Henry V as king

I already had some familiarity with Henry V. I had not read the entire play, but I studied the scenes at Agincourt in Acting III last semester, so I had some idea of Henry's character in this play, and knew that he came out as a great hero in the end. What I did not realize was how well-regarded he was on the whole throughout.

In 1 Henry IV he made the bold claim in the first act that he would redeem himself in the eyes of the populace, and be the more admired for his apparent reformation of character. Later on he said much the same thing to his father, promising to defeat Hotspur in combat and so exchange Henry Percy's honors for his (Hal's) shame. He seems to have done all this and more.

In the first act of Henry V the nobles cannot expound enough upon how well-rounded he is, and how completely he understands so many aspects of the kingdom. Their mention of his concern for the commoners was what really caught my interest, though; obviously he would have knowledge of the lower classes, having spent so much time among them. The fact that this seems to be worthy of comment only serves to point out how effective Hal's transformation into King Henry V really was. Were he still viewed as the wayward son he used to be, the fact that he understands what goes on in taverns and the like would be seen as a matter of course. The fact that it is so impressive to the nobles proves how completely Prince Harry's plan worked. He is viewed now as exactly what a king should be, and all the more impressive because of how quickly he turned his life around.