Throughout history, it has been difficult to have a dynastic succession produce good leaders. However, in William Shakespeare’s Henry V, King Henry V is acclaimed as the dynastic successor to England. Henry has a valid claim to the French throne, but France already has a successor, the Dauphin. With some convincing and financing from the clergy, Henry decides to fight for his place as the French heir. In the Battle of Agincourt, Henry demonstrates strong leadership at a young age. As previously explained in Act I, Henry’s father died when he was young, and Henry V gained a new demeanor and changed his wild ways into proper ethics for royalty. Henry’s personality change leads to his noble leadership, and he seems to lead by example and in words even as a young king. King Henry’s conduct causes him to be a just ruler. King Henry’s morality, impartiality, and authority cause him to be a just ruler. King Henry’s morality causes him to be a just ruler. When Henry rises to the throne, he sheds his reckless personality as much as possible, and he even distances himself from an old friend, John Falstaff. King Henry becomes a morally and mentally sound king for England. Henry gains important morals for a ruler such as humility, grace, piety, and wisdom even at his young age. Henry shows a glimpse of his humility when he addresses the soldiers before the siege of Harfleur to inspire them for battle. Henry says that they all must go “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once / more” (3.1.1-2). By addressing the soldiers as dear friends, Henry acknowledges them as equals and even goes as far as saying that they are his comrades. His humility is loved by his people, so they respond as motivated and united front for England. A good leader must never hold his/her head higher than his/her subjects because this makes the ruler more popular when he/she considers all people equally. Also, Henry is loved by the Church for his piety and other morals. As the Bishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely discuss the bill about to be passed which would tax the church, the Bishops mention that Henry V is “full of grace and fair reward. / And a true lover of the Church” (1.1.24-25Whn Henry gains piety after his father’s
As a king, Henry becomes known for being a man of resilience, strategy, and combat. These traits, according to Machiavelli, are necessary to become the “ideal king.” As stated by Machiavelli, “…a prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules.” (Machiavelli) This can be seen when the Dauphin presents Henry with a gift of tennis balls and an insulting speech practically telling him to stay out of grown men’s affairs. This gives Henry the leverage he needs to start a war with France without looking like the instigator. He can now put the blame of war on the Dauphin and the many lives of whom will be killed. Henry uses this to move toward his strength and show his full potential.
The king does this so that the governor will surrender and Henry can conquer Harfleur without a bloody battle. Although his speech sounds menacing, a quality not found in the characteristics of a hero, it is only a tactic Henry uses to achieve the outcome he wants. Henry's reluctance to make good on his promise of this massacre is proven when he states, "use mercy to them all" (III.3. 54). Henry is not the monster he appears to be; instead, he is a leader using any method he can to gain land while keeping his troops out of harm's way. At the final Battle of Agincourt, Henry's ragged army expresses concern about their odds against the French; the British are outnumbered five to one. Henry's Cousin Westmoreland. Henry, being the talented rhetorician that he is, soothes the army's fears by delivering the inspirational speech: "[...] If we are marked to die, we are now To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honor. [...]But if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive." (IV.3. 21-30). Henry explains that there is a certain amount of honor to go around once the British defeat the French. It is fortunate of those soldiers that are at the battle that they do not have to share that honor with men who are fearful and therefore unworthy of honor. Henry says that honor is most important to him and that it should also be important to
Not only does Henry share his glory with God, but also with his royal subjects and all of England. In Act 1, scene 2 he tells the ambassadors of France that "We are no tyrant, but a Christian king"(241). The fact that he shares his
What makes a king an effective king? Is it how long they rule? No, it is actually the way in which they interact with their subjects. The way they are able to separate the personal from the political, not allowing personal feelings to interfere with his ruling. King Henry the 5th is a perfect example of this. He is able to rule his kingdom according to the kingdom's laws and doesn't let his personal relationships with his subjects to change
In the film Regarding Henry, Henry Turner depicts a more complex Id and Superego, that is capable of having positive and negative qualities on each side. Through complex character development throughout the film, Turner creates a two sided Id and Superego. After seemingly changing personality traits, due to a freak accident, Turner’s views on life are changed after a complete memory loss.
Although labeled as a history, the strength of Shakespeare's Henry V lies not in the events that occur in the play, but in the delicate portrayal of the characters involved. Shakespeare's audience would have already known the story of Henry V's campaign on France and thus would have had no reason to watch a play that simply re-enacted past events. Therefore, the appeal of such a play, as well as the themes and the content, would have been dependent largely on the characters themselves.
How can power overpower the nature of a man? In William Shakespeare’s Henry V, Henry’s life is centered around his kingship which turns him into a selfish and stern king. Throughout his life, Henry has worked hard to prepare himself for becoming the king of England. Moreover, Henry’s childhood consisted of constant preparation for his future career as king. However, when he becomes king he disregards his foolish childhood, and focuses on his own wealth and prosperity. Unfortunately, his selfishness compels him to do wicked things that harm his country. A king’s job is to protect and provide for his kingdom; Henry, however, makes many decisions that harm his kingdom, which makes him a bad king. Moreover, Henry’s childhood preparation for his kingship has led to much harm to the citizens of England. Henry’s position as king transforms him from a foolish young man into a hard, stern king. As king Henry displays attributes of wickedness, selfishness, and ruthlessness.
In Henry V, Henry uses the power of his rhetoric to achieve his goals and to effectively communicate with nobility, commoners, churchmen, and enemies. Henry claims to have once assumed the role of a commoner as he threatens the Dauphin, “For that have I laid by my majesty/And plodded like a man for working days…tell the pleasant Prince this mock of his/Hath turned his balls to gun-stones" (1.2.277-278, 282-283). Prior to the Battle of Harfleur, Henry injects confidence into English nobles and farmers and asks them to “dishonor not [their] mothers” and to prove “that [they] are worth [their] breeding” (3.1.22-28). He encourages hostility in his troops and urges them to act as tigers: “But when the blast of
industrializing helped the northern states create a great extent of wealth , they developed a exceptional infrastructure of roads, canals, and railroad that moved goods and people east and west. Each consecutive influx of immigrants would tend to find work and move to settle the west, leaving a job for the next immigrant. The west demanded goods and the services of modern society as they were settling in which lead to increased demands for manufactured
Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry IV Part I’ centres on a core theme of the conflict between order and disorder. Such conflict is brought to light by the use of many vehicles, including Hal’s inner conflict, the country’s political and social conflict, the conflict between the court world and the tavern world, and the conflicting moral values of characters from each of these worlds. This juxtaposition of certain values exists on many levels, and so is both a strikingly present and an underlying theme throughout the play. Through characterization Shakespeare explores moral conflict, and passage three is a prime example of Falstaff’s enduring moral disorder. By this stage in the play Hal has
Almost every scholar who has learned about King Henry V can agree that he is one of the most popular kings of his time period. Henry V was a young king so many scholars have questioned his actions. Especially, due to his earlier lifestyle because Henry V was an immature adult before he became king but when he became king he seemed very wise. This might be because he did not want people to expect much of him. But, one question that has been debated for a long time now is: is Henry V a Christian King or a Machiavelli tyrant? Henry V was a Machiavelli cruel leader and not a Christian king for these three reasons: He was not merciful, he led his men into battle because of his own desires, and Henry’s disguise.
Even though outnumbered, King Henry gets through to his troops with his encouraging words. They understand that at that moment they are and always will be equal. They are risking their lives while “the men in England safe in their beds.” If King Henry does not care for status, neither should his troops. King Henry even says he is not above them, “whoever sheds his blood with me today shall be my brother.” Even though they are not blood related, the King will consider these men his brothers, due to their bravery to risk their lives. I think that is one of the most important lines from the
From his fifteen year minority to the inept rule of the rest of his reign, Henry VI was a "child", at least as far as governing ability was concerned. The period of his minority and the time that he was the titular king laid the groundwork for the Wars of the Roses. Had Henry been an intelligent king, with at least some political acumen, and the ability to win the respect of his nobles, their may have never been any Wars of the Roses. But his weakness in allowing government by favorites and governing foolishly on his own, at the very least directed his country down the road to a bloody civil war.
Alicia Keys, a prominent singer, songwriter and pianist was born in 1981 in New York to a Jamaican father. Her debut album “Songs in A Minor” released in 2001 went platinum five times, went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide and earned her five Grammys. She dropped subsequent albums “The Diary of Alicia Keys” released in 2003, “As I Am” released in 2007 and “Girl on Fire” released in 2009, all won Grammy Awards which brings her total to 15. Her other accolades include awards from Billboard, American Music Awards as well as NAACP. Some of her biggest hits include “Fallin”, “If I Ain’t Got You”, “No-One” and “Girl on Fire”.
The development of a nation’s foreign policy strategy must be built with consideration of various components. Since there is no established world “leader”, multiple spheres of power and influence develop. One of the most inevitable factors affecting forging policy is location. The development of influence based simply on geographic location has not gone unnoticed from nations participating in global relations. In a consistently turbulent world, nations are constantly realizing their relevance on the world stage. Nations will often realize this relevance and continue to develop it for their benefit and political gain. The intersections of economic, social, political, and geographic connections result in strategy being developed solely on the location of a nation. When it comes to the importance of strategic location in relation to foreign policy, it is imperative that a nation implements strategic location when developing their foreign policy approach.