The Dauphin boasts of the French’s superiority over England, feminising the English with ‘And let us do it with no show of fear - / No, with no more than if we heard that England / Were busied with a Whitsun morris-dance;/ For, my good liege, she is so idly kinged, / Her sceptre so fantastically borne/ By a vain, giddy, shallow, humorous youth, / That fear attends her not.’ (II.4.21-28).
Henry uses the power of his masculinity to procure the throne of France, which incurs the violence necessary for his actions. This violence is more implicit, as it is ‘acted’ off stage, giving us the idea that the battle is occurring; with no fighting seen.
Henry is at times; portrayed as a humane ruler, as Canterbury remarks ‘The King is full of grace and fair regard’ (I.1.22). Further exemplified with the drunkard whom he wishes to set free, ‘Enlarge the man committed yesterday / That railed against our person. We consider / It was excess wine that set him on, / And on his more advice we pardon him.’ (II.2. 40-43). This allows Henry to punish the conspirators, Cambridge, Scroop and Grey, whom he has led into this trap of sealing their own fate by urging him to punish the drunkard.
In essence, this play portrays the masculinity of wartime values, justifying the violence of war. Henry was urged on by his desire to gain control of France, sincerely believing his entitlement to it.
When the minimal female presence in this play appears, the atmosphere is softened. Hostess Quickly addresses her husband Pistol as ‘Prithee honey-sweet husband’ (II.3.1), while he asserts his manliness as he departs with ‘Let housewifery appear. Keep close, I thee command!’ (II.3 58).
Another example of femininity is the scene where Henry is trying to woo Katherine, using the privilege of his position as male monarch, to gain her hand in marriage.
The male characters dominate the stage with the ultimate masculinity being that of the King’s.
The Rover on the other hand is very much a female dominated play, even though the number of male characters outnumbers that of female characters.
The opening scene sets the theme, with the conversation between Florinda and her sister Hellena. They are discussing their fathers desire for Florinda to enter into an arranged marriage to the older Don Vincentio. Their brother Pedro is exercising his male position in the family in supporting their father’s wishes, telling her ‘you must consider Don Vincentio’s fortune, and the jointure he’ll make you’ and ‘I have a command from my father here to tell you, you ought not to despise him, a man of so vast a fortune.’ (P.160/161 The Rover). The age difference is a problem for her, as she states ‘Let him consider my youth, beauty and fortune; which ought not to be thrown away on his age and jointure.’ (P.161 The Rover). Hellena seems destined to spend her life living as a nun, this being predetermined by their father. However, both girls decide they will not be ruled by their father or brother, showing their female strength. Hellena takes command, saying ‘We’ll outwit twenty brothers, if you’ll be ruled by me’ (P.164 The Rover). During the conversation with their brother, Hellena defends Florinda’s desires, telling him ‘Marry Don Vincentio! Hand me, Such a wedlock would be worse than adultery with another man.’ (P.162 The Rover).
Florinda is more of a passive character, on the stage she would be holding back in the shadows whilst Hellena, being more fiery would dominate the stage with her persona. Their brother is merely enforcing his father’s wishes and would not be such a strong character on the stage. This is a good example of female domination in the play.
Scene two on the other hand, is definitely male dominated, their conversation concerning women and sex. They imply women are only there for them to provide them with a service, as prostitutes.
Florinda and Hellena show their determination when they disguise themselves as gypsies in order to fool their brother. Florinda in the hope that she will see Belville and be able to pass him a note to meet her, which she succeeds in doing. Hellena appears to be looking for a man to take her away from her divine fate. Both women succeed in their goals, beating the social system with their female determination.
The men, bar Belville, are lusting after women in their masculine way. Hellena puts value in her feelings for Willmore, saying to him ‘if you will swear to keep your heart, and not bestow it between this and that.’ He replies with ‘By all the little gods of love I swear, I’ll leave it with you, and if you run away with it, those deities of justice will revenge me.’ (P.171 The Rover). He then sees Angellica and, determined to have her, forgets his promise to Hellena, saying to Angellica ‘Yet such a slave I am to love and beauty / This last reserve I’ll sacrifice to enjoy you.’ (P.185 The Rover).
In this play, masculine power endeavours to control women. Willmore with his manipulative eloquence in Angellica and Hellena, especially Hellena when he finds out from Angellica how much she is worth, ‘Twas the two hundred thousand crowns you courted’ and Willmore’s reply ‘Two hundred thousand crowns! What story’s this? – What trick? – What woman? - ha!’ (P.214 The Rover).
The characterisations of the women create a feminist power. It is the women who are in love, although Belville is Florinda’s lover, but the theme is very feminine, even when there is male domination. Masculinity, it seems, tends to be an essentially violent aspect to the play. When Pedro tries to enforce his fathers will on his sisters, he is bullying them, emotionally. Willmore, stumbling upon Florinda, violently tries to force himself on her. Then Blunt, whose house Florinda escapes into, threatens her with violence and rape. There is explicit violence in this play, because of male dominated attitudes and social order, encouraging such behaviour. Women are expected to do what the men tell them to do and to yield to their advances.
So to sum up, Henry V does imply that masculinity during wartime is essentially and physically violent, although the violences perpetrated are implicit, as a stage play cannot show a battlefield scene such as would be needed.
Henry uses his masculine power to give strength to his men prior to battle with ‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, / or close the wall up with our English dead!’ (III.1.1/2), encouraging them to war. A woman saying this wouldn’t have the same impact. It is in effect a play of masculine heroism. ‘The play’s aim is to celebrate heroic actions under a heroic King.’(P.21 Introduction-Henry V).
Whereas, The Rover celebrates female intuition and resolve in the fight against patriarchy. There doesn’t appear to be any room for women to control their own lives, so any woman who succeeds, needs to be of a strong disposition. There are acts of violence, but these are feminised by the fact that the men are fighting for women, and the women end up with choices. There is a feminine strength constructed through the use of rhetoric language, mainly Hellena when talking to her brother about Florinda’s impending marriage, and then Angellica in her confrontation with Willmore after he has mocked his vows to her and she threatens him with a pistol, saying ‘Does not thy guilty blood run shivering through thy veins? / Hast thou no horror at this sight, that tells thee, / Thou hast not long to boast thy shameful conquest?’ (P.235 The Rover).
In conclusion, Henry V seems to maintain gender boundaries, with masculinity being active alongside violence. Whereas The Rover stands between the acceptance of masculine power and female dominance.
Words: 1647
Bibliography
OWENS, W.R. and GOODMAN, Lizbeth, Ed. Shakespeare, Aphra Behn and the Canon (London: Routledge in association with the Open University, 1996).
BEHN, Aphra. Oroonoko, The Rover and other works (London: Penguin, 1992).
SHAKESPEARE, William. Henry v (London: Penguin, 1968, 1996).
Audio / Visual
TV 3: The Authentick & Ironicall Historie of Henry V
VC 1: A210 Approaching Literature: The Rover
Audio Cassette 6: Henry V AC2125
Audio Cassette 7: Henry V AC2126
