I too, like a few people in our class, have really come to like the character of King Henry through his transformation. After reading 1 Henry IV, I was unsure if I truly believed that Prince Hal would change his ways in becoming a respectable king. He made a very bold claim in the beginning of 1 Henry IV. I thought his idea of his future redemption would only come to haunt him later on down the road. I could not understand why he believed his actions of drinking and associating with lower status thieves and drunks would make him a better king. I have to stay, that I am quite happy with the way King Henry V has transformed into such a wonderful leader.
One of the aspects of King Henry that I really enjoy the most is his amazing use of language and rhetoric skill. Time and time again King Henry V demonstrates and in a way flaunts his abilities. One of the most prevailing speeches he makes occurs in act three, scene three of Henry V. In this speech, the king uses language in order to break down the walls of Harfler. He uses threatening language to make an attempt of persuasion on the governor and ultimately scares them into submission. King Henry makes all of these violent claims, saying he will rape their daughters, hurt the old men, and kill the babies of the town if they do not surrender. When reading this speech I get a chill down my back because the language is just so graphic and so strong. I know we talked a lot about this in class, but this speech lingers with me. I just can not seem to get over the fact that Henry V could think of such horrific acts when we all know that this was not his true intention.
I do not get the sense that King Henry ever wanted to hurt the people of France. He just wanted to claim what he thought to be rightfully his. I feel that some people might argue this point, but I think his use of language to obtain power proves that he isn’t about violence. He repents what his father has done, and prays for God’s forgiveness before the battle. This new King Henry is really focuses on the unity of Great Britain and does whatever it takes to unity the four sub categories in this war against France. Henry, like many others, uses war as a tool for unity. When I finished reading Henry V I was both happy and sad. Happy that King Henry did transform into a respectable king, but sad because the play was over, and I could not read more about this king that I was just starting to like
2 comments:
I agree! Henry, at least in Shakespeare's plays, gives great and inspiring speeches! Even in the one you were writing about, where he threatened to kill and harm all people in the town, I, too, believe he was all talk. Later when he finds out about the children who were murdered carrying the luggage, he is furious which shows that he most likely would not have harmed those that he had threatened. A great scare tactic.
This is an interesting post, Amy. I was just reading about how the battle of Harfleur is represented in the Chronicles, and interestingly Shakespeare changes the source in this case. In Holinshed, it is clear that the English soldiers sacked the city (though he doesn't describe what happened). Shakespeare thus makes Henry more virtuous than he was in history, while at the same time showing the cruel possibilities of war.
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