Henry V: Noble Hero or Devious Brute? (Shakespeare)
The above title questions King Henry's alleged double-personality, which is obviously one of the key factors of his character in Shakespeare's famous play, "King Henry V". The text sugests two different sides to Henry, which are both revealed near the beginning of the play in Acts One and Two. Shakespeare gives us the impression that Henry has two faces; a public face and a private face- both of which will be explored in this essay. At the very start of the play, the Chorus enter the scene with the prologue. It begins abruptly with,The expression at the beginning of this sentence should immediately attract the audience's attention and give an instant sense of excitement. The effect of using such a quick, abrupt word at the beginning of 'King Henry V" also gives us a clear impression of power and mightiness, which may be a reflection of Henry's character later in the text. Henry's character is also compared to the Roman God of War, Mars. If Henry possessed any of this War God's typical traits, it would make him seem more brutal because of the horrific, violent nature of war itself. The first time we see Henry is in Act One, Scene Two. He is with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop
One of his most prominent traits is that when he wants to achieve a goal (and in this case it is winning the war), he will use every resource at his disposal to make sure that things go his way; even if it means executing three traitors who happen to be very close friends of his. he bids you to resignYour crown and kingdom, indirectly heldFrom him, the native and true challenger". The fact that his mind is so set on meeting his goals makes him come across as extremely heroic in a patriotic sense, but the fact that he executed three of his friends brings out a vulgar, brutal side to him. of Ely, who are both trying to persuade him to declare war on France. This makes Henry come across as a more noble man, because he is giving King Charles VI a chance to avoid war completely. Throughout this whole scene, Henry remains calm and seems a very levelheaded character, giving the audience the impression that he is a very noble, worthy King. In conclusion, I think that Henry comes across as both of the roles suggested in the title question. In Act Two, Scene Two, Henry meets with the three traitors, Cambridge, Gray and Scroop. On the contrary, this quote might also be interpreted as a threat. Henry seems a very headstrong man in this section of the play, because now that he has agreed to go to war, he has to do everything to make it go well for the British side. This is because his deviousness is shown through his smart, cunning and manipulative plans to win the war against the French, but his noble and heroic side also shines through his attitude towards war and the sacrifices he is willing to make for his kingdom. You could say that Henry is threatening a deadly war if the French King decides not to surrender.
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Acceptance Essays
