantee that none of England’s foes would try and catch them out and try and take over.
The French ambassador then arrives with a present from the Dolphin and this pressure it is full of tennis balls, and leave France alone.
This is when we see Henry at his prime. His reply to Dolphin is both full of wit and is extremely intelligent.
He uses a lot of tennis terms a and uses them in the context of war, for example he quotes
“Shall strike his fathers crown in France into the hazard”
“That all the courts in France will be disturbed”.
The last things that are said by the king in this scene is a piece that finishes things off nicely.
It puts the icing on the cake.
King Henry quotes the seriousness of war but he also gives a warning to the king and his son Dolphin.
The first few scenes from Shakespeare play on Henry V is very interesting and of great importance to what happens further on in the play.
Summing up on Shakespeare, whom I think is a great writer and a role model to anyone who wants to follow similar in his steps.
From what I’ve seen in the first two acts I think that Henry is a good, intelligent man, made of integrity.
He also in my view is a really good king.
George Busumbru GM1