King Henry V: The Battle Of Agincourt

Words: 1290
Pages: 6

As the horn sounds a treaty meeting, the rulers of England and France confront about the situation at hand. Neither wishes to seem weak before their fellow soldiers but Henry V assures his tactic is clear. He states, if the Governor of Harfleur ceases to surrender immediately than England will invade France with no remorse. This leaves the Governor with a choice to seem either powerless, or accept the battle and show confidence within his army. The speech Henry administered depicts a horror of bloody French victims, threats of rape, and no mercy held for even the children of France. These exact tactics emerge within the later, Battle of Agincourt, where Henry and his troops stick to the ruthless ploy upon France. The brutal slayings that Henry …show more content…
Shakespeare incorporates Henry with strong, authoritative qualities and it furthers the belief that the English did not win from an act of God, but on the grounds that the French were fixed on the idea that their opponents were savage.
The middle aged English society was uneducated and uninformed about their government. Shakespeare’s version of King Henry had total control over all of society, he was a confused King and paradoxology was a common occurrence since he contradicted his own laws frequently. The townspeople are raised based on the idea that a single dictator was the most fitting form of lawful authority in order to live in a prosperous country. No governments during this time period resemble a democracy where the citizens had power to voice their opinion and be heard by the hierarchy therefore they could not imagine a life with it. Crimes within this age were also dealt with depending on the ruler and how he viewed the situation. There were many variables since a King may be bias towards a single race or his friends. King Henry was not biased of either; however, he made decisions in order to keep the perception of himself high and mighty in the eyes of all. Henry took
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There are many dictional parts within each of his dialogues that show great emotion based on his carefully selected word choice. Henry V came into this hierarchy with odds against him but the fact that he was well spoken and able to provide a clear message to the audience he earned respect. Recalling the Henry V film, his line “Once more unto he breach, Dear friends”, is delivered with purposeful power and it connects with his army. The English were close to defeat but the pride Henry shows lifts them up to win the day. Instead of enforcing the mistakes his men had made or reminding them about how many soldiers they have lost, he installs determination for them. Shakespeare shows the unique phraseology Henry also uses when saying, become animals and imitate a tiger, to summon up blood and pry the city gates open. During a different intense situation, the night before the Englishman's most important battle, Henry delivers his “St. Crispin’s Day” speech. The Battle of Agincourt stacked all odds against the Englishmen however Henry V took the doubt that everyone had and used it to his advantage. There is a multitude of directions he could have gone when motivating his troops and Henry always seems to say the right things. Any cliche quote about determination would have been useful however choosing to remind the men about their families