THE WAY HENRY IS PRESENTED AS KING AND LEADER

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Tim Oliver

THE WAY HENRY IS PRESENTED AS KING AND LEADER

Shakespeare presents Henry in a very good light, almost saying he has no faults.  He is not easily fooled, and is very good in battle.  All his citizens love him, and he believes God is on his side.

Henry has many important events which he faces as e is king, plots for his life, criticism from the people, battles to which the population disagree, killing of his friend and victories. Henry seems to respond in nearly always the same sort of manner, not really getting angry. He foils the plot by the traitors in a clever manner, playing with them when they know that he knows what they really are and who their loyalty is to. Henry is constantly in command of the situation as he plays with them when he has handed them the scrolls saying

What read you there,

That have so cowarded and chased your blood

Out of appearance?’

He knows what they have seen but it shows that he able to have a bit of fun yet still be in full command. It also goes onto say when they have fallen to their knees and begged for forgiveness ‘The mercy was quick in us but late’ ‘arrest them to answer to the law’. Scroop, Cambridge and Gray were high up in his court and probably his friends but he was still able to punish them and treat them as he would have treated a peasant. This shows his fairness. Another example is the killing of Bardolf for stealing from a church; Bardolf was an old drinking companion and a good friend but he was still able to hang him because of what he did.

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Henry will have grown up learning all the techniques that he needed o become king, including persuasiveness, rhetoric and confidence. The public speaking and the persuasiveness come in now when he makes the two most well known speeches - Harfleur (act 3 scene 1) ‘once more unto the breach dear friends’ and the st Crispin’s day speech (act 4 scene 3) ‘this day is called the feast of saint Crispian’. I the Harfleur speech Henry use’s several distinct schemes. He opens his speech with a repetition, "Once more onto the breach, dear friends, once more," which implies that they ...

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