Henry V by Shakespeare Book Review + Analysis
In May, The Classic's Club read one of William Shakespeare's famous historical plays, Henry V. We explored Henry's reign, and the battles on and off the fields of France. Ruler of England, Henry wanted power and victory, but needed God's grace from the difficult choices that summoned mortality to get there. The valiant victory of France was brutal, devastatingly painful, and crushed his men's spirits. Let's discuss two themes: loyalty and faith in beloved play, Henry V by Shakespeare.
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*This book review + analysis reveals spoilers*
Join the conversation and stick to the end to see my rating of the 1600s classic play; I hope you enjoy this review of Henry V by Shakespeare!
A Book Review
Woodsworth Editions Limited 2000
124 pages | Historical Play | William Shakespeare
Henry V by William Shakespeare
Summary
Soon after Henry’s coronation, he seeks to win over his subjects from his youthful, reckless, and bladdered lifestyle by claiming France. He consults the Archbishop of Canterbury to discuss how strong his French ties are on his mother’s side. Henry's decision concretes once the French prince insults him with a gift of tennis balls. England invades France. The battles are brutal, but Henry strengthens his soldiers through his great speeches; it's an uphill battle. Some betray him while others simply want to give up. In the darkest hour, Henry confronts the choices he has made as king and compares who he was before. He puts the final battle into God’s hands.
Structure & Theme
This play was edited by Cedric Watts and published by Wordsworth Classics. Watts claims he references the First Folio and First Quarto of its predecessors upon completing this version.
Henry V is a play. Save yourself a lot of frustration and ingest it like a film. I recommend watching the movie adaptation by Kenneth Branagh while you annotate your copy. Most of the production follows line for line of this Wordsworth version.
Before I watched the film, the play was confusing. It was hard to piece the plot and characters together, and it's because I treated it like a novel. Audiences never read Henry V as a book because Shakespeare put his plays on as productions. He was a 1600's filmmaker.
After reading along with the movie, everything clicked. Henry V is a brilliantly told story about a historical monarch. Although it's common to be frustrated by his prose, the language was fascinating to read while hearing it. Use more than one sense to read this play.
Themes in Henry V
Loyalty
Henry needs his subjects to obey him, but he has many enemies. He is a king. Within his army, he discovers three Englishmen are conspiring against him by operating with France. Henry is left weary of who he can trust, especially among his soldiers. To prove his newfound solemn approach, he punishes rebel's multiple times in this play for their disloyalty to him and his orders.
Henry's trust issues deepen as time goes on. The soldiers will wane, like the moon. One night on camp Henry disguises himself. He needs to know who remains loyal to him. While he roams the campfires and tents, he listens to his men; their opinions of the war rattle him, and he questions his choices.
The men are tired, frustrated, and angry. They demand the King be held accountable for their sins since he is the one that brought them to fight. Henry opposes this accusation and claims everyone is responsible for their own choices. These men believe they don't need penance for robbing churches and homes of the innocent. Disguised Henry says they are choosing to commit vile acts, he tells the men they cannot blame the king or the war for their actions.
Henry justifies the war to the soldiers. He believes it is vengeance under God. The king says,
“Then if they die unprovided, no more is the King guilty of their damnation than he was before guilty of those impieties for the which they are now visited. Every subject’s duty is the King’s, but every subject’s soul is his own.”
Henry V, William Shakespeare
The princess is compelling. We aren't told anything about her except that she struggles to speak English. Her role is to marry Henry and unify nations. When France is brutally defeated, England took over, this also means he claims the princess. When Katherine meets him, we empathize with her incredulous demeanor and fear. She puts her loyalty into France and Henry's palm because it is her duty. Shakespeare does a great job showing her conflicted emotions about the marriage without dwelling on what the audience already knows - she must marry him because of France's great defeat. That was life for monarchs during that time. As unfair as we believe it to be, the story is about the war and Henry's battle against France.
Faith
Henry's internal realm plagues him. He says,
“Upon the King! Let us our lives, our souls,/ Our debts, our careful wives,/ Our children, and our sins, lay on the King!/ We must bear all. O hard condition,/ Twin-born with greatness: subject to breath/ Of every fool, whose sense no more can feel/ But his own wringing.”
Henry V, William Shakespeare
Henry finds faith when they are on the precipice of defeat by turning to God. The men are at their lowest. They are hungry, tired, and ill from the poor weather. Henry’s determination to conquer this war is prevalent, he delivers great speeches to fuel the faith that keeps them going.
"If we are marked to die, we are enow/ To do our country loss; and, if to live,/ The fewer men, the greater share of honour./ God's will, I pray thee wish not one man more./...
He that shall see this day, and live old age,/ Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,/ And say, 'Tomorrow is Saint Crispian.'/ Then will he strip his sleeve, and show his scars,/ And say, 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'/ Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,/ But he'll remember, with advantages,/ What feats he did that day. Then shall our names/..."
Henry V, William Shakespeare
The will in each man became victorious and they defeated France.
It is said that people turn to God in their darkest hour. Through the entire play, Henry's faith never wavered. Against all odds, and what seemed like their defeat, he remained strong. Some men lost their faith and watched from the sidelines, but that was not Henry's nature. He was on a mission. Henry conquered through faith, will, and determination. This was the real victory.
Afterthoughts
Shakespeare prose and character developments are unique. He juggles many characters, which makes the reading experience challenging to keep straight, but each has a purpose to propel the story. This tale didn't particularly captivate me, but I will continue to pick up Shakespeare's plays in the future.
I cannot emphasis enough: watch the film along with the book. As an audience, we see the details, scenes, and characters as Shakespeare intended. I will always ingest his plays this way moving forward.
Rating
★★★.5
Henry's eloquent diction persuades his soldiers to move forward. But do you feel this war against France was necessary? Explain.
Why are the tennis balls an insult upon the King of England?
What monologue resonated the most with you by Henry? Why?
Any tips for a more enjoyable Shakespeare reading experience? Have you seen the film?
Please comment your answers below; feel free to add any of your thoughts about Henry V, and about this book review!
