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Opening with "O for a Muse of fire", the Chorus explains the chain of events leading up the Henry V's reign as king, as chronicled in Richard II, 1 Henry IV, and 2 Henry IV. The Archbishop of Canterbury and Ely urge Henry V to lay claim to France (tracing the claim back to Edward III) and to fight for it if necessary. Canterbury even promises that the Church will help fund a war. An ambassador from the French Prince (the Dauphin) brings a case of tennis balls to mock Henry V, who quickly vows to attack France. Nym, Pistol, and Bardolph agree to go to France with Henry V to help fight. Falstaff, sick and depressed, cannot. On his way to France, Henry V discovers that Richard Earl of Cambridge, Henry Lord Scroop of Marsham, and Sir Thomas Grey, knight of Northumberland have been paid by the French to murder Henry V. Though they repent, Henry V has the three executed. Falstaff dies in bed, and Pistol's wife Mistress Quickly says goodbye to Nym, Pistol, Bardolph, and Falstaff's boy as they leave for battle. The Dauphin tells the English ambassador the Duke of Exeter (Henry V's uncle; Thomas Beaufort) that he wishes to battle with Henry V, though the King of France (Charles VI) is considering appeasement. Henry attacks the French city of Harfleur and wins. During the battle, the boy, disgusted by their cowardly and criminal behavior, leaves Bardolph, Pistol, and Nym. The French nobles convince the King of France to fight Henry V, but the king won't let his son (the Dauphin) fight even though his son wants to.
Bardolph steals money from a church, and Pistol reports the crime, whereby Bardolph and Nym are executed. The French ambassador Montjoy brings threats from the King of France to Henry V to which Henry vows to continue to fight. On the eve of the battle, the French nobles are very eager to fight and stay up all night, arming at 2 am; the Dauphin arms at midnight. Henry V goes around his cap, disguised as a commoner, trying to raise his soldiers' spirits, though it is hard, since they are all tired and sickly, yet still brave. Before battle, Westmoreland wishes "we had more men" but Henry V quickly responds saying the fewer men, the more honor per person when the battle is won. In battle, Pistol captures a Frenchman for ransom, and the boy (Falstaff's servant) returns to the unguarded camp. The Earl of Suffolk and Edward the Duke of York (Henry V's cousin) both die in battle. The French, losing the battle, defy the Law of Arms and kill all of the boys in the English camp. In retaliation, Henry V has all of the French prisoners killed. The English win the Battle of Agincourt (on Saint Crispin Crispian's Day) with minimal losses: 5 English nobles die plus "five-and-twenty" other English men compared to 10,000 dead Frenchmen. Pistol's wife Nell quickly dies, and Pistol, in despair, vows to return to England to live the life of a thief.
Henry V meets with Katherine (King of France's daughter) while Exeter, the Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester (Henry V's brothers), the Earl of Warwick, and Huntingdon iron out a peace settlement. The King of France agrees to the settlement, including Henry V's marriage to Katherine and Henry's control of France.
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Henry V help!
How is authority shown in henry v by William Shakespeare??
Posted By newbookworm at Fri 29 Aug 2008, 4:50 PM in King Henry V || 0 Replies
The Use of the Chorus
Hello! I have been asked to write an essay regarding the use of the Chorus speeches in Henry V and the dramatic purposes they fulfil. This is my plan for the essay: Introduction – Briefly outline the plot of Henry V and give some background information Paragraph 1 – Short history on the use of a chorus Paragraph 2 – The chorus is used to set the mood for the following scene by using certain language and techniques Paragraph 3 – Shakespeare uses the chorus to show things that cannot be shown in a play or on stage; apologies. Paragraph 4 – The chorus is used to bridge a gap between the actions, yet keep it tight at the same time and keep the dramatic action. Paragraph 5 – The Chorus is used to glorify England and its monarchy. Im pretty darn stuck on what to put for Paragraph 5, it would be loverlllyy if you could help =]
Posted By LilyRose at Wed 28 Nov 2007, 8:37 AM in King Henry V || 0 Replies
Figurative language in Henry V
I was assigned these through study passages from Henry V : Act 1 scene 1 lines 24-66 (1.1:24-66) Canterbury/ Ely "The courses of his youth...." Are these 2 gentlemen seriously examining the King's issues with France or are they looking rather intently at their own interests? What are they really saying about the King's questionable behavior as a prince? What is meant by the image: "Strawberry... underneath the nettle"? 1.2:237-297 Ambassadors/ King Henry/ Exeter "May it please your majesty..." What bold statement is the Dauphin of France registering here through his ambassadors? How effectively are the terms of tennis sustained throughout this passage? How do you judge the king's response? Concerned and embarrassed or does he demonstrate the regal poise expetced of a model monarch? 4.1:87-301 Bates/ court/ williams/ King Henry "Brother John Bates...." These lines may be the key to unlock both Henry IV part I and Henry V. Why does king go disguised among the common soldiers during darkest hour of the night? Is it to comfort the troops and genuinely learn their will or is this a troubled mind looking for support and not finding it? What do you make of the logic used by Williams? What's the conclusion you draw from all of this? 5.2: 136-291 King Henry/ Katherine "Marry, if you would......" is this a touching love scene that impressivlely culminates a powerful play or is it a facade that plays with the French language, convincing us that she cares not at all for him and that he has minimal interest in her? what key words and phrass persuaded you? I am an independent study student and I am trying to get the discussion aspect that I miss without beining in a classroom. Any ideas or suggestions help more than you know and are greatly appreciated. The italicized words are to help you find the passages since not all books are numbered the same. My assignment is to write at least 2 paragraphs for each of the above passages one in which I identify literarcy techniques employed and another in which i discuss how these techniques effectively emphasize the important issues presented by Shakespeare. Also comment on his success in using sound patterns to give these ideas artistic emphasis. Thanks
Posted By Kelsey22 at Tue 13 Nov 2007, 11:16 AM in King Henry V || 1 Reply
Significant issues in Henry V
I am trying to find the two most significant issues Shakespeare asks his audience to wrestle with in henry V. I am suppossed to discuss his refusal to answer any simple questions with easy answers and the issues revlevence in today's world. Also these three questions. 1. Discuss the role played by the archbishop of canterbury in this play. 2. discuss role of Falstaff in this drama. ( not a trick question) 3. Discuss the realtionship between Henry V and Katherine of France. Is this love or exploitation?
Posted By Kelsey22 at Tue 13 Nov 2007, 10:34 AM in King Henry V || 5 Replies
war and nationalism in henry V
i have an essay to do and i can't do anything in it. i need some help please. the question says,'many people say that shakespeare's Henry V glorifies war and nationalism. to what extent do you agree with this statement? ' Please explore and explain the quotations which backup this statement and are against it . And why shakespeare may have wanted to glorify war and nationalism. quotations: Act 4 Scene 7 lines 31-38 Act 4 Scene 7 lines 54-64 Act 3 scene 1 Act 3 scene 3 Prologue to act 1 Act 1 scene 2 Act 4 scene 3 lines 56-67 Act 3 scene 6
Posted By tibet at Sat 28 Apr 2007, 1:38 PM in King Henry V || 2 Replies
from Henry the Fifthe
O! for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention; A kindgom for a stage, princes to act And monarchs to behold the swelling scene. Then should the warlike Harry, like himself, Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels, Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire Crouch for employment.
Posted By quasimodo1 at Sat 3 Mar 2007, 1:49 PM in King Henry V || 0 Replies
Death of Falstaff.
I was watching an Agatha Christy DVD - one of the Poirot stories Granada filmed with the excellent David Suchet playing the pear-shaped, little detective - when one of the characters read out the description of the death of Socrates from Plato. Suddenly the similarity of Mistress Quickly's description of the Death of Falstaff struck. I'd never registered the similarities before (although I possibly had read about it). Why now? I suspect it had something to do with the performance - the fact that I had heard an actor deliver the description, and that Dame Judy Dench's delivery of the Shakespeare had lodged very firmly in 'd' little grey cells'. Was it tone of voice, or manner of delivery? I don't know - but if it struck me, sat in front of a t.v. in provincial Hungary, how much more quickly it would have struck the audience in Shakespeare's London - not just used to listening more carefully, but primed in the classics. What was Shakespeare up to with the connection? :idea: Two diametrically opposed possibilities pop into my mind. Either: Shakespeare is suggesting that Falstaff, like Socrates, has to be 'killed-off' for perverting the youth of the nation - that it is a judicial action on behalf of the authorities (not to mention the playwright) to rid itself of a rotten apple before the whole basket is useless; Or: Shakespeare is making it very clear that Falstaff has died a death undeserved and the authorities really should be elevating him to the pantheon of greats for the service he has done in educating the young of the nation in the realities of the world - just like Socrates. And then that really irritating habit of thought Shakespeare had of 'negative capability' kicks in - you just know he meant both at the same time. Both Socrates and Falstaff will be remembered long into the future - and the youth of nations not yet formed will admire the disgraceful lack of respect for constituted authority they both have in abundance. And the rediculousness of comparing the 'great philosopher' with the 'tub of lard' will stick in the minds of the older and wiser.
Posted By akfarrar at Sat 21 Oct 2006, 1:54 AM in King Henry V || 0 Replies
More than propaganda?!
Ok so I got this essay to do - the title whther the play is anything more than a propaganda presentation of the perfect king.. aaaahh! I know there's one bit where I can say it's not just that - in Henry's soliloquy bit in I think it's Act 4 scene 1, but is there anything else?! I'd really appreciate some help because I have no idea whatsoever! I've been looking through it for days.. :brickwall
Posted By speaktoalex at Sun 2 Jul 2006, 9:19 AM in King Henry V || 0 Replies
Question?
Hi every body, I just have a smaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal question: Did Henry decide to invade France, because of the provicative gift " Treasure " of the Daughin? :goof:
Posted By May* at Sat 3 Jun 2006, 9:07 AM in King Henry V || 9 Replies
The patriotism of Shakespeare in Henry V
On the face of it, Henry V offers ample evidence to validate the proposition that of all Shakespeare’s chronicle plays, this one is closest to state propaganda and that such proximity denies the less privileged classes a significant place in the nation. One need only cite the near-unanimous commitment to Henry’s cause expressed by the nobility and commoners alike; the curiously muted treatment of those few dissenting voices that do make themselves heard; the play’s protective attitude to its royal protagonist, whom it shields from overt inquiry into his legitimacy of the claim to the English as well as the French throne. The real King Henry (1387-1422), ascended to the throne of Henry IV in 1413 and two years later invaded France. The play is a patriotic, epic portrayal of a phase in the bloody hundred years war that started with the landing of Henry’s troops near Harfleur and the legendary victory at Agincourt. It describes a medieval campaign led by a chivalrous king, who could do wrong, but not a great deal of it. The verse found within the play resounds with the rhetoric of nationalistic fervour. It is the very essence of a “Boys Own” adventure story. Full of fighting scenes, and victories by sadly depleted, underfed, and highly stressed forces against insurmountable odds. It is a story to stir the blood, and filled with patriotic speeches that are strangely reminiscent of Winston Churchill’s speeches during World War Two. However, unlike Churchill’s period, England was under no threat of invasion, and in fact, it was the English who were the antagonists as will be seen later. Once more into the breech dear friends, once more, Or close the wall up with our British dead, In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man, As modest, stillness, and humility, But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, Disguise fair nature with hard – favour’d rage, Then lend the eye a terrible aspect, Let pry through the portage of the head, Like the brass cannon; let the brow o’erwhelm it, As fearfully as a galled rock, O’erhang and jutty his confounded base, Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean. Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide; Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit To his full height! - on, on, ye noblest English, Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof! Fathers, that, like so many Alexanders, Have in these parts from morn till even fought, And sheath'd their swords for lack of argument. Dishonour not your mothers; now attest That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you! King Henry praises the fighting merits of his countrymen, and accords them praise in calling them all, both commoner and nobleman alike, “Noblest English”. Having done this, he continues in his praise by praising their ancestry by equating their fathers to Alexander the Great before warning them not to bring shame upon their mothers, the vehicles by which this “nobility” came into the world. He also likens the fighting spirit of his men, not to the Bulldog that would be come the icon to British tenacity in the future, but to the Greyhound; a dog, that was used by both the Egyptians and Romans while out hunting to bring down their quarry. Be copy now to men of grosser blood, And teach them how to war! And you good yeomen, Whose limbs were made in England, show us here The mettle of your pasture; let us swear That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not; For there is none of you so mean and base, That hath not noble lustre in your eyes. I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start, the game's afoot, Follow your spirit, and upon this charge, Cry ‘God for Harry, England, and Saint George. Henry’s challenge is to turn his troops’ small numbers into an advantage, which he does by convincing his men that the battle is more than a mathematical formula that they have all come there to fight for honour, for justice, and for glory. He makes fighting with him at Agincourt sound like a privilege, one that will allow its participants to capture more glory than anything else could. Henry also brings up, once more, the motif of the bond between king and commoner. Henry’s phrasing implies a realist admission that not everyone with him that day will survive. But its main effort is to make the idea of survival concrete. The scene is domestic and familiar; a far cry from the monologue spoken before Harfleur, and the old veteran is made more convincing by his suggestion that he will exaggerate a little. History shows that Harfleur had been a victory for the English forces and that the matter had been reported as such in the nation’s capitol, London. Despite this, the siege at could well have been viewed as a defeat. Of the 2,500 men that had sailed with Henry from England, 900 men-at-arms remained. Death and sickness had done what the French could not and decimated his fighting force. The only viable and sensible thing for Henry to have done at that point was to have returned home to England, and a hero’s welcome. Henry, however, had other ideas. He had the British fighting spirit in his blood, and he was feeling anything but sensible after Harfleur. He was the victor, and for him, the matter was not yet over. All France was before him and total victory was in sight. His intention was to advance to Calais, a journey that would take the battered English through hostile territory, fortified towns, and past hostile castles. The French army had by this time, received the reinforcements they had been expecting and now easily outnumbered the sadly depleted English force by at least six to one. The first week of the English advance went by with an occasional skirmish, the walled towns along the way surrendering at once, and the Béthune and Bresle rivers were crossed without incident. The first major hurdle the English came across was at the Somme. There was a well known ford at the river mouth known as Blanche-Taque that Edward III had crossed some sixty-nine years before on his way to Crécy, but the French had rendered it impassable with rows of sharpened stakes, while a company of French cavalry defended the approaches. However, Henry knew that his force was outnumbered by the superior French force. He then did what patriotic and chauvinistic historians and play writes, including Shakespeare himself, overlook; he sued for peace. According to Norwich (1999) Henry saw that there was little or no hope of his offer being accepted, but at least the offer would be a delaying tactic that would give his exhausted troops a much needed rest. For the previous week or so, there had been an almost incessant rain. All day the storm clouds had been gathering, and as evening came, so did the rain. Lying in the open as they were, few of the English would have got much sleep, and fewer still would have realised that the unremitting rain over the past week could be seen as a gift from the Almighty. By the following day, October 25th, St. Crispian’s day, the rain had finally stopped, leaving the recently ploughed fields between the woods of Tramecourt to the east, and Agincourt to the west, a waterlogged mass. There still had been no reply to Henry’s offer, so the English prepared for battle. In Shakespeare’s play Henry V, the king’s inspirational St. Crispin’s Day speech—so called because the battle is fought on the feast day of St. Crispin, a holiday in the England of the play—is perhaps the most famous passage in the entire play. In this speech, which is meant to bolster the morale of his soldiers before they head into a battle that they are almost certain to lose, Henry demonstrates his customary brilliance with words and astounding charisma, both of which he has displayed so often before. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhood cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
Posted By King John Antih at Tue 5 Jul 2005, 10:51 PM in King Henry V || 9 Replies