The treatment of the traitors also shows off Henry’s kingly qualities. It shows him to be a strong king. He also shows his cunning. By talking to the traitors about a man who while he is drunk has been foul mouthing the King luring them into trap they have asked for his punishment. Then when the King tells them he knows about the plot they have no right to beg for mercy ‘the mercy that was quick in us of late’. He also shows cunning by punishing them so severely. He now gains the support of his barons through fear and he shows himself as being strong
Henry continues to show his qualities. At the siege of Harfleur and in his speech before the battle of Agincourt. His speeches use rhetoric to persuade his troops. In both speeches he appeals to the men’s patriotism, and brotherhood. He continually uses the world England at Harfleur ‘whose limbs were made in England’, ‘‘God for Harry, England and Saint George.’’ And at Agincourt ‘gentlemen in England’. He pounds home the fact that they are brothers in arms and that they are the lucky ones that will be remembered. ‘We band of brothers’ Henry calls them flatters them, telling them that they are brothers to the king. He also uses common rhetorical devices. He uses groups of three a lot. For instance Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester.’ In this case three groups of two. He uses sibilance ‘flowing cups freshly remembered’. Repetition and plays on the desire of men to be remembered.
Then we see the humility of Henry. After the battle of Agincourt when the bodies have been counted and the victory is complete. Henry does gloat. He does not mock the French he praises them. He is magnanimous. He pays respect to the French dead ‘here lies a royal fellowship of death’. He does not even claim victory for himself but puts it in the hands of God showing even more humility. Here we see the quiet human side of Henry.
We do however also see Henry in a different light. We see him as a calculating man a user of the church a manipulator and ruthless man. Even from the start of his life he was scheming. He was deliberately callous and a rogue in his younger years. This was to make his transformation. Even more astonishing. We see this at different times
Some may say his treatment of the traitors was too harsh and ruthless. That he was cruel. This arises in other parts of the play as well. At the siege of Harfleur he does offer surrender to the Governor of Harfleur. However he threatens them if they don’t. ‘the blind and bloody soldier with foul hand Defile the locks of your shrill-shrieking daughters, your fathers taken by silver beards, And there most reverend heads dashed to the walls, your naked infants spitted upon pikes, Whiles the mad mothers with their confused do break the clouds,’ He is ruthless in this sense.
Later after the battle of Agincourt when the squires have been killed he boils over. ‘I was not angry since I came to France’ He is shown as ruthless, in cold-blooded rage ready for revenge. ‘Besides we’ll cut the throats of those we have and not a man of them that we shall take shall taste our mercy’ He is portrayed as a ruthless cruel killer. Nowadays a criminal of war.
He also seems to play on God is he really a believer or does he just use God. It seems as if he uses him for his own end. Not really believing. He seems to use the church and God. However he does ask for Gods for help. Before the Agincourt. The only time we seem to see Henry for himself is when he is alone. He seems to stop acting and let himself go. Here we see he really is religious. We see that even under his supposed acting he isn’t.
Henry is the mirror of all Christian kings. He is a great king. He is cutthroat he is calculating he is measured and makes tough seemingly heartless decisions. However he needed to make those decisions. It was tough being a king and you had to be tough. Your first loalty was to your country not your friends. You had to be calculating and measured. All in all Hal the callous mislead youth transformed into a great king the mirror of all Christian kings.
