Henry V

 


In his first scene, King Henry shows himself to be an intelligent, thoughtful, and efficient statesman, with an extremely impressive presence and a commitment to act as he believes right. He thinks carefully about whether or not to invade France, and although his decision seems to suit the clergymen very well, it is not clear that he has allowed them to manipulate him. More likely, his purposes simply coincide with theirs. Henry also shows his prudence when he absolves himself of potential blame by warning Canterbury very sternly that the lives lost in war must be on the archbishop’s conscience if he misleads the king. The clean and regular meter of Henry’s speech manifests his calm command of his subjects and his wits.

He claims that the Dauphin’s mockery has provoked him to invade France, when, in fact, he has already decided on war before even admitting the French ambassadors. For the second time in this scene, Henry transfers responsibility for the deaths in the imminent war to someone else: first, he ascribes it to Canterbury, and now he ascribes it to the Dauphin. This strange evasion of responsibility, combined with Henry’s willingness to accept Canterbury’s corrupt and self-interested maneuvering, are among the many subtle criticisms that Shakespeare injects into his portrayal of Henry as a heroic king. As the war proceeds, Henry assumes the dimensions of an epic hero, but Shakespeare occasionally implies that, beneath Henry’s heroic status, his ethical status is somewhat dubious.