Henry V story
Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written near 1599. It tells the story of King Henry V of England, focusing on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt (1415) during the Hundred Years' War. In the First Quarto text, it was titled The Chronicle History of Henry the fifth, which became The Life of Henry the Fifth in the First Folio text.
12 total · 6 major · 6 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| communicating with someone who speaks a different language | major | two French ladies were seen to practice their English after Henry V's success at Harfleur; Ancient Pistol had a tortured conversation with a French prisoner regarding ransom; Henry V proposed to a poorly comprehending but rather bemused Catherine of Valois |
| coping with the rigors of command | major | especially after having gone undercover, Henry V spoke of the heavy duty of being a king and a commander |
| history | major | especially the Battle of Agincourt |
| patriotism | major | the French and the English alike mustered patriotic fervor in preparation for the onslaught |
| the horrors of war | major | especially when Henry V went in disguise to comfort soldiers, we heard a lot about the soldier's terrible lot |
| war | major | Henry V invaded France because he thought he had a just claim to the throne through his ancestry |
| Christianity | minor | there was a lengthy scene in which Henry V argued that God alone was to thank for their miraculous victory |
| coping with the death of a friend | minor | There was a lengthy eulogy for Falstaff by some of his friends. |
| duty vs. love | minor | Katherine briefly deliberated whether she could love an enemy of France |
| infatuation | minor | Henry V proclaimed his love for Kathrine |