Shakespeare's illustrations of Kingship in Richard II and Henry IV pts. I & II
Shakespeare's illustrations of Kingship in Richard II and Henry IV pts. I & II In these plays there is an interesting blend of perspectives towards the issue of kingship. The first is that of Richard II whose claim to the throne is considered just but whose ability to lead is poor; in effect he may be regarded as the complacent king. We then look through the eyes of Henry IV whose claim to the throne in terms of the laws of succession is unstable but who, as a man, has won the support of the people on merit. Finally there is the perspective of Hal. In many respects he has had the benefit of the experience of both his predecessors. He is at once the son of a man who has usurped the throne, but at the same time the son of a man who has earned his crown on merit. Moreover he is at least the legal successor to his father. In these plays Shakespeare embraces these various perspectives and takes us through the pros and cons of each king¹s position. In order to establish Shakespeare¹s views on kingship it is helpful to examine various aspects of the issue in turn. The concept of a king as God¹s minister on earth is most prevalent in Richard II since he is the only king who we shall dicuss who fills this role. It is still an important issue in relation to Henry IV but this time in terms of how having usurped the crown, and consequently not inheriting this role, destabilizes
Henry V (Act 1, sceneII)
(TMA 06) Henry V (Act 1, sceneII) Henry V is usually remembered as a heroic warrior-king, admired for his charismatic leadership, military and political genius, and extreme piety. Henry's war with France was probably motivated more by the need to win support and prove his legitimacy than by a belief in his right to the French throne. Shakespeare did a success portrayal of king Henry among his play. This essay focus on (Act 1, scene II, beginning 'We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us' and ending 'fare you will'). It discusses Henry's use of rhetorical devices in this extract (including emphasis, vocabulary, rhythm, imagery). Moreover, it is focus on the way themes important to the play as a whole are present in this extract. however, the analysis will be in term of its content and its language. The play starts with the issue of church wealth, and how it is to be protected. Then, the Archbishop is offering Henry 'a mighty sum' if he invades France. Later on, we find the joke 'deal' from the Dauphin. Throughout the play there runs a theme of offers, counter offers, deals agreed or denied. Henry's great speeches in the play are not, as they are often taken to be, simply the inspiring calls to action of a great solider. They are also elaborate rhetorical devices, acting performances deliberately designed for particular effects. The main theme presents in the extract
Henry V and The Rover reveal not only the strategies of power but also anxieties informing them. Discuss this statement in an essay.
AZS210 Approaching Literature Name: Hazrin Bin Mohamad TMA07 PI No: Y0401841 Henry V and The Rover reveal not only the strategies of power but also anxieties informing them. Discuss this statement in an essay. From the two texts, we are presented with two different strategies of power. In Henry V we focus of the strategies of power in view of war that King Henry rages on France. In contrast, The Rover's strategies of power look at the relationship between sexes during a period of time where males dominate the society and women are looked down upon. In view of these strategies, we will also look at anxieties that arise from the possession of these powers and how those with the power work around it. Henry V is an English history play based on the life of King Henry the V. At the start of the play, we observe how King Henry looks for justification to his claim of the French crown. Although King Henry understands that a legitimate claim would mean war with France and would cost the lives of thousands of men, he seeks for more information about the "Salic law" that the French is using to challenge King Henry's claim. Being a righteous Christian king, King Henry forewarns The Archbishop of Canterbury to tell him the truth to his rightful claim to the French crown. He urges the Archbishop to speak with "your conscience washed / As pure as sin with baptism."
Discuss the Dramatic effectiveness of Act II scene ii
GCSE English Literature- Shakespeare essay Discuss the Dramatic effectiveness of Act II scene ii Act II scene ii is very dissimilar to the scene before it. In Act II scene i, the audience meets the characters Bardolph, Nym, Nell and Pistol, who would be remembered from Shakespeare's Henry IV. Nym and Pistol argue, trying to outdo each other with insulting puns and threats (eg. Pish for thee, thou prick-eared cur of Iceland), while the other two on stage try to calm them down. After the boy comes and announces Falstaff is very ill and the Hostess exits to tend to the man, Bardolph makes peace between Nym and Pistol, then after Nell comes back to tell the men to hurry to the dying Falstaff, all exit. This scene contrasts in many ways with the scene that follows it. Firstly, the costumes of the scenes would differ, as Nym and Pistol are of lower class and would be dirty and wearing torn clothes, also perhaps different items of clothing to another so that the audience can distinguish between them better. Scene ii would have people in very clean, expensive-looking clothing, as the officers would be of the higher class. Their clothes would also be identical, because they would be wearing uniform - because they are going to war, this would be battledress. The other characters on stage would also be wearing very expensive clothes, as they are of higher rank, but, again, different
How do you account for the outbreak of civil war in England in the mid-fifteenth century?
How do you account for the outbreak of civil war in England in the mid-fifteenth century? The time from 1450 until the rise of Henry VII to the English throne was dominated by political unrest that spilt over into military action; this became known as the Wars of the Roses. Ever since the demise of Henry V there had been a lack of the necessary authority to retain effective political control, the minority of Henry VI and his subsequent reign were punctuated by diplomatic failures and eventually military reversal and the loss of the French territories. The military failures on the continent came soon after the outbreak of Cade's rebellion and the same period was awash with personal disputes among the magnates that took the form of military struggle in England. The key conflict of these was the clash between York and Somerset, therefore indirectly also a clash between York and the crown, that resulted in 1461 with the removal of the Lancastrian dynasty from the throne and the accession of Edward IV. The causes for such an upheaval of the political system focus on the events immediately preceding the outbreak of hostilities but also the problems which had become apparent throughout the reign of Henry VI, which were proving to be hard to solve. The constitutional crisis created in 1399 through the usurpation of Richard II was still an underlying factor in English politics,